Murfreesboro Post
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School director qualifications debated




Claudia Belden tells the Rutherford County Board of Education on Thursday, Feb. 15 that she disagreed with a proposal to modify the next superintendent’s job description. Belden serves as a community representative to the school board. JASON M. REYNOLDS

Claudia Belden tells the Rutherford County Board of Education on Thursday, Feb. 15 that she disagreed with a proposal to modify the next superintendent’s job description. Belden serves as a community representative to the school board. JASON M. REYNOLDS

The Rutherford County Board of Education voted Thursday, Feb. 15 to modify a job qualification condition for the next director of schools.

The board is searching for a replacement for director Don Odom, who will retire at the end of June. At its Thursday business meeting, the board voted 5-2 to delete the phrase “with preference for a doctorate degree” from the director’s job qualifications description. Board members Lisa Moore and Aaron Holladay dissented.

Holladay said the community has “a rich history training teachers up” to earn a doctoral degree and that should be reflected in policy even if the next director has a master’s degree instead of a doctoral degree.

Claudia Belden of Smyrna, who serves as a community representative to the school board, spoke on the topic. She attended a Feb. 1 policy committee meeting where the change was discussed, she said. 

The committee’s voting members include herself, some board members and school employees, she said. The committee voted 9-6 to recommend deleting the doctoral degree language, with herself, Holladay and Moore casting three of the dissenting votes. She said she felt other committee members were “contemptuous” to dissenting opinions. 

The committee’s minutes say that committee member Terry Hodge, also a school board member, said the language is on a brochure recruiting director applicants and that the last three directors did not have doctoral degrees and he did not want to confuse applicants. Committee and board member Wayne Blair said he did not want to discourage otherwise-qualified applicants from applying.

Belden told the board members Feb. 15 she felt they already had made up their minds on whom to hire, although she did not speculate on a candidate.

“I can’t shake the feeling something is going on behind the scenes,” she said.

In other business, the board has identified the next school to build: Rocky Fork Elementary, for $36.4 million. Currently $3.68 million has been funded for land and design work.

Rock Springs Elementary is next on the list for expansion, for $9.15 million.

The board also wants to fund a three-school complex along Interstate 840 at Highway 96 for $4.75 million, and land in south Murfreesboro for a two- or three-school complex for $3.25 million.

The total cost for all the building program projects is more than $49.9 million.

Real estate developer Eagleville View Village Partners has asked to tie into the sewer line in front of Eagleville High School on Highway 99. The board voted to approve the request, which will require the developer to pay for a new sewer line and make other improvements to the school connection. The City of Eagleville has agreed to accept the maintenance of the new sewer line in front on the school.

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