It’s official: Dr. April Norris has signed her contract and will assume the role of Director of Schools for Tullahoma City Schools. The contract will go into effect on July 1.

The contract was signed following the special-called Board of Education meeting on Friday, April 17. The school board had originally scheduled to make a decision to approve the contract at its meeting earlier this week, but the item was removed from the agenda to give the board more time to go over the contract. The school district put out a notice for the special-called meeting on the following day.

During the meeting, Dr. Neal Loeffler briefly addressed the school board during public comment to touch on concerns about the proposed salary.

“At the last board meeting, a citizen questioned the salary of the superintendent.

I want to say the salary is fair,” he said. “I think you did a good job on the contract and reviewed it.”

According to the contract presented, Norris’s initial contract is for 48 months (four years) and begins July 1, which is the beginning of the 2026-2027 fiscal year for the school system. It is noted that the parties may renew or amend the contract no later than June 1, 2028. Her initial salary is set at $185,000 per year, plus the standard benefits package afforded to all certified employees, including health insurance and retirement.

The board continued on with the main item on the agenda, which was for the board to take action on the Director of Schools contract. According to Board Chairman Kim Uselton, the board decided to enter contract negotiations with Norris following its specialcalled February meeting, where it made the decision to hire Norris. Uselton said she spoke with the school board’s attorney, Scott Bennett, who then worked with Norris’ attorney on the contract. Uselton made clear that she only spoke to Bennett during the contract negotiations.

When the motion to approve the contract as presented was opened for discussion, board member Andy Whitt said the contract was good, adding that the board also had discussions about the salary, stating that even though the salary was good, the superintendent’s job wasn’t the kind of job that makes a huge amount of money. He added that the superintendent’s responsibilities include overseeing the over 600 employees and the education of all the students in the district, which he said the education of children is one of the most important things to do in society.

“If you compare to other businesses, general manager type level, I guarantee you they’re making a lot more money than what this contract actually is, and they probably don’t have as much responsibility as what she has to,” Whitt said.

Uselton agreed with Whitt and said the role is asking someone to take on such responsibility for the school district.

“It’s not just employees, it is students first, and it’s families, and we all know it’s the community that cares so much,” Uselton said. “There’s a lot of responsibility, and there’s really no time off because, ultimately, you are responsible and you want to know what’s going on.”

Uselton added during a study session with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, one of the topics discussed was salaries and where they landed. She said the board found out when they were adding positions that, while the positions were heavy on the administrative end, the school district was still far behind in the other districts of the same size when it came to salaries.

Uselton said at that point she learned that the salaries did not reflect the years of experience and education level. She added that the salaries do not reflect whether the administrators are given a bonus, as both administrators and directors have chosen to get the same adjustment in their salaries, if the board is able to approve giving said raises.

“It’s impossible to look at that and compare,” Uselton said. “Dr. Stephens came to us with 31 years of experience in her doctorate. Dr. Norris is coming to us with 32 years of experience in her doctorate. That’s not on that sheet.”

Board member Pat Welsh also pointed out that the contract did not specify the Director of Schools’ involvement with a lot of outside activities, including with the Tennessee School Board Association.

“Dr. Stephens has done really well,” Welsh said. “She’s been extremely active in those, but the contract requires that.”

With no further discussion, the school board unanimously voted 7-0 to approve the contract for Norris to become the next Director of Schools for Tullahoma City Schools.