Rutherford County School Board narrowly votes to extend director of schools’ contract

Members of the Rutherford County School Board narrowly voted 4 to 3 to extend the contract of Director James “Jimmy” Sullivan during Thursday night’s board meeting.Dr. Sullivan became the Director of Schools for Rutherford County Schools (RCS) in 2022 under a four-year contract. Prior to becoming the director of schools, he served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction from 2019 and served as the founding principal of Rocky Ford Middle School in Smyrna.Sullivan still had one additional year left on his contract, but a majority of board members felt that he’s served the district well and they wanted to ensure he stays on board.“Dr. Sullivan has made a tremendous difference in administrative trust and stress level within our district. Dr. Sullivan’s emphasis on transparency, engagement, and service is much appreciated. I am very optimistic about the leadership under Dr. Sullivan. Excellent, first year,” said board member Frances Rosales.Board members Katie Darby, Tammy Sharp, and Caleb Tidwell agreed that Sullivan is doing a good job leading the district but expressed concern about extending his contract.Darby and Tidwell are specifically concerned the contract terms could end up costing the district a sizable amount of money if Sullivan left in a manner similar to previous director Bill Spurlock. The termination clause of Spurlock’s contract forced the district to pay him $200 thousand when he resigned.The termination clause in Sullivan’s contract requires the district to pay the full annual salary and benefits, Tidwell suggested a compromise to amend the contract and make the district pay 90 days of pay but other members shot it down.“We are not even year two into a four-year contract. I don’t see the need to have this conversation right now. It’s nothing to do with Dr. Sullivan, like I mentioned before—many times—it’s not personal. Didn’t like the contract previously, don’t like the contract now,” said Tidwell. “It is very, very heavy director favorite.”Sullivan’s contract is now extended to April 4, 2028, with a $5,000 annual raise.“I think it does matter whose name is on the contract. I wasn’t there before; I wasn’t seated. But I’m more than ready to reward the great job that Dr. Sullivan has done. Because it says ‘Dr. Jimmy Sullivan’ on it. Not the former superintendent. And I want to reward him and make sure we lock him up. There are no guarantees in this world, but he deserves it. He has moved heaven and earth for this district,” said board vice chair Claire Maxwell.