Blount County board appoints Justin Ridge as director of schools

The Blount County Board of Education appointed Justin Ridge as director of schools during a board meeting, the board announced. The board first narrowed its candidate pool to two finalists—Justin Ridge and Alisa Teef Taylor—after one candidate withdrew; the final appointment of Ridge was approved unanimously by roll call.

The decision followed the withdrawal of candidate Dylan Connell from Durango, Colorado, who informed the board he would pursue other opportunities, the board chair said. The board then voted by paper ballot to select the top two candidates; the preliminary ballot counts reported during the meeting were 7 votes for Justin Ridge, 3 for Kevin Myers and 4 for Alisa Teef Taylor.

Board member Phil Porter, who introduced the nomination for Ridge, praised Ridge’s leadership and record. “He possessed strong communication skills, a deep understanding of curricular and instructional matters, high expectations in regard to student learning, and a strong backbone,” Porter said. Porter added that Ridge had demonstrated an ability to hire the right people and maintain high expectations of staff.

After the board certified the top two candidates as Ridge and Alisa Teef Taylor, a motion to appoint Ridge as director of schools was made and seconded. The board conducted a roll call vote; members recorded as voting in favor included Brian King, Joe Lindsay, John Lowe, Erica Moore, Chris Pass, Phil Porter and Randy Early Howard. The board chair announced Ridge as the new director of schools.

Ms. Daniels (meeting clerk) handled the ballots and ran the roll call. The meeting record did not specify an effective start date for Ridge’s appointment or provide additional terms of employment.

The board concluded the agenda item and proceeded to adjourn the meeting.