The newly narrowed field of five candidates for Hamilton County Schools superintendent includes one local school administrator and two current superintendents from out of state.
All five possess administrative experience in school districts, and each has a doctoral degree. Three of the candidates work or have worked in Tennessee school systems.
The Hamilton County Board of Education narrowed its candidate list from nine to five on Thursday night. The candidates are vying to replace Bryan Johnson, who resigned in July after four years to take a leadership role at trucking company U.S. Xpress.
The school board will interview the five remaining candidates and narrow the candidate pool to three on Nov. 8, according to a tentative timeline of the district's website. The top three candidates will visit Hamilton County from mid-November through early December, followed by the board's vote on Dec. 9. The new superintendent is scheduled to begin work Jan. 1, 2022.
Candidate Justin Robertson, interim deputy superintendent at Hamilton County Schools, served as chief operations officer beginning in 2019. His duties included overseeing facilities, maintenance, transportation and nutrition.
Before that, Robertson worked as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the district starting in 2016 and in principal roles at three district schools.
Candidate Natalie McClarty also has a tie to the area. She previously worked as principal of Hardy Elementary School in Hamilton County Schools, receiving recognition from education awards program the Milken Educator Awards in 2006 for implementing academic strategies in reading, writing and tutoring that led to improved student performance.
Most recently, McClarty served as director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut. In 2019, McClarty was named Stamford Administrator of the Year by the Connecticut Association of School Administrators, according to the Stamford Advocate.
Jim McIntyre serves as director and assistant professor of practice at the University of Tennessee's Center of Educational Leadership in Knoxville. He previously served as superintendent of Knox County Schools for eight years and as chief operating officer and budget officer at Boston Public Schools in Massachusetts, according to his biography on the UT in Knoxville website.
Following negotiations for a two-year contract extension and raise, McIntyre agreed to step down as superintendent of Knox County Schools in 2016, according to WBIR. Over the years, he faced disagreements with then-Mayor Tim Burchett and with teachers regarding testing, the article states.
In April, McIntyre reached the top five candidates for superintendent of another school district, according to The Ledger - Polk County Public Schools in Florida, along with Hamilton County Schools interim Superintendent Nakia Towns, who applied unsuccessfully for the role.
Christopher Bernier has worked as superintendent of Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, since July 2019, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked in Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida, for more than 30 years as a teacher, principal and in administrative roles.
John Tucker currently works as superintendent of Camden County Schools in Georgia, a job he began in January 2020, according to the school district's website. He previously worked as principal of Camden County High School for 13 years and as a teacher in the district for 10 years.
Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.