The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Luttrell, Wyatt make final pitch for Wilson County Director of Schools




The Wilson County Board of Education will vote for the next Director of Schools at a special called meeting on Wednesday, April 14.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the district’s administrative building at 415 Harding Dr. in Lebanon. The vote to select the next district director is two weeks earlier that what the board had announced at the beginning of the public search process (April 29).

Current Director of Schools Dr. Donna Wright’s contract expires June 30.

The final two candidates – current WCS administrator Jeff Luttrell and current Southern Regional Education Board member Dr. Aimee Wyatt – each had a separate dinner meeting with the board and answered questions at community meetings last week. They each had a final interview with the board on Monday.

Each of the community meetings, held at the district’s administrative building, was attended by about 25 people, including board members and district staff. Luttrell’s community meeting lasted about 90 minutes; Wyatt’s meeting lasted about an hour. Each finalist made an opening statement and then answered questions submitted by the attendees.

Luttrell, a former principal at Watertown High School, said that his No. 1 priority if he became Director of Schools would be to rebuild the two tornado-damaged schools in Mt. Juliet.

“We have students and families who have been displaced at those schools for over a year now,” Luttrell said. “We have got to get those buildings out of the ground.

“My No. 2 priority right there with that is to plan for growth. We are going to reach the 20,000 student mark in the next two years so we need to make relationships now to get ready for it.”

Wyatt, a longtime teacher and administrator in Metro Nashville Public Schools, said that her top priority if she got the top schools’ job in Wilson County is to maintain and increase the district’s success.

“My No. 1 priority would be to really make sure we stay on the trajectory we are on,” she said. “The teachers and students are performing well, but I want to beef up the K-8 STEM curriculum and the K-3 early childhood literacy plan.”

Luttrell used a lot of time at his community meeting to emphasize communication throughout the district. He said that he plans “principal walks” at all of the district’s schools during which he will walk and talk with that school’s principal about issues and successes at that school.

“I will be setting some really clear expectations as to how we are going to communicate,” he said.

Wyatt said that she has worked for nearly 30 years with superintendents and principals “to find innovative ways to improve their schools.”

She said that she plans to redefine parental engagement with additions like K-12 booster clubs that would “build a school community.”

Luttrell used the word “opportunity” often during his community meeting.

“I will give an opportunity to all students regardless of zip code, race or ability,” he said. “I told my teachers ask yourself when you leave school each day ‘is what I did today good enough for my own kid?’ If the answer is yes, you can do a lot in the education world and create opportunity.”

Wyatt talked about CTE and STEM programs often during her community meeting.

“I am a huge CTE supporter. Every student that leaves us should be college and career ready,” she said. “For example, our supply chain program should be tied in right away with Amazon. I want to ensure that all children have opportunities to be challenged with programs like Dual Enrollment and Dual Credit.”

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