Trousdale County—The Trousdale County Board of Education voted at its September meeting to hire Jennifer Coughlin as the district's new director of schools and authorized an executive committee to negotiate her contract, the board said during the meeting.

The action followed an earlier, separate motion to hire a different finalist, Ben Johnson, that failed for lack of a majority. "That motion fails by lack of a majority," the chair announced after members voted on the first candidate; board members recorded two "yea" votes for that attempt.

The board then nominated and voted to hire Jennifer Coughlin. The motion carried after a second and voice vote; members did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. Board members said 14 applications were submitted for the superintendent/director vacancy and the field was narrowed to four finalists.

Why it matters: The board must approve a final written contract to set salary and formal start dates. At the meeting board members and the current director discussed onboarding timing and the legal limits on immediately shifting employment when a candidate is employed by another school system.

Current director Dr. Satterfield told the board that an Oct. 6 onboarding had been the working timeline but that a candidate who currently works for another district can be held by that employer for up to 30 days under state law. The board and the incoming director agreed to begin transition work earlier while making the formal contract start later. Jennifer Coughlin — identified in the meeting as the director-elect — told the board, "I do not have a problem with that," when asked about postponing the formal contract start to Jan. 1.

The board directed Chair Johnny Kerr and Dr. Satterfield to serve on an executive committee to negotiate contract language with the director-elect and to bring a proposed contract back to the full board for review. Board members said they planned to present a draft for the board's work session and to seek approval at a forthcoming regular meeting (the board discussed October and December meeting dates during the exchange).

The meeting record shows the board followed the statutory requirement to place the director selection as the first new-business item on the agenda. Board members emphasized they wanted the written contract examined by the board's attorney before final approval.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion to hire Ben Johnson — outcome: failed (motion did not reach majority; two recorded yes votes). Notes: mover and second recorded in the meeting; no further action on that candidate.
- Motion to hire Jennifer Coughlin as director of schools — outcome: approved by voice vote. Notes: second on the motion recorded; exact roll-call tally not read into minutes during the meeting.

What happens next: The executive committee will draft contract language, have it converted to formal legal terms by the district attorney, and present the contract to the full board for consideration and a public vote. The board also discussed that, while transition or training with the director-elect may begin in October, the formal contract and salary would begin when Dr. Satterfield's term ends (discussed as Dec. 31) or on a mutually agreed date presented in the written contract.

Board members closed the item by reiterating that any final contract must return to the full board for approval before becoming effective.