CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – At the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board’s first meeting since it was announced that Director of Schools Millard House would be departing, House recommended someone for interim director after he leaves.
At the beginning of the meeting, House was presented with the TN Mid-Cumberland Superintendent of the Year award by Dale Lynch, executive director of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.
Lynch said the presentation was with “a little mixed emotion.”
“I will tell you that it was no surprise of mine that the Mid-Cumberland area recognized your superintendent,” Lynch said to the board. “And the reason I come with mixed emotion tonight is I know there are great things in store for Millard and his family in Texas.”
On May 21, it was announced that House had been named the lone finalist in the Houston Independent School District’s search for a new superintendent.
Lynch also touched on the unprecedented difficulties thrown at House and the board over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nobody knows what it’s like to lead children in a pandemic, so thank you all. Masks, no masks, virtual, in-person – all the things that you guys decided. But the one thing that you’ve done through this process is you stayed together,” Lynch said.
House opens up
At the end of the meeting, the mic was turned over to House for director’s comments, and he used the space to open up about the process of seeking the job in Houston.
He said he applied for the job on April 29 around midnight.
“Midnight was actually the cutoff for the job, so I barely got my application in. As you all know, I was made the lone finalist for the opportunity in Houston,” House said.
This date would put his application submission after conversations among county commissioners began swirling about House’s intention to seek a $60,000 pay raise at CMCSS after passing up raises for the last several years. This would have brought his salary to $230,000.
The timing of his submission would also put his decision to apply for that position before the County Commission rejected his pay raise on May 10.
In Houston, it is likely House will receive a $350,000 salary – about double what he is making at CMCSS.
House also said there is a 21-day waiting period between when the HISD names its lone finalist and when it can begin negotiations with its new superintendent.
“In mid-June, I will have the opportunity to start the negotiations process. I wanted to collectively let the board know that I intend to and would like to move forward with that negotiation process,” House said.
He added that if negotiations go well, his expectation is to exit CMCSS in early July, but the specifics of these details will depend on his agreements with HISD.
House endorses Huff
House then announced his recommendation to the board for who they should appoint to the interim directorship.
“Of course, ultimately, that is your choice,” House said to the board. “But I think from a systems and processes standpoint, and an operational standpoint, I think I have a good feel of who those choices would be, and we’ve gotten to a point where I think Dr. Angela Huff would be a solid transition.”
Huff currently serves as the chief of staff in the director’s office at CMCSS.
He added that the school board should consider that whoever is appointed to become the interim director might not apply for the permanent position.
“That has been discussed with Dr. Huff,” House said. “She understands that, she just wants to ensure that the transition happens smooth, and that individuals on our senior leadership team and in our school district ensure that we are continuing to push for our students to do what’s best and that they’re college and career ready.”
It is currently unknown what the interim director’s salary will be.
In order for House to move forward with the negotiations in Houston, the school board would need to approve a clause in House’s current contract that would waive the six-month notice he was required to give the board in beginning to leave the school system.
Next week, the board will consider and vote on three items: waiving of the six-month notice clause, terminating House’s mutual agreement contract and voting to appoint an interim director.
The next school board meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8.