Three candidates make cut

WCS board to invite Carroll, Dearden
and Looney back for full-day visits

This just in from Carol Birdsong, Williamson County Schools spokesperson...
The Williamson County Board of Education met in special session Thursday night to narrow the field of candidates in its Director of Schools search. The Board voted to invite three candidates to return to the district for a second interview.
Those candidates include:
* Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County Schools, AL
* Dennis Dearden, senior vice-president, Partnership for Excellence, AZ
* Mike Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, AL
The candidates are expected to visit the district, each for one day, Aug. 18, 19 and 20. Those visits will be scheduled through the search firm, Ray and Associates. More information regarding the visits and second interview will be released when dates, times and locations are confirmed.
The next regular meeting of the Board will be Monday, Aug. 17, in the auditorium of the Administrative Complex.

Five interviews down, WCS decision ahead

James Wilson, former Fulton County, Ga. superintendent who during a brief tenure with Williamson County Schools was Centennial High School's first principal and oversaw its construction, was the final of five candidates interviewed this week for the open Director of Schools position.
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. tonight before its regularly scheduled work session to discuss the candidates and decide on its next course of action, which reportedly will be to select who they want to bring back for a final round of interviews.
I wasn't able to make the Wilson interview, but both Williamson A.M. education report Maria Giordano and Williamson Herald reporter Donna O'Neil have spent the last three nights at the county's administration building and have filed stories on the proceedings.
Here are links to check out their reports:

From Williamson A.M.:
School board could narrow director pool tonight: http://tinyurl.com/BWwcssupe5
From the Herald:
School board completes first round of director interviews: http://tinyurl.com/BWsupewh1
School Board faces tough decision after interviewing five superintendent candidates: http://tinyurl.com/BWsupewh

Scroll down to find more links in past postings and my own report from Monday nights interviews with Interim Superintendent Dr. David Health and Dennis Dearden.

Heath, Dearden a study of opposites

Three remaining WCS superintendent
interviews planned today, Wednesday
The interviews were black and white, top down and bottom up.
That's my impression of the first two of five public interviews of finalists for Williamson County Schools' Director of Schools position.
Dr. David Heath, interim WCS superintendent, and Dennis Dearden, senior vice president for the Partnership of Excellence, each answered 25 questions from school board members Monday night at the Williamson County Administration Building in Franklin.
The two candidates' respective styles and responses couldn't have been more different.
Heath consistently pointed to reinforcement of the message and staying on task as a way of reaching district goals. Dearden took a far more visionary stance, saying a great district must have buy-in from all parties involved, from the bus driver to the local business community.
Dearden was asked to describe what management and leadership qualities are needed to be successful in the position. He said a good manager gets things done day-to-day, and "they're very good at that." Leaders are visionary, he said, and see beyond the first step. He said a successful leader must have people skills, be politically savvy and have common sense. But of all great leaders, he said,"none did it alone."
Heath, who has served the past six years as WCS' deputy superintendent, was asked if he thought he could easily move from his past role as a manager to a new role as leader.
The former Brentwood High School principal said he had demonstrated that in a school setting, and was prepared to "get us going where we need to go."
Listing reasons he should be considered for the job, Heath noted he would have less of a learning curve than an outside candidate and that he could help "fast track" the system to where it wants to be. "We've developed the goals and we're on our way there," he said.
Both candidates were asked what they see as the most critical issue facing WCS in the next five years.
Heath said getting every student to pass algebra II, which is part of the No Child Left Behind standards. He also mentioned science education and adapting that curriculum to ever-changing technologies and environments.
"Funding" was Dearden's one-word answer, and he added "I think it's going to get worse." He mentioned how the economy has been "devastating" to many districts the size of Williamson County. "This is when you have to uplift people."
When asked why he should be the top candidate, Dearden said with concerns about morale, trust and funding at the top of everyone's mind, a unique leader is needed. "Williamson County is attractive to me ... It has the potential to be an absolutely great school district."
One of the most striking differences between these first two candidates was noted on how they answered a question about promoting diversity and their experience working with diverse populations.
Heath said Williamson County Schools have used the month of February to study different cultures, especially those represented in individual schools.
Dearden cited his time in Fairfax, Va., where over 100 different languages and 150 nationalities were represented in the student population. "You had to be a great listener to be able to come into a community like that."
It was an evening in contrasts. No doubt the three other candidates with interviews tonight and Wednesday will add even more to the mix. If you're interested in seeing for yourself, the remaining schedule is as follows:
Today
6 p.m., Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County Schools, Ala.
8 p.m., Michael Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, Ala.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
6 p.m., James Wilson, former superintendent, Fulton County School System, Ga.
The interviews, open to the public, take place in the Carolyn Campbell Room in the Administrative Complex, 1320 West Main St., in Franklin. I learned last night that you have to go to the doors to the left of the main entrance for entry.
On Thursday, the school board will meet for a called session to select finalists for the position, who will be called back for another round of interviews.

