Five new finalists for WCS superintendent

Position, not Heath, previously banned from applying
Five new finalists have emerged in the search for a new Williamson County Schools superintendent. They include: Barry Carroll of Athens, Ala.; Dennis Dearden of Oro Valley, Ariz.; David Heath of Brentwood; Mike Looney of Greenville, Ala.; and James Wilson of Atlanta. Two have Williamson County ties.
Heath currently serves as interim superintendent. Wilson has previously worked for the district and oversaw Centennial High School's construction.
I was out of town and could not attend Monday night's called board meeting, but have emailed Brentwood school board reps Pat Anderson (board chair), Susan Graham and Terry Leve for comments. Williamson A.M. education reporter Maria Giordano has posted a short story online with details, http://tinyurl.com/WCsklbrd.
After the July 13 Brentwood City Commission meeting, Graham and Anderson also clarified for me a misunderstanding by some concerning Heath's application. It has been reported that Heath personally was barred from applying for the job during the search's first round. In truth, the board decided -- before Heath was named interim superintendent -- that whomever held that position could not apply. There were concerns that an internal candidate would be perceived as being preferred over outside ones, which could dissuade others from applying.
On May 11, after rejecting the first two finalists brought forward by the search firm Ray and Associates, the board voted to allow the long-time Williamson County educator to apply along with other candidates during a second search.