Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Superintendent Search topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
TSBA recommends three finalists for Johnson City Schools superintendent; interviews set next week
Summary
The Tennessee School Boards Association screened 21 applicants and recommended three finalists. The Johnson City Schools board will hold public interviews next week and vote the following Thursday.
The Johnson City Schools Board of Education will interview three finalists for superintendent next week after the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) screened 21 applicants and recommended Dr. Joshua Carter, Dr. Corey Gardenhauer and Dr. Erin Slater, TSBA representative Tammy Grisham told the board.
TSBA told the board it "received a total of 21," and recommended the three finalists the screening committee judged to best meet the board's selection criteria, Grisham said. The board scheduled public interviews at 6 p.m. on three consecutive evenings next week and set a 6 p.m. meeting the following Thursday to make a hiring decision.
The finalists' materials were provided to board members in notebooks and by email. TSBA summarized each finalist's experience during the meeting: Dr. Joshua Carter, currently principal at Science Hill High School since February 2021 and previously an assistant principal and English teacher at Science Hill; Dr. Corey Gardenhauer, principal at Robinson Middle School in Kingsport and a former Elizabethton city superintendent; and Dr. Erin Slater, superintendent of Fort Madison Community School District in Iowa with prior central-office and principal experience in Illinois. Board members were told transcripts and application materials are available in the members' notebooks.
Board members discussed interview logistics, including using the same question set for each candidate, allowing a 10-minute candidate introduction followed by 50 minutes of questions, and providing a candidate reaction form to attendees. The interview sessions will be open to the public; the board will hold a brief dinner with each candidate after the public portion that will not include the general public. The board agreed staff would collect reaction forms daily and provide them to members.
TSBA said it had contacted references and screened applicants before recommending the three finalists. The board noted TSBA conducted the screening and that individual board members may conduct their own reference checks.
Board members also discussed paying travel for the out‑of‑state finalist to attend interviews. Grisham said the district would cover travel costs for the out‑of‑state candidate.
The interviews and final decision are scheduled to be held in the board's regular meeting room and are open to the public; additional details and a schedule will be published by district staff in advance.
