The day-to-day operation of Sumner County's public  school system is overseen by a Director of Schools, who is hired by the Board of Education for a term of up to four years. The Director serves as the district's Chief Executive Officer. 

Seven Assistant Directors of Schools are responsible for the district's major departments: Finance, Human Resources, Instruction, Maintenance, Operations, Pupil Services, and Transportation. Other positions reporting to the Director of Schools are the district's Internal Auditor, the Supervisor of Board and Community Relations, the Coordinator of Safe and Drug Free Schools, and the Director's Administrative Assistant.

Duties of the Director of Schools

The following is an abbreviated list of powers and duties assigned to the Director of Schools by state law. Additional information may be found in Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) 49-2-301.

1. To act for the Board in seeing that all laws and rules of the states relating to the schools and Board policies are faithfully executed;

2. To attend all meetings of the Board and to serve as a member of the Executive Committee;

3. To make such recommendations to the Board as he/she deems for the best interest of the public schools, but in no case shall he have a vote;

4. To have general supervision of all schools and departments and to advise members of the Board as to their condition and means for improvement;

5. To require the use of the state course of study and the system of promoting students in accordance with regulations of the Commissioner of Education and Board policy;

6. To hire, transfer, suspend, non-renew, and dismiss all personnel within the approved budget, with the exception of placing teachers on tenure and dismissing tenured teachers;

7. To recommend to the Board the re-election of teachers eligibile for tenure;

8. To assign teachers, staff and educational assistants to the several schools on the basis of the most effective utilization of staff made possible with State and local funds available;

9. To prepare, annually, with the Chairman of the Board, a budget for the schools in the system, to submit the same to the Board for its approval, and to present it to the County Commission for adoption; and

 10. To oversee administration of the district's annual budget as approved by the Board of Education and County Commission.