Rutherford County Board of Education approves salary for new director
James Sullivan, the next Rutherford County schools director, will get a starting salary of $215,000 a year, the Board of Education decided Friday morning.
The board chose Sullivan to be the director on Monday (May 23) after May 19 interviews with him and two other finalists: Andrea Anthony, the district's assistant superintendent for human resources and support services; and John Ash, principal at Rutherford County's Central Magnet School in downtown Murfreesboro.
The board also agreed to give Sullivan a four-year contract starting July 1, about five weeks before the next school year begins. The job includes managing the fast-growing district's 6,000 employees serving what's expected to be over 50,000 students next year at 50 schools.
Sullivan replaces Director Bill Spurlock, who agreed to leave a year early from his contract by June 30 following a critical performance evaluation about his style of communication from the board. Spurlock accepted his job from the board in 2018 to replace retired Director Don Odom.
Spurlock hired Sullivan to be the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in 2019. Prior to Sullivan's current position, he served from 2017 to 2019 as the founding principal at Rocky Fork Middle in Smyrna. He also started his education career for Rutherford County Schools as a sixth-grade teacher for science from 2006 to 2009 and then math from 2009 to 2011.
Previously: School Director Bill Spurlock's contract was shortened by RCS Board
Related: School board votes 5-2 to hire James Sullivan as next Rutherford County Schools director
Sullivan will get generous raises
The new contract for Sullivan also includes $5,000 raises annually. He also will receive any percentage increases the board provides other certified teachers.
Board members are concerned the position is under market value for a district the size of Rutherford County Schools. The board set an original negotiable pay range between $200,000 to $225,000.
Board Chairwoman Tiffany Johnson recommended the pay be in the middle of the range at $215,000 to avoid an initial "gut punch to the taxpayers." She suggested the board increase the pay by $5,000 annually to move closer to competitive director pay serving a district the size of Rutherford County Schools.
The Tennessee School Boards Association has advised district officials that the pay should be in the $250,000 range to be competitive.
Board member Claire Maxwell agreed the pay should increase over time to avoid people thinking Rutherford County does "everything on the cheap."
"I don't want to get that reputation," Maxwell said
Contract includes grievance provisions
The pay improves what the district gave Spurlock. He will retain his annual salary of $166,633 and benefits through June 30, 2023, pushing the total cost to $205,464, according to Rutherford County Finance Department records.
The board previously had offered three-year contracts to hire Spurlock in 2018 and Odom in 2012, said Jeff Reed, the attorney for the elected school officials.
Sullivan had requested the contract be for four years, Reed said.
The contract also includes provisions for a process for any board member to make a complaint about Sullivan or for him to make a complaint about any of them, Reed said.
The process includes an investigation of any complaint, and could lead to a letter of warning or reprimand for the director, or a letter of determination about a board member, Reed said.
Reach Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.
About Rutherford County Schools
Number of expected students next year: over 50,000
Number of students in 2021-22: 49,300
Number of students typically added each year: Over 1,000
Number of schools: 50
Number of expected employees next year: 5,997
Source: Rutherford County Schools budget plans
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford County Board of Education approves salary for new director
