Williamson County Schools will spend $100,000 on a nationwide superintendent search. The school board voted unanimously Monday, Oct. 19, to fund the effort and conduct candidate interviews behind closed doors.

The board also approved an $87 million middle school in Brentwood and rezoned Stephens Valley families to Grassland schools at the same meeting, Williamson Scene reported.

The search money will come from existing payroll budgets for the superintendent and assistant superintendent positions. Board chair Claire Reeves is coordinating community engagement sessions with ZEAL Education Group, the search firm the board selected in an 8-4 vote in September.

Stakeholder meetings are scheduled for Nov. 9 through Nov. 13. A separate session Monday, Oct. 26, at 5:30 p.m. will include the Williamson County mayor, the Franklin city mayor and a county commissioner.

Interim Superintendent Leigh Webb, whose contract runs through May 31, 2027, acknowledged the opportunity to apply for the permanent role. She told the board the next leader should earn the job through a competitive process.

"I believe with all of my heart and soul, the person who's selected to lead this district moving forward should earn it … I don't blame you for not wanting to appoint someone blindly," Webb said at the meeting.

Webb also said she would step aside from search-related conversations to avoid a conflict of interest should she decide to apply, the Williamson Herald reported. Applicant materials will remain confidential unless a candidate is hired, at which point they become public record.

School safety after Oregon shooting

The meeting opened with a moment of silence for the victims of the Oct. 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where a 16-year-old killed three children and a teacher.

Webb spent the opening minutes reviewing Williamson County's safety protocols. She told the board that school safety is not a single fix but a daily effort across the district.

Stephens Valley rezoning

Families in the Stephens Valley neighborhood will shift from the Fairview school zone to nearby Grassland schools starting in the 2027-2028 school year.

Only one Stephens Valley student attends the Fairview-zoned school. Eleven others already attend Grassland schools outside their zone. The change will let those students ride the bus.

$87 million middle school

The board approved a new middle school on the Split Log Road property in Brentwood, next to Jordan Elementary School. District 8 board member Donna Clements said the $87 million project can be funded through the Educational Impact Fee (EIF), a charge on new residential building permits that the Williamson County Board of Commissioners approved in November 2016.

The county commission will make the final call on funding. Residents can weigh in on the superintendent search at the Oct. 26 session or during the Nov. 9-13 stakeholder meetings.