Negotiations with Register continuing

Jesse Register could be hired as director of Nashville schools on Jan. 13 or earlier, but the timing of a contract adoption is a “moot point” until negotiations are complete, school board chair David Fox said Monday.

“Once we come to some sort of agreement, … I’ll see about what our time frame is,” Fox said. “He wants to get started as soon as possible.”

The board’s next regular meeting is Jan. 13, though a special called meeting could be scheduled earlier, if negotiations are complete.

The entire board is scheduled to meet with Mayor Karl Dean on Jan. 15, and Fox said Tennessee Department of Education accountability chief Connie Smith may meet with the board in mid-January.

Fox said it would be helpful to have Register’s contract approved before both meetings.

As board chair, Fox has been charged with negotiating a contract for Register on behalf of the school district. The negotiations are not public, in contrast to the interview process.

Attorneys with Metro’s legal department as well as search firm consultant Bill Attea are also aiding in negotiations.

