The Roane County Board of Education approved a two-year contract extension for Director of Schools Russell Jenkins during its regular meeting on March 19.
“I appreciate the job that Mr. Jenkins has done,” Board Member Danny Wright said. “I think it’s pretty evident that he’s doing a bang up job under trying circumstances and I appreciate the updates that he gives us and keeps us informed of what’s going on. I think that’s very helpful for us and our communities.”
With the extension, Jenkins is now under contract through June 30, 2028.
“He’s worked hard,” Board Member Sam Cox said. “He’s done a great job for us.”
The vote to extend the contract was unanimous.
“It was a pleasure and an honor to get to vote to extend your contract,” Board Chairman Mike “Brillo” Miller said. “You’ve done a heck of a job under a lot of strain and I appreciate you being our director. This county is lucky to have this man as the director.”
In addition to extending the contract, the board also approved increasing Jenkins’ base pay to $145,000.
“When you look at the counties around us, their base pay is $150,000 to $155,000,” Cox said. “I believe his was a little out of range.”
The school board voted to hire Jenkins in March of 2022 after then director LaDonna McFall announced she was resigning. The school board usually conducts a nationwide search when it needs a director but it opted to skip that process after McFall resigned to hire Jenkins, who had been a longtime employee of the school system’s central office at the time.
“We’re not going to find anyone that knows our county like Russell does,” Board Member Diane Tate said in March of 2022.
Jenkins will conclude his second year as director of schools in June. The board has been happy with his performance so far. He received an adjusted score of 769 on his first evaluation, which resulted in a $15,000 bonus. Several board members gave him a score of 100 on the evaluation.
“He’s worth every penny,” Board Member Vic King said.
Jenkins said he has a great team.
“I’m proud of our principals and our teachers,” he said. “This is a hard job. It is a hard job and there’s no one person that can do it. It takes a team and we’ve had a great team.”
