NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Metro Schools Director Dr. Jesse Register only has twenty-seven days left on the job before retiring. Now the school board is pushing back the timeline to find his replacement.
Register notified the board about his intentions last fall.
“Stepping back and looking at it, I think we're all in agreement that we wanted to do an extensive amount of vetting of the candidates that we have an understanding of who they are, their [biography] but what's going on in the districts,” school board member Will Pinkston said.
Around 50 people initially applied for the job.
“I feel good about the diversity, in terms of diversity of experience, the diversity of school systems that the people might be coming from,” Pinkston added about the candidates.
Consultants with Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA) applaud the revised timeline but said it could result in losing some candidates. However, it also gives them more time to target specific candidates, conduct introductory interviews and encourage them to apply for the job.
In past searches those recruited are often the one make to the short list.
On July 6, HYA will present the board with five or six candidates. The community will meet them during forums scheduled from July 13-15. The school board will take a final vote on July 23.
The new director probably won’t be in Nashville by the start of the school year. In that event an interim will be named to help ease the transition.
“It's more important that the board make the right decision,” Stephen Henry, Metro Nashville Education Association President said. “Rather than a decision right now.”
