Heath One of Five Set for Director Interviews

Dr. David Heath, the interim director of Williamson County Schools, is one of five candidates the Williamson County School Board intends to interview August 3-5 in the ongoing search for a replacement director following the Board's decision to remove Dr. Rebecca Sharber late last year.

Search firm Ray & Associates presented the five candidates to the Board Monday night during a special meeting. This comes after Ray & Associates embarked on a nationwide search for candidates that culminated with three individuals being interviewed for the position and subsequently rejected by the Board on the grounds of lack of experience and/or vision.

Along with Heath, the other five candidates -- who all happen to be male -- are: Barry Carroll of Athens, Alabama; Dennis Dearden of Oro Valley, Arizona; Mike Looney of Greenville, Alabama; and James Wilson of Atlanta. Wilson actually oversaw the construction of Centennial High School in the late 1990s while working for Williamson County Schools.

Anything other than the hiring of Dr. Heath will be an absolutely stunning move given how this process has unfolded. Perhaps the Board will surprise everyone by choosing someone other than Heath (Wilson, perhaps?) but there is simply nothing to suggest that this is headed any other direction.

Is it truly possible that there are no qualified females for this job? Doesn't that seem odd? Is it truly possible that only a handful of people are interested in leading the public schools in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States? Doesn't that seem strange? Is it truly possible that Dr. Heath is going to be handed this job when all is said and done? Maybe we'll all know by the middle of August. Is it truly possible that those who voted for this move will be re-elected come election time? Wait and see.