Superintendent interviews start tonight

The BrentWord home office is closing early today so I can race down to the Williamson County Schools administrative offices to hear the first two of five interviews taking place this week to help select our new Director of Schools.
Up first is Dr. David Heath of Brentwood, who has been serving as interim school superintendent since Dr. Rebecca Sharber resigned last spring. His interview begins at 6 p.m., followed by one at 8 with Dennis Dearden of Arizona, currently senior vice president for Partnership for Excellence.
The rest of the schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Aug. 4:
6 p.m., Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County Schools, Ala.
8 p.m., Michael Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, Ala.
Wednesday, August 5
6 p.m., James Wilson, former superintendent, Fulton County School System, Ga.
The interviews, open to the public, will take place in the Carolyn Campbell Room in the Administrative Complex, 1320 West Main St., in Franklin.

For a more detailed look at the candidates, check out Maria Giordano's story from today's Williamson A.M. at http://tinyurl.com/BWsklsupes, and a previous BrentWord posting at http://brentword.blogspot.com/2009/07/strong-contenders-for-wcs-director-post.html

Arrests, new ass't principal, lots more...

It's going to be a busy day in the BrentWord home office :
Mayor Betsy Crossley tells me the three suspects west Brentwood residents were asked to be on the lookout for were arrested last night. Still awaiting confirmation from Brentwood Police, but Chief Ricky Watson says a press release is coming later today. I'll post it as soon as it arrives.

Barkley named BMS assistant principal
Williamson County Schools spokesperson Carol Birdsong has confirmed that Brandon Barkley has been appointed Brentwood Middle Schools' new assistant principal.
New principal, Bill Harlin, shared with BrentWord correspondent Jill Burgin last week that Barkley had been tapped. Barkley taught algebra and served as a basketball coach at Sunset Middle School.
"He is going to be a great addition to the Brentwood Middle School administrative team," Harlin told Burgin.
Birdsong told me she does not know of other new hires at the school yet.

Mark your calendar for school director interviews
Birdsong has also confirmed the interview dates for the five Williamson County Schools' superintendent finalists. The schedule is as follows:
Monday, August 3
6 p.m., Dr. David Heath, interim superintendent, Williamson County Schools.
8 p.m., Dennis Dearden, senior vice president, Partnership for Excellence, Ariz.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
6 p.m., Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County Schools, Ala.
8 p.m., Michael Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, Ala.
Wednesday, August 5
6 p.m., James Wilson, former superintendent, Fulton County School System, Ga.
The interviews, open to the public, will take place in the Carolyn Campbell Room in the Administrative Complex, 1320 West Main St.,in Franklin.
For background on all of the candidates, please see my previous post at: www.tinyurl.com/BWsupepics.

