Metro school board sets timeline to hire schools director

The Metro school board Tuesday approved a formal timeline to select a new director of schools. The timeline calls for a new director to be in place by July 1, giving board members four months to hire a search firm, interview finalists and negotiate with top candidates. Board members also added language asking potential search firms to include details about any nontraditional directors they have placed in recent years. The formal approval came before the board's annual budget meeting with the mayor and after a weekend planning session where the board discussed the superintendent search. Nashville joins Memphis and Knoxville as large school districts in Tennessee searching for a new school chief. The board must make a decision before school board elections in August to have a permanent director in time to start the next school year. State law prohibits any action 45 days before or 30 days after an election. If the board does not make a decision before July, a new school year will have started before a new candidate is in place. — JAIME SARRIO jsarrio@tennessean.com