Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Smith County board outlines timeline to hire new director of schools, asks staff to post job and return with qualifications
Summary
The Smith County Board of Education directed staff to post the director of schools position, set a proposed application deadline and scheduled a special meeting to finalize qualifications after debating advertising costs and whether to reuse prior qualification language.
Speaker 1, presiding over the meeting of the Smith County Board of Education, told members the board needed to begin the search for a new director of schools and proposed posting the vacancy immediately, with an example posting date of Nov. 20, 2025 and an application deadline of Dec. 23, 2025.
The board discussed how to advertise the opening and what qualifications to require. Speaker 3 asked whether the board should “look for just statutory requirements, or ... something more specific,” pressing for clarity on whether to reuse the previous selection criteria or set new standards. Speaker 1 recommended using the same qualifications applied in the prior search and circulating those criteria to the board for review by email.
Board members debated whether to post a salary range and how much to spend on advertising. Speaker 4 suggested posting a minimum figure and indicating the final salary would vary with experience; Speaker 3 said salary decisions depend on applicant experience and cautioned against posting a firm amount early. Speaker 5 recited published TSBA advertising packages and fees, saying the association’s bottom plan was "3,000" with higher tiers at "7,500" and "15,000." The transcript contains discussion about whether taxpayer funds could be used for paid placement.
The board also discussed logistics for interviews and onboarding. Speaker 1 proposed first-round interviews in February, a second round in mid-March and shadowing the incumbent beginning in April so the new hire could participate in budget work; Speaker 1 said interviews could be held on weekends if necessary. The board asked the school board attorney to collect and circulate the prior qualification language and indicated that, if no objections are received by members, the board would proceed with that language.
Speaker 5 referenced an existing board policy on director qualifications, reading policy 5.802 aloud as listing a professional educator's license, a master’s degree in education (with preference for a doctorate) and three years of successful experience in school administration as typical qualifications. Direct quotes in this account are taken from the meeting transcript and attributed to the speakers as recorded (e.g., Speaker 1 and Speaker 5).
The board voted to hold a special meeting to finalize posting language and qualifications and agreed to move the next regular meeting from Dec. 16 to Dec. 9 to accommodate that work. The board then proceeded toward executive session to address personnel-related matters.