Need a laptop cheap? On agenda at tonight's City Commission meeting
The City Commission meets at 7 p.m. tonight and among the items on the agenda are approval of the sale of surplus city equipment. The Brentwood Police Department lists many items, including a slew of laptop computers. But not all of them, hopefully, will be up for bid to folks like you and me.
The department is recommending that "14 of the 33 lap-top computers proposed for disposal be transferred to the Ashland City Police Department. At the last auction in 2008, the City received between $10-$30 for each lap-top computer, therefore, the City will forgo between $140-$420 in potential revenue from this donation."
That's OK. The department has often sold or donated equipment it is replacing or upgrading to smaller departments with much smaller budgets. It's a win-win for public safety everywhere.
But back to the agenda item, the list of surplus equipment is interesting. You can see it at http://tinyurl.com/BWsurplus and learn more about the resolution to authorize the sale at the city's website, www.Brentwood-tn.org. Just click on the City Commission meeting link from the home page.
And while you're there, check out some of the other, not-so-fun items on the agenda too. Might just intrigue you enough to show up. Now that's a concept!

Lots more to share, so check back often.
In the meantime, if you missed any of last week's or the weekend postings, just scroll down. You'll find a story on Demetria Kalodimas, the most recent city crime report, my thoughts on Harry Potter and why you should go see it, or any movie at Thoroughbred 20 in Cool Springs, on Tuesdays.

Do you have news to share? Email me at brentword@comcast.net.

Strong contenders for WCS director post

And then there were five.
The Williamson County School board of education will interview five new Director of Schools candidates early next month.
On Monday, search firm Ray & Associates presented the five finalists in its second round of national search to the board. Two of the finalists have Williamson County connections – Dr. David Heath, now serving as interim superintendent, and James Wilson, former superintendent of the Fulton County School System in Atlanta who previously spent 10 months here as the first principal of Centennial High School.

The other finalists are Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County, Ala.; Dennis Deardon, former superintendent of Marana County, Ariz.; and Michael Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, Ala.
School board member Terry Leve, who represents District 6 which includes east Brentwood, shares this information on each candidate:

Barry Carroll, Ed.D

Carroll received his B.S. from Alabama A&M, and two M.A. degrees and his Ed.D. from the University of Alabama. He has been superintendent of Limestone County Schools, headquartered in Athens, Ala., for the last eight years. While his contract was recently extended through 2012, it is terminable on 30 days notice.
Limestone, with 8,735 students and an $80 million annual operating budget, has averaged about 1.5% annual growth in enrollment during Carroll’s tenure.
Carroll holds himself out as one who is data-driven, and believes in order to narrow an academic achievement gap there must be a "change of mindset concerning expectations.
Carroll believes extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are vital for students. He also believes that individualized learning plans will provide the necessary data and information to help teachers understand individual students’ needs.
Prior to Limestone, Carroll spent 10 years in Huntsville Public Schools, a district of 23,000 students, the last four as Director of Secondary Education and Professional Development. He was named the 2006 Alabama Superintendent of the Year, and in 1996 as Alabama's Most Outstanding Secondary Principal. A former health teacher and coach, he has been a public educator since 1981.
He lists as his references the Alabama State Superintendent, the past President of the American Association of School Administrators, the Executive Director of Alabama School Superintendents, the Superintendent of Huntsville City Schools, as well as other county superintendents and current school board members.

Dennis Deardon
Deardon received his B.A from Simpson College and his M.S from Drake University, both in Iowa. As senior vice president for the Partnership of Excellence, his responsibilities include mentoring superintendents across the nation and helping school districts implement strategic plans.
Previously, Deardon spent three years as the superintendent of Marana Unified School District in Arizona, a suburb of Tucson. Marana has 13,000 students and a $78 million annual operating budget Deardon states that when he arrived at Marana, the district had gone through several years of turmoil. In a two-year period, he led the alignment of all district improvement efforts, including the implementation of the following initiatives: full-day kindergarten, professional learning communities, elementary school instructional coaches, essential learning standards, and formative and summative assessments based on aligned state standards. Nine of the district's schools were either rated Arizona A+ schools (meaning they ranked in the top 3 percent of the state) or were awarded with National Blue Ribbon of Excellence status.
Before Marana, Deardon spent two years as an assistant superintendent in Fairfax County (Va.) public schools, a district with more than 166,000 students.
A public educator since 1974, he has been a principal, an assistant principal, a social studies teacher, a special education teacher and a coach. wards include being named the national Principal of the Year in 2000, and as a finalist for Teacher of the Year in Colorado in 1990.
His references include the Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, the Director of Schools of Fairfax County Public Schools, as well as other county superintendents and Marana school board members.

