Murfreesboro Post
MURFREESBORO WEATHER

Schools director candidates narrowed to four




Don Odomunknown

Don Odomunknown

Three of the four finalists for Rutherford County superintendent are local educators.

The finalists are: William Spurlock, principal, Oakland High School; Dr. John Ash 

principal, Central Magnet School; Richard Zago, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Rutherford County school system; and Dr. Anne G. Garrett, 

retired superintendent, Haywood County Schools in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Randall Bennett, deputy executive director and general counsel for the Tennessee School Boards Association, presented the list to the Rutherford County School Board Monday. Bennett and TSBA served as the search consultant. An “anonymous” search committee of educators and administrators narrowed the field down to the four finalists, Bennett said.

Each candidate will be interviewed on a separate day starting at 6 p.m. and each interview will last approximately two hours, the board decided. Each candidate will have dinner with the board an hour before the interview. Board members decided they will ask two questions each — the same questions, in the same order.

Spurlock will be first — his interview is Thursday. His previous experience includes serving as assistant principal at Riverdale High School, Bennett said.

Ash will go next, on March 14. He was a candidate for the superintendent job during a previous search, Bennett said. He previously worked at schools in Christiana, La Vergne and Brentwood.

Zago will have the third interview, on March 19. Serving as assistant superintendent since 2012, he previously worked as principal at Stewarts Creek Elementary and Smyrna Elementary.

Garrett will appear before the board on March 21, making for the final interview. The board discussed taking her on a tour of schools, possibly earlier that day. She worked as superintendent of Haywood County Schools from 2004 until March 1, 2018, Bennett said. She received a favorable recommendation by an official with the school board association in North Carolina, he said.

Current superintendent Don Odom will retire as of June 30. The board hopes his replacement will be able to spend some time on the job with him before then.

The other candidates were: John (Jack) Lee Birmingham, Jr., assistant superintendent, Union Township School Corporation, Valparaiso, Indiana; Joseph Dawidziak, district administrator, Raymond School District, Burlington, Wisconsin; Dr. E. Connor Gardner, instructor, Lakeland High School, Corapeake, North Carolina;  Christopher Morris, special education teacher, Jackson, Tennessee; Steven Luker, principal, Smyrna Middle School; William C. Wade, associate superintendent, Santa Fe Schools, Santa Fe, New Mexico;  Dr. Clark Harrell, principal, Stewarts Creek High School; Thomas Delbridge III, coordinator of attendance, Rutherford County; Dr. Sally Sugg, school board member, Henderson County/retired principal; Dr. Anthony Kinkel, executive director, Minnesota State Board for School Administrators, and former president of Motlow State Community College; and Barbara Parker, superintendent, Cannon County Schools from 2009-2017.

Leave a Reply