The Williamson County School board of education will interview five new Director of Schools candidates early next month.
On Monday, search firm Ray & Associates presented the five finalists in its second round of national search to the board. Two of the finalists have Williamson County connections – Dr. David Heath, now serving as interim superintendent, and James Wilson, former superintendent of the Fulton County School System in Atlanta who previously spent 10 months here as the first principal of Centennial High School.
The other finalists are Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent, Limestone County, Ala.; Dennis Deardon, former superintendent of Marana County, Ariz.; and Michael Looney, superintendent, Butler County School District, Ala.
School board member Terry Leve, who represents District 6 which includes east Brentwood, shares this information on each candidate:
School board member Terry Leve, who represents District 6 which includes east Brentwood, shares this information on each candidate:
Barry Carroll, Ed.D
Carroll received his B.S. from Alabama A&M, and two M.A. degrees and his Ed.D. from the University of Alabama. He has been superintendent of Limestone County Schools, headquartered in Athens, Ala., for the last eight years. While his contract was recently 
extended through 2012, it is terminable on 30 days notice.
Limestone, with 8,735 students and an $80 million annual operating budget, has averaged about 1.5% annual growth in enrollment during Carroll’s tenure.
Carroll holds himself out as one who is data-driven, and believes in order to narrow an academic achievement gap there must be a "change of mindset concerning expectations.
Carroll believes extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are vital for students. He also believes that individualized learning plans will provide the necessary data and information to help teachers understand individual students’ needs.
Prior to Limestone, Carroll spent 10 years in Huntsville Public Schools, a district of 23,000 students, the last four as Director of Secondary Education and Professional Development. He was named the 2006 Alabama Superintendent of the Year, and in 1996 as Alabama's Most Outstanding Secondary Principal. A former health teacher and coach, he has been a public educator since 1981.
He lists as his references the Alabama State Superintendent, the past President of the American Association of School Administrators, the Executive Director of Alabama School Superintendents, the Superintendent of Huntsville City Schools, as well as other county superintendents and current school board members.
extended through 2012, it is terminable on 30 days notice.Limestone, with 8,735 students and an $80 million annual operating budget, has averaged about 1.5% annual growth in enrollment during Carroll’s tenure.
Carroll holds himself out as one who is data-driven, and believes in order to narrow an academic achievement gap there must be a "change of mindset concerning expectations.
Carroll believes extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are vital for students. He also believes that individualized learning plans will provide the necessary data and information to help teachers understand individual students’ needs.
Prior to Limestone, Carroll spent 10 years in Huntsville Public Schools, a district of 23,000 students, the last four as Director of Secondary Education and Professional Development. He was named the 2006 Alabama Superintendent of the Year, and in 1996 as Alabama's Most Outstanding Secondary Principal. A former health teacher and coach, he has been a public educator since 1981.
He lists as his references the Alabama State Superintendent, the past President of the American Association of School Administrators, the Executive Director of Alabama School Superintendents, the Superintendent of Huntsville City Schools, as well as other county superintendents and current school board members.
Dennis Deardon
Deardon received his B.A from Simpson College and his M.S from Drake University, both in Iowa. As senior vice president for the Partnership of Excellence, his responsibilities include mentoring superintendents across the nation and helping school districts implement strategic plans.
Previously, Deardon spent three years as the superintendent of Marana Unified School District in Arizona,
a suburb of Tucson. Marana has 13,000 students and a $78 million annual operating budget Deardon states that when he arrived at Marana, the district had gone through several years of turmoil. In a two-year period, he led the alignment of all district improvement efforts, including the implementation of the following initiatives: full-day kindergarten, professional learning communities, elementary school instructional coaches, essential learning standards, and formative and summative assessments based on aligned state standards. Nine of the district's schools were either rated Arizona A+ schools (meaning they ranked in the top 3 percent of the state) or were awarded with National Blue Ribbon of Excellence status.
Before Marana, Deardon spent two years as an assistant superintendent in Fairfax County (Va.) public schools, a district with more than 166,000 students.
A public educator since 1974, he has been a principal, an assistant principal, a social studies teacher, a special education teacher and a coach. wards include being named the national Principal of the Year in 2000, and as a finalist for Teacher of the Year in Colorado in 1990.
His references include the Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, the Director of Schools of Fairfax County Public Schools, as well as other county superintendents and Marana school board members.
Deardon received his B.A from Simpson College and his M.S from Drake University, both in Iowa. As senior vice president for the Partnership of Excellence, his responsibilities include mentoring superintendents across the nation and helping school districts implement strategic plans.
