Who Will Lead Williamson County Schools?

The future of the public schools in Brentwood and around the county will be guided by one of three semi-finalists named by the Williamson County School Board during a lengthy Wednesday night meeting.

The three semi-finalists, selected from a pool of six chosen from 57 total applications, will be brought in to interview with the School Board on Wednesday, April 29, and Thursday, April 30. The interviews will be held during public meetings at 6pm and 8pm those evenings at Centennial High School.

The semi-finalists are:

Brian Blavatt (Union, KY): 19,121 students; $170,000 salary; $162 million budget

Dr. Terri Breeden (Vienna, VA): 169,000; $139,000 salary; $2.2 billion budget

Dr. Philip Jimerson (Grand Prairie, TX): 26,000; $135,000 salary; $220 million budget

A March 1, 2009 story by Maria Giordano in The Tennessean compared the 37,000-student Rutherford County Schools director salary of $126,000 with Williamson County's 30,213 enrollment and posted salary of up to the $180s. Dr. Rebecca Sharber's salary with Williamson County Schools was $156,000. Other surrounding county salaries include: Davidson (75,000 students) $250,000; Franklin Special (3,850) $134,922; and Sumner (26,542) $124,490.

The Boone County Schools website lists several accolades for Kentucky's third-largest district once led by Brian Blavatt (8pm April 29 interview) who is now a "director emeritus" under Superintendent Randy Poe. According to the website, the district was the first in Kentucky to have a student representative on the Board of Education.

Dr. Terri Breeden (6pm April 29 interview) is listed as the Assistant Superintendent overseeing Professional Learning and Training for the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia on the FCPS website. The website also lists the FCPS as the 12th largest school district in the entire nation. Dr. Breeden, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, served as the Director of Grades 5-12 for the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools at the end of her 20 years in Metro schools before moving to FCPS in 2006. Additional biographical information on Dr. Breeden is available at the LEAD Fairfax portion of the FCPS website.

Dr. Philip "Bret" Jimerson (6pm April 30 interview) is Deputy Superintendent of the Grand Prairie Independent School District according to the website. Some facts about GPISD are that the district has 38 campuses (25 elementary, 7 middle schools, 2 9th grades, 2 high schools, 2 alternative education) and serves a population of almost 60% Hispanic students, 19% Caucasian, and 17% African-American. Jimerson, who holds a Juris Doctor degree and two master's degrees according to the Williamson Herald story by Kiri Lanice Walton, also serves as his district's legal counsel and chief of staff.

So, before summer vacation is over Williamson County will have Dr. Rebecca Sharber's successor. None of the semi-finalists are currently leading a school district -- one is retired, one is an assistant, and one is a deputy. None of the semi-finalists are local -- apparently two unnamed local applicants were deemed unqualified. It will be interesting to see if the School Board goes with the candidate with local ties from her days at Metro (Dr. Breeden), the candidate with previous experience leading a district (Blavatt), or the candidate with a district closest in enrollment size to Williamson County (Dr. Jimerson). 

We wonder if the board will be so bold as to go with someone who can represent themselves in legal matters given the way Dr. Sharber's tenure came to a close. Anyone with ties to Metro Nashville's education system -- no matter how good their credentials -- also may face an uphill climb in Williamson County. Watchdog makes the early favorite in this race Blavatt based on the rapid growth in his district, the accolades the schools have earned, and his previous experience leading a district. What do you think? Let the Williamson County School Board hear your thoughts via phone or email.