At an April 8 budget meeting of the seven-member Rutherford County School Board, the topic of a $60,000 pay increase for the Director of Schools was discussed. The director’s salary discussion consumed nearly 20 minutes of the meeting that lasted just over an hour. The current Director of Schools, Bill Spurlock, having been officially in the position since July 1, 2018, has less than a year on the job and has not yet had his first performance evaluation. Spurlock came into the position after having been a high school principal in the Rutherford County Schools since 2008. Spurlock replaced retiring Director of Schools Don Odom, who spent 50 years in the Rutherford County School system. Prior to spending his last six years as Director of Schools, Odom spent nine years before that as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, five years as Attendance Coordinator and an elementary school principal for 22 years, according to a report in the Daily News Journal. During Odom’s tenure as Director, Rutherford County Schools district was twice named “exemplary” by the Tennessee Department of Education – the highest designation a school district can receive. Meanwhile, graduation rates and standardized test scores were improved while…
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