Previously, Deardon spent three years as the superintendent of Marana Unified School District in Arizona,
a suburb of Tucson. Marana has 13,000 students and a $78 million annual operating budget Deardon states that when he arrived at Marana, the district had gone through several years of turmoil. In a two-year period, he led the alignment of all district improvement efforts, including the implementation of the following initiatives: full-day kindergarten, professional learning communities, elementary school instructional coaches, essential learning standards, and formative and summative assessments based on aligned state standards. Nine of the district's schools were either rated Arizona A+ schools (meaning they ranked in the top 3 percent of the state) or were awarded with National Blue Ribbon of Excellence status.Before Marana, Deardon spent two years as an assistant superintendent in Fairfax County (Va.) public schools, a district with more than 166,000 students.
A public educator since 1974, he has been a principal, an assistant principal, a social studies teacher, a special education teacher and a coach. wards include being named the national Principal of the Year in 2000, and as a finalist for Teacher of the Year in Colorado in 1990.
His references include the Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, the Director of Schools of Fairfax County Public Schools, as well as other county superintendents and Marana school board members.
David Heath, Ed.D
Heath received his B.S. and M.S. from University of Tennessee, Martin. He earned his Ed.D. from the University of Southern California. For the past six months he has served Williamson County’s interim Director of Schools, a position he also held for seven months in 2004.
Williamson County Schools has more than 30,000 students and an annual operating budget in excess of $200 million. Heath spent the last six years as deputy superintendent at WCS.
He considers keeping a sense of urgency and better accountability to be the greatest challenges and obstacles in narrowing the district’s achievement gap. He describes a good board-director relationship as one where "the board is the 'what,' and the director of schools is the 'how.'" He writes that "[t]oo often schools have exerted independence in individual directions that have focused dollars and energies away from the primary objectives and vision of the district."
As deputy superintendent, Heath has coordinated budget preparations for the transportation, maintenance, facilities and operations, human resources and cafeteria departments; gas led rezoning plans; and served as hearing officer for student disciplinary hearings.
Following a six-year tenure as principal at Brentwood High School, Heath served as director of the Assessment Center for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in the Germany Region. He has also been a high school principal, junior high school principal, assistant principal and teacher in Tennessee, Germany, Korea and Japan.
In 1998, he was named the Tennessee Secondary Principal of the Year. His references include two former WCS superintendents, Drs. Terry Grier and Dallas Johnson, the Chairman of the Weakley County Board of Education, the Dean of Fine Arts and Media at the University of Colorado, Denver, and County Mayor Rogers Anderson.
Williamson County Schools has more than 30,000 students and an annual operating budget in excess of $200 million. Heath spent the last six years as deputy superintendent at WCS.
He considers keeping a sense of urgency and better accountability to be the greatest challenges and obstacles in narrowing the district’s achievement gap. He describes a good board-director relationship as one where "the board is the 'what,' and the director of schools is the 'how.'" He writes that "[t]oo often schools have exerted independence in individual directions that have focused dollars and energies away from the primary objectives and vision of the district."
As deputy superintendent, Heath has coordinated budget preparations for the transportation, maintenance, facilities and operations, human resources and cafeteria departments; gas led rezoning plans; and served as hearing officer for student disciplinary hearings.
Following a six-year tenure as principal at Brentwood High School, Heath served as director of the Assessment Center for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in the Germany Region. He has also been a high school principal, junior high school principal, assistant principal and teacher in Tennessee, Germany, Korea and Japan.
In 1998, he was named the Tennessee Secondary Principal of the Year. His references include two former WCS superintendents, Drs. Terry Grier and Dallas Johnson, the Chairman of the Weakley County Board of Education, the Dean of Fine Arts and Media at the University of Colorado, Denver, and County Mayor Rogers Anderson.
Michael Looney
A doctoral candidate at the University of Alabama, Looney earned his B.S. and M.S. from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and his Ed.S. from the University of Alabama. He is superintendent of Butler County School District, headquartered in Greenville, Ala, a position he has held 
for four years.
Butler has 3,500 students and a $31 million annual operating budget.
In answer to the question of his experience in working with students and parents in high-achieving school environments, Looney cites his development of a K-12 magnet school for "high-end learners." His application also speaks to the partnerships he has forged with city and county government officials, and their cooperation in funding the largest school construction campaign in the county's history: nine separate projects – projects completed on time and within or under established budgets. He has also developed career academies and a comprehensive, tiered acceleration policy for high-achieving students. He also led efforts that resulted in his district being awarded with State Department of Education funds in excess of $2 million to design Alabama's first "pay for performance" plan.
