QUALIFICATIONS:

1. A visionary leader who is highly qualified and has significant experience in education.
2. A master’s degree in education.
3. Such other qualifications as the Board deems desirable.

REPORTS: The Board of Education.

SUPERVISES: All personnel in the district.

JOB GOAL: To provide leadership in development and maintaining the best possible educational
programs and services.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY: The management responsibilities of the Director of Schools shall
extend to all activities of the district, to all phases of the educational program, to all aspects of the financial operation, to all facility management, and to the conduct of such other duties as may be assigned by the Board. The Director of Schools may delegate these duties together with the appropriate authority but may neither delegate nor relinquish ultimate responsibility for results or any portion of accountability.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

General Administrative

1. Act for the Board in seeing that all laws relating to the schools are faithfully executed.
2. Attend all meetings of the Board in a non-voting capacity and serve as a member of the Executive Committee without additional compensation.
3. Keep a complete and accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Board and of its official acts.
4. Make recommendations to the Board for the best interest of the public schools. Anticipate potential problems. Recommend policies.
5. Ensure appropriate administration of all Board policies.
6. Develop administrative procedures to implement Board policy for items deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the schools and disseminate these procedures to the appropriate staff.
7. Prepare, in conjunction with the Board Chair, agenda recommendations relative to all matters requiring Board action, including all facts, information, options, and reports needed to assure informed decisions. Provide advice and counsel to the Board on matters before it.
8. Make reports to the Commissioner of Education when requested and make a full and complete report on forms furnished by the Commissioner of Education on or before the fifteenth day of July annually for the year ending the thirtieth day of June preceding.
9. Deliver all records and official papers belonging to the Director of Schools to successor.
10. Implement the strategic plan as currently adopted by the Board.
11. Give full time and attention to the duties of the Director of Schools.
12. Perform other such official duties as may be prescribed by law.

Fiscal Management

1. Keep a detailed and accurate account of all receipts and disbursements of public school funds.
2. Issue all warrants authorized by the Board for expenditures.
3. Make appropriate written reports for the Board detailing all receipts and expenditures of the public school funds and submit them to the local funding body.
4. Report to the local funding body and the Commissioner of Education whenever it appears that any portion of the school fund has been, or is in danger of being, misappropriated or illegally disposed of or not collected.
5. Prepare, annually, with the Chair of the Board, a budget for the schools in the system, to submit the same to the Board for its approval and to present to the local funding body for adoption.
6. File a copy of the budget adopted by the local funding body with the Commissioner of Education within ten (10) days after its adoption.
7. Encourage development of sound business practices and continually assess business practices to achieve efficiency. Provide direction and supervision of school business functions by:
   1. Implementing process improvements in response to recommendations produced by the annual audit.
   2. Providing for an orderly transfer of school financial records between an outgoing and incoming principal.
   3. Receiving, reviewing, and permanently filing all internal accounting reports submitted by principals and reporting any irregularities to the Board.
   4. Furnishing each principal with a copy of the manual for internal accounting and the necessary training and assistance to adequately use it.
   5. Taking action to encourage the prompt submission of all reports herein described.

Personnel Administration

1. Hire, transfer, suspend, non-renew, and dismiss all personnel, with the exception of placing teachers on tenure and dismissing tenured teachers.
2. Recommend to the Board teachers who are eligible for tenure.
3. Assign teachers and other employees in the best interests of the schools.
4. Organize and reorganize central office staff.
5. Require all teachers to submit their certificates to teach and keep a complete record of the same.
6. File all contracts entered into with all employees of the Board.
7. Grant any employee access any at reasonable time to his or her personnel file and provide a copy of documents upon payment of reasonable compensation.

Instructional Leadership

1. Serve as the chief school executive. Ensure the development and maintenance of a positive educational program designed to meet the needs of the community and to carry out the policies of the Board. Ensure that a system of thorough and efficient education, as defined by state law, is available to all students.
2. Require the use of the state course of study and the system of promoting students in accordance with the Commissioner of Education.
3. Sign all certificates and diplomas of students who complete the requisite courses of study.
4. Maintain general supervision of all schools, visit schools from time to time, and advise the Board as to their conditions and means for improvement.
5. Enforce the provisions of Tennessee State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-02-.07 regarding library information centers.

Community Engagement

1. Promote community support of schools throughout the district by sharing information on district programs, services, and needs, reports, plans, events, and activities.
2. Solicit community input on opportunities for continuous improvement.
3. Identify and leverage available community resources and partnerships to support education and healthy child development.
4. Develop strategies to promote family involvement in students’ education and provide
   opportunities for parent-teacher interactions.
5. Maintain contact and good relations with the media.
6. Represent the district’s interests in meetings and activities of municipal and other governmental agencies.
7. Represent the district’s interests in community organizations, activities, and projects that are of benefit to schools.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Serves in accordance with the terms of the contract between the Board
and the Director of Schools. Salary to be determined by the Board.

EVALUATION: Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of state law
and the Board’s policy on evaluation of the Director of Schools.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and
level of work being performed by the person assigned to this position. They are not intended to be a
complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so assigned. 

Legal Reference:

1. T.C.A. § 49-2-301.
    

This policy was suspended on May 13, 2020 for the 2019-2020 school year in response to the current state of emergency caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Approved as to Legal Form
By Knox County Law Director 1/11/2024
/Gary T. Dupler/Deputy Law Director