Del Phillips will receive higher pay and oversee a vastly larger district when he makes the move from superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District to the director of schools with the Sumner County Board of Education in Gallatin, Tenn.
The Sumner County school board approved a four-year contract Monday night, offering Phillips an annual salary of $178,500, along with medical and dental benefits. He will also receive a $4,500 relocation stipend for the position, which begins June 13.
The Columbus school board called a special meeting for 5 p.m. today to discuss the search for a new leader for Columbus schools. Phillips was back in Columbus this morning, meeting with district principals and administrators at the district”s central office.
Phillips currently makes $154,400 in Columbus, according to Myra Gillis, head of human resources for CMSD. Last year, he made $161,200, but his salary was reduced this year as a result of across-the-board budget cuts.
His district size will increase also. As head of the Columbus city schools, he oversees 4,571 students in seven schools. Sumner County schools, a district near Nashville, enrolls 28,000 students in 46 schools.
The Hendersonville Star News reported that the Sumner County board unanimously approved a four-year contract with Phillips, 39, at a salary of $178,500 annually.
The contract includes incentives for improving test scores and cutting costs in the district, which is located outside Nashville, and a $4,500 moving stipend.
Phillips was in Sumner County over the weekend negotiating his contract with Sumner County”s school board president.
“What attracted me was the quality of life there,” Phillips said in a phone interview with the newspaper. “Everyone I asked gave rave reviews about the schools, the principals and the teachers. I”m really excited about getting there and getting to know people in the community.”
Phillips is credited with innovative advances in the Columbus Municipal School District.
Phillips, who took over as superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District in June 2007, instituted magnet school programs at each of the city”s elementary schools and the International Baccalaureate program at Columbus High School. He also guided the passage of a $22 million school bond issue which led to creation of Columbus Middle School, which opened earlier this year.
From the time he arrived in Columbus, Phillips had been clear about his higher aspirations. Last year he was considered a finalist for the Mississippi state superintendent post.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.