Prior to Butler, Looney served two districts as an assistant superintendent for Montgomery (Ala.) Public Schools and Calhoun County Schools, located in Anniston, Ala. In Montgomery, a district with 61 schools and 31,000 students, he was responsible for evaluating, coordinating and administering curricula for all K-12 programs. He has also been a principal, assistant principal and elementary school teacher.
Prior to education, he served for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
His references include Alabama's State Superintendent, the Mayor of Greenville, Ala., newspaper editors and reporters, the former president of the Board of Education for Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as current board members.
for four years.Butler has 3,500 students and a $31 million annual operating budget.
In answer to the question of his experience in working with students and parents in high-achieving school environments, Looney cites his development of a K-12 magnet school for "high-end learners." His application also speaks to the partnerships he has forged with city and county government officials, and their cooperation in funding the largest school construction campaign in the county's history: nine separate projects – projects completed on time and within or under established budgets. He has also developed career academies and a comprehensive, tiered acceleration policy for high-achieving students. He also led efforts that resulted in his district being awarded with State Department of Education funds in excess of $2 million to design Alabama's first "pay for performance" plan.
Prior to Butler, Looney served two districts as an assistant superintendent for Montgomery (Ala.) Public Schools and Calhoun County Schools, located in Anniston, Ala. In Montgomery, a district with 61 schools and 31,000 students, he was responsible for evaluating, coordinating and administering curricula for all K-12 programs. He has also been a principal, assistant principal and elementary school teacher.
Prior to education, he served for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
His references include Alabama's State Superintendent, the Mayor of Greenville, Ala., newspaper editors and reporters, the former president of the Board of Education for Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as current board members.
James Wilson
Wilson earned his B.S. from Tennessee Tech, his M.A. from West Georgia College, and his Ed.S. from Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Last year. Wilson became president of Education Planners, a business management firm serving school districts across the Southeast. For the three years before that, Wilson served as superintendent of Fulton County (Ga.) Schools, a district with nearly 90,000 students and a $940 million operating budget.
Wilson considers maintaining a focus "on kids and not statistics" as one of the greatest challenges and obstacles to closing the achievement gap among students. In 2007, eight Fulton County High Schools ranked among Georgia’s top 11 schools for the highest average SAT scores.
Prior to his time in Fulton County, Wilson spent 26 years in the Cobb County (Ga.) School District, where he started as a middle school teacher. His tenure later included serving as Community School Director, assistant high school principal, middle school principal, high school principal, executive director of high school operations, assistant superintendent of human resources, deputy superintendent, interim superintendent and chief operations officer.
During a short break from Cobb, Wilson spent 10 months with Williamson County Schools when he was hired to be Centennial High School's first principal. He was named at the commencement of the school’s construction project, and was responsible for hiring the staff, setting curriculum and purchasing furniture and equipment. The summer before CHS opened its doors, Cobb County enticed him back by offering him the position of executive director of high school operations, which made him responsible for directing the supervision of 13 high schools.
He now serves on U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson's Education Committee and has presented at three different national conferences on "Utilizing Technology in the Classroom." His references include the Board Chair of Fulton County Schools, the Cobb County Superintendent, and other business and education leaders, including from the Georgia School Board Association.
Wilson considers maintaining a focus "on kids and not statistics" as one of the greatest challenges and obstacles to closing the achievement gap among students. In 2007, eight Fulton County High Schools ranked among Georgia’s top 11 schools for the highest average SAT scores.
Prior to his time in Fulton County, Wilson spent 26 years in the Cobb County (Ga.) School District, where he started as a middle school teacher. His tenure later included serving as Community School Director, assistant high school principal, middle school principal, high school principal, executive director of high school operations, assistant superintendent of human resources, deputy superintendent, interim superintendent and chief operations officer.
During a short break from Cobb, Wilson spent 10 months with Williamson County Schools when he was hired to be Centennial High School's first principal. He was named at the commencement of the school’s construction project, and was responsible for hiring the staff, setting curriculum and purchasing furniture and equipment. The summer before CHS opened its doors, Cobb County enticed him back by offering him the position of executive director of high school operations, which made him responsible for directing the supervision of 13 high schools.
He now serves on U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson's Education Committee and has presented at three different national conferences on "Utilizing Technology in the Classroom." His references include the Board Chair of Fulton County Schools, the Cobb County Superintendent, and other business and education leaders, including from the Georgia School Board Association.
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