The number of teachers retiring, some even retiring early, continues to plague school districts throughout the state of Tennessee... That was JC Bowman, Executive Director of the Professional Educators of Tennessee. The problem is compounded in growing communities like Rutherford County where schools need to fill positions left open by retiring educators, while also planning ahead to hire new teachers at schools that will soon be built.

Rutherford County Schools Director Jimmy Sullivan has now been at the helm of the schools for one full school year. One of his first priorities in taking over the director position was to hire an outside firm to study the pay schedule of the varied positions within the schools. One of the findings and changes that have since been made...

NOT JUST SALARY - Bowman said that teachers today don't always make a decision on accepting a job based on salary alone... Another issue revolves around the safety of an educator within a school. When a teacher feels threatened by a student or students, it makes it much harder to lead a class.

MOVING A TEACHING LICENSE - Because Rutherford County continues to see new residents from other states, Bowman said there needs to be a simplified way of transferring a teaching license from one state to another... A multitude of jobs are currently available within Rutherford County. The schools are hiring everything from substitute teachers to principals and supervisors. You can learn more about applying to work in the Rutherford County Schools HERE.