CROSSVILLE —
The Cumberland County Board of Education narrowed its choice to two different firms to assist in the search for a new director of schools.
Out of seven firms, the BOE decided to interview Wayne Qualls, who submitted a proposal at a cost of $5,000 and the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) with two different packages, one at $5,000 and the other at $8,500.
Both firms are from Tennessee.
The BOE will interview the two firms at a work session tentatively set for Dec. 18.
Prior to that decision, a motion made by Vivian Hutson, 6th District representative, to form a committee and study the various proposals and have that committee make a recommendation to full BOE failed.
"There is a lot of details in these (proposals) and I haven't felt like we've had enough time to read through them all," Hutson said.
Hutson said she thought a committee could go through all of the fine details and then make a recommendation based on its study.
"The only problem I have with that is the timeline. If you look at the total cost, there's not a lot of options for the search committee," said Josh Stone, 4th District representative.
Stone said he read them all and, "We can't afford $30,000 for one even if we want it according to what we budgeted. We need to get started on this."
"I agree. This is the most important decision we're going to make for years to come and I think we all need to read the proposals and not leave (the decision) up to two or three members. We all need to make the decision," said Richard Janeway, 2nd District representative.
"Why not bring two or three in and have them make a presentation to the board?" Director of Schools Aarona VanWinkle asked.
"How was the selection done last time? We're acting like we're rushed. We could do like what was done last time and put an interim director in there until we hire someone permanent," Sandy Brewer, 3rd District representative.
"Well, you've got seven months. Surely you won't need an interim and can make a decision in that time," VanWinkle said.
Charles Tollett, 1st District representative, said, "We've known about it for 12 months and have a clear idea of what we have to do, but the board has not clarified key issues. If we go with the firms in state then we've only got two (firms) and not seven."
Jim Blalock, 8th District representative and BOE chairman, said the BOE needs to decide what they're looking for in a candidate and then "hunt for somebody for the full-time position."
"I agree, we need to know what we want before hiring a consultant," Hutson said.
"If we pick a firm then we start the process. They will help us build the ideal candidate ... I thought we would be picking a consultant tonight," Stone said.
BOE members voting against forming a committee to review the consulting firms were Tollett, Janeway, Stone, Godon Davis, 5th District; and Dan Schlafer, 9th District.
Voting in favor of forming the committee were Brewer, Hutson, David Bowman, 7th District; and Blalock.
Janeway then said he felt the consulting firm would help the BOE determine what the board wants in a candidate through interviews with teachers, parents and the community.
"We could have work sessions every day for the next three weeks, but the (community's) opinion matters more than mine," Janeway said.
He then made a motion to narrow the consulting firm proposals down to TSBA and Qualls and to let them make presentations to the board at a work session, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. in the BOE conference room.
"That way we can interview them then," Janeway said.
Brewer supported the motion and it was approved in an 8-1 vote. Blalock voted against the motion.
Tollett said, "I hope we can pull our information together and save time and expense and not ask the public for their opinion after finding out what we want."
Other firms submitting consulting proposals included Cascade, at a cost varying anywhere from $19,000 to $29,850; HYA with a cost ranging from $21,000 up to $31,500; McPherson & Jacobson at $22,335; PROACT at a cost ranging from $18,000 to $26,000; Ray and Associates at a cost ranging from $17,000 up to $23,450.
TSBA offers two packages, one at $5,000 and one at $8,500. Wayne Qualls quoted a proposal price of $5,000.
Area News
BOE to meet two DOS consulting firms
- Area News
-
-
Towne Centre Dr. gets OK from planning panel
Cumberland County’s Regional Planning Commission approved adopting Towne Centre Dr. to the county’s road list.
-
CCHS baseball team honors players for season
"It has been a year of ups and downs, and it has been a little frustrating. The seniors went through a lot of adversity this season. Today, there are just five seniors left from that (year's) freshmen class. You showed up to work everyday, regardless of the circumstances," said Jet baseball coach David Prichard Sunday afternoon at the annual banquet at Chuckles.
-
Pressons inks scholarship with Carson-Newman
Cumberland County High School senior Lee Presson, son of Vicki and Dean Presson, signed a tennis scholarship May 10 with Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN.
-
Haslam to sign changes to Hall Income Tax
Governor Bill Haslam will visit Fairfield Glade at 2:45 p.m. May 28 to publicly sign new legislation involving Tennessee’s Hall Income Tax.
-
City reverses decision limiting interim manager power
Meeting in special called session Friday, the Crossville City Council reversed a unanimous decision from earlier in the week concerning the interim city manager and more than one council members seemed to have admitted to violating the sunshine law.
-
Record rainfall floods county
A record rainfall event Sunday flooded city streets and county roads and sent water flowing into some businesses and some homes in Crossville. There were also several reports of houses being struck by lightning in the city and the county. There were no injuries reported in Cumberland County.
-
Memorial Day ceremony planned
The Cumberland County Veterans Council will sponsor a Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 27, 2013, at the Cumberland County Memorial Veterans Park across the street from the Cumberland County Courthouse. The Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. There will be a guest singer and special guest speakers during the event.
-
Crossville dog park moving along
The City of Crossville Dog Park at the back of Centennial Park is moving ahead. Some grading has been done in preparation for the installation of the fencing. A water line will be brought over to the park from the restrooms in the nearby picnic area, making it easier for owners to provide fresh water for their pets while they are exercising in the park.
-
County attorney to send violation letter to bank regarding Guiness Rd. property
Cumberland County attorney Randal Boston was requested by the Health and Safety Standards Board to send a letter of violation and cleanup to Bank of America in regard to an abandoned, dilapidated property in the Breckenridge neighborhood.
-
Tap Publishing hit by electrical fire
Officials at TAP Publishing on Fourth St. worked feverishly to return to their business to normal after an electrical fire caused hundreds of thousands in damage to the building and multitude of complex computer systems, and interrupted the daily operation of the publishing company.
- More Area News Headlines
-
Towne Centre Dr. gets OK from planning panel
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Former Rep. Weiner Running for New York Mayor
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
New Xbox One Entertainment Console Unveiled