David Heath, Ed.D

Heath received his B.S. and M.S. from University of Tennessee, Martin. He earned his Ed.D. from the University of Southern California. For the past six months he has served Williamson County’s interim Director of Schools, a position he also held for seven months in 2004.
Williamson County Schools has more than 30,000 students and an annual operating budget in excess of $200 million. Heath spent the last six years as deputy superintendent at WCS.
He considers keeping a sense of urgency and better accountability to be the greatest challenges and obstacles in narrowing the district’s achievement gap. He describes a good board-director relationship as one where "the board is the 'what,' and the director of schools is the 'how.'" He writes that "[t]oo often schools have exerted independence in individual directions that have focused dollars and energies away from the primary objectives and vision of the district."
As deputy superintendent, Heath has coordinated budget preparations for the transportation, maintenance, facilities and operations, human resources and cafeteria departments; gas led rezoning plans; and served as hearing officer for student disciplinary hearings.
Following a six-year tenure as principal at Brentwood High School, Heath served as director of the Assessment Center for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in the Germany Region. He has also been a high school principal, junior high school principal, assistant principal and teacher in Tennessee, Germany, Korea and Japan.
In 1998, he was named the Tennessee Secondary Principal of the Year. His references include two former WCS superintendents, Drs. Terry Grier and Dallas Johnson, the Chairman of the Weakley County Board of Education, the Dean of Fine Arts and Media at the University of Colorado, Denver, and County Mayor Rogers Anderson.

Michael Looney

A doctoral candidate at the University of Alabama, Looney earned his B.S. and M.S. from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and his Ed.S. from the University of Alabama. He is superintendent of Butler County School District, headquartered in Greenville, Ala, a position he has held for four years.
Butler has 3,500 students and a $31 million annual operating budget.
In answer to the question of his experience in working with students and parents in high-achieving school environments, Looney cites his development of a K-12 magnet school for "high-end learners." His application also speaks to the partnerships he has forged with city and county government officials, and their cooperation in funding the largest school construction campaign in the county's history: nine separate projects – projects completed on time and within or under established budgets. He has also developed career academies and a comprehensive, tiered acceleration policy for high-achieving students. He also led efforts that resulted in his district being awarded with State Department of Education funds in excess of $2 million to design Alabama's first "pay for performance" plan.
Prior to Butler, Looney served two districts as an assistant superintendent for Montgomery (Ala.) Public Schools and Calhoun County Schools, located in Anniston, Ala. In Montgomery, a district with 61 schools and 31,000 students, he was responsible for evaluating, coordinating and administering curricula for all K-12 programs. He has also been a principal, assistant principal and elementary school teacher.
Prior to education, he served for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
His references include Alabama's State Superintendent, the Mayor of Greenville, Ala., newspaper editors and reporters, the former president of the Board of Education for Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as current board members.

