By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—At a busy but relatively short session Thursday afternoon, the Henry County Schools board of education announced it rated Director of Schools Dr. Brian Norton highly on his recent evaluation. The board meeting was held at the end of a day-long annual board retreat.
Board President Doug Braden read the results of the evaluation and said to Dr. Norton, “Overall, we feel really good about it. We’re very appreciative and grateful for the work you do and have full confidence in your leadership ability and what you’ve done for us.”
Braden said out of a top score of 5, Norton ranked 4.6 on board relations; 4.48 on community relations; 4.52 on staff and personnel; 4.52 on facilities and finance; 4.44 on long-range plans and 4.72 on student achievement.
Norton thanked the board and said, “It’s a privilege receiving those kinds of numbers, but they only come because of other folks.”
The board also began the process of allowing a student representative on the school board as a non-voting member. The board unanimously approved the proposal on first reading. A different student would be selected each year; the student would be a rising senior with at least a 3.0 GPA and attend all meetings of the board. He or she would be chosen by the High School Principal. The proposal still must be approved on second reading to be official.
In other business:
The board approved a new sick leave policy that allows all employees to accumulate sick leave. In recommending the new policy, Dr. Norton noted that the previous sick leave policy left many employees uncovered. “We were doing a disservice to our support personnel and it doesn’t cost us anything to do this. It sends a message that all employees matter,” he said.
At the request of Board Member Tom Beasley, the board authorized him to conduct a study of services provided in early childhood development and early childhood education. The matter was discussed at the board’s retreat. “We’ll be studying whether we have gaps in those critical areas,” he said.
Photo by Shannon McFarlin
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