Like Sands Through the Hour Glass -- So Is the Williamson County School Board

Well, perhaps the "Brentwood Watchdog Jinx" is real. Or, perhaps not. A few weeks ago we made Brian Blavatt the very early favorite to be named the new Williamson County Schools Director from among the three semi-final candidates. We based our choice in part on the fact that Blavatt was the only one of the three candidates with previous experience as director of schools -- the other two candidates were assistants.

Instead, Blavatt was the first of the semi-finalists eliminated by the Williamson County School Board. That left Bret Jimerson and Dr. Terri Breeden for the Board Members to consider. After another round of interviews, day-long visits with each candidate, and tours of county facilities, the board met in a special meeting Monday night to make their choice. Incidentally, we made Dr. Breeden our next choice based on her ties to the area, having previously worked in Metro Nashville Schools.

The choice the board made Monday night may surprise you -- or it may not depending on how long you've lived in Williamson County. Tennessean reporter Maria Giordano's story in Tuesday's edition of the paper recounts how the board voted 10-1 in favor of extending the search for a new director because the final two candidates lacked leadership skills, vision, and experience. Remember, Blavatt was our first choice because of his experience leading a district. 

Making things even more bizarre, the school board invited Interim Director of Schools David Heath to apply for the position.

In case you've forgotten the sequence of events, former director Becky Sharber announced in 2008 that she would not seek to extend her contract when it expired at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. That set into motion a series of votes by the school board to fire Sharber. The board was successful -- on its third attempt -- by one vote (7-5) during the December 15, 2008 meeting during which the board made Sharber's dismissal effective January 1, 2009.

At the time, board member Bill Peach was quoted in a Williamson Herald story as saying, "We will lose more credibility if we do this than anything else we've done since I sat on this board."

Sharber's ouster forced the Williamson County taxpayers to pay her salary and benefits through the end of her contract in June 2009 -- a salary amount of $78,000. In addition, the taxpayers picked up the tab for the increase in salary given to David Heath to become the Interim Director of Schools -- an increase of $26,838. 

The board then hired search firm Ray & Associates to conduct the nationwide search for a new director at a cost of $24,000 as detailed in the Williamson Herald's online edition of January 15.

Added together that's a cost of AT LEAST $50,838 paid by the Williamson County taxpayers so that the school board could invite someone in-house to apply to become the next Director of Schools. The scenario offered a perfect opportunity for a smooth transition of leadership from Sharber to Heath by allowing Sharber to work through the end of her contract and then elevating Heath to a new post after her departure. Instead, the school board opted to spend more than $50,000 and STILL doesn't have a solution. 

How many computers, books, or even teacher salaries would $50,000 fund?

If indeed Heath is chosen how will the board members who voted to oust Sharber justify this needless expense? And if Heath is chosen how does that jive with the reason given to not choose either of the other two candidates -- lack of experience? Heath doesn't have experience either.

This whole thing is a fiasco that rests squarely at the feet of the Williamson County School Board. Meanwhile, Franklin County Schools didn't have too much trouble finding a suitable Director of Schools for their county, or maybe you've heard.