James Wilson

Wilson earned his B.S. from Tennessee Tech, his M.A. from West Georgia College, and his Ed.S. from Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Last year. Wilson became president of Education Planners, a business management firm serving school districts across the Southeast. For the three years before that, Wilson served as superintendent of Fulton County (Ga.) Schools, a district with nearly 90,000 students and a $940 million operating budget.
Wilson considers maintaining a focus "on kids and not statistics" as one of the greatest challenges and obstacles to closing the achievement gap among students. In 2007, eight Fulton County High Schools ranked among Georgia’s top 11 schools for the highest average SAT scores.
Prior to his time in Fulton County, Wilson spent 26 years in the Cobb County (Ga.) School District, where he started as a middle school teacher. His tenure later included serving as Community School Director, assistant high school principal, middle school principal, high school principal, executive director of high school operations, assistant superintendent of human resources, deputy superintendent, interim superintendent and chief operations officer.
During a short break from Cobb, Wilson spent 10 months with Williamson County Schools when he was hired to be Centennial High School's first principal. He was named at the commencement of the school’s construction project, and was responsible for hiring the staff, setting curriculum and purchasing furniture and equipment. The summer before CHS opened its doors, Cobb County enticed him back by offering him the position of executive director of high school operations, which made him responsible for directing the supervision of 13 high schools.
He now serves on U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson's Education Committee and has presented at three different national conferences on "Utilizing Technology in the Classroom." His references include the Board Chair of Fulton County Schools, the Cobb County Superintendent, and other business and education leaders, including from the Georgia School Board Association.

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.

Mud bowl musings

A dark and stormy morning threatened to take all the fun out of Saturday's Iroquois Steeplechase, always a highlight of the Leathers' otherwise boring social life.
One of my husband's high school friends first snared the prime corner lot in the Topside tailgating area 10 years ago. We joined the group of mostly Florence, Ala. natives in 2001, our first Tennessee spring.
The Topside area's always been great, because it has tended to attract a bit older, more "refined" group of tailgaters. This year, however, there was a definite shift in the demographics, and the shift didn't lean our way. Because Topside was one of the only tailgating areas not completely overtaken with mud, a lot of the younger crowd from the midfield poured in. And some had been literally pouring it in since the wee hours from the looks of it.
Seeing so many Brentwood area high school students there this year added to the discomfort. While I saw a lot of underage college students just home from their respective universities, too, there is a big difference between a high school junior and a college one.
Hope and trust everyone made it home OK.

***

Despite the mud, the day itself turned out to be far better than anyone predicted. After a little late morning drizzle, the weather cooperated and the majority in the crowd took home a little sunburn to show for it.

By far the most fun, besides watching the horses and the hounds, is watching the people. Hats took a back seat to cute boots this year, and those who got the memo to invest in rubber galoshes came away the day's real winners.

As always there were great and not-so-great sundresses to critique. I've come to the conclusion that it's time for Carole Jackson''s Color Me Beautiful book to make a comeback. I saw too many beautiful "winters' in dresses made for "springs." Or "autumns" on "summers."

I still have my color swatches from 25 years ago. Maybe I'll do some consulting before next May rolls around and make a little cash on the side. I must talk to my friend Cathi Aycock, the Shopping Diva about this. I'll let you know what she says.

And a final fashion tip for next year: If you even remotely consider wearing a brown gauze sundress with only a thong underneath, please don't.

***

School board ready to act

The Williamson County School Board is expected to name a new superintendent of schools tonight. Two finalists remain in contention: Dr. Terri Breeden of Fairfax (Va.) County Public Schools and Dr. Phillip "Bret" Jimerson of Grand Prairie (Texas) Independent Schools.

I happened to meet Breeden Saturday night at a social gathering and after a long conversation came away very impressed. While she's currently serving in Fairfax, Va., she has Middle Tennessee roots, having earned her doctorate at Vanderbilt and serving most of her career with Metro Nashville schools. She even has a Nashville dog, a mutt adopted from the Nashville animal shelter.

I regret not being able to hear both of the candidates last week when a public reception was held at Franklin High School. If Breeden is tapped, I feel we'll be in good hands. If the job goes to Jimerson, I'm sure I'll feel the same way. Our school system is too good for the board to let any candidate make it this far that they don't feel is up to the job ... and ready for the many, many heavy expectations that will immediately be placed upon their shoulders.

***

Heard today that at least one major administrative change is expected in Brentwood public schools next fall. Will share details as soon as they become available. Stay tuned.