Smith County board adopts qualifications, sets timeline to hire director of schools

The Smith County School Board on Thursday adopted the existing qualifications for the director of schools and set a timetable for recruiting and interviewing candidates.

Board members voted to use the current policy-based criteria — which the board said align with state procedures and were last revised in 2020 — as the official qualifications for applicants. "I want to make it perfectly clear, which we have to adhere to what the state says," Speaker 1 said during the discussion.

The board directed staff to post the vacancy no later than Dec. 11 and to advertise it on the district website, in local papers and via the Tennessee School Boards Association as appropriate. The application deadline was moved to Jan. 12, 2026, with a 3 p.m. cutoff so the attorney's office can compile a list of qualified candidates for the board's Jan. 20 meeting.

The board set a tentative date for first-round interviews on Feb. 28, 2026, at 9 a.m. in the Smith County Board of Education building, with a process that would present the same standardized questions to each candidate and reserve limited follow-up questioning if needed. The board indicated it will narrow candidates to a short list (traditionally three) for second-round interviews in March and aim to name a finalist by April 1–15.

Board members discussed documentation and vetting standards for applicants, including degree verification and a 3-year W-2 or other financial checks where previously used to screen candidates. The board asked members to submit interview questions for attorney review to ensure they are permissible during public hiring interviews.

The board emphasized logistics and contingencies — including possible snow delays — and agreed to schedule special meetings if necessary to complete the process.