Board will interview two TSBA superintendent finalists in a single day; adopts modified TSBA schedule

The Cumberland County Board of Education voted at a special call meeting to interview two superintendent finalists recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) on a single day. The board accepted a modified TSBA sample schedule that eliminates a post-interview dinner and adds time during each interview for candidates to ask questions of stakeholders.

Board members said TSBA conducted a nationwide search that produced eight applicants and forwarded two finalists to the board. One finalist present at the meeting was Dr. Shannon Farley, who is serving as interim director of schools. Board members discussed whether to interview both finalists on the same day to allow side-by-side comparison and to reduce scheduling burdens on community stakeholders, or to split interviews across two days if the candidates’ schedules prevented one-day attendance.

The board set a procedure and a timeline: stakeholder meetings and candidate rotations will be scheduled beginning at 2:00 p.m., with three groups rotating through 30-minute sessions — principals and central-office leadership, business and community leaders, and faculty and staff — followed by candidate interviews from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (one hour per candidate). The board voted to hold the interview day on Monday, with TSBA handling candidate scheduling; if both finalists are not available on the same day the board will remain flexible.

Board members also agreed to select final interview questions in advance. The packet includes TSBA’s sample interview guide and a scoring sheet; the board directed members to pick one question from each of the ten criteria and return selections before the interview so the panel asks the same questions of both candidates and uses a common scoring rubric.

The board discussed next steps and timeline: the regular board meeting scheduled for June 19 was identified as the meeting at which the board could vote on an offer, with a potential contract offer and public announcement to follow pending board action. The board confirmed that the interim director will remain in place until a replacement is hired.

Board members charged staff to notify community stakeholders — including county and city officials and the chamber of commerce — with the detailed schedule and to publish the agenda on the district website and Facebook. The TSBA-recommended schedule was adopted with the modifications recorded in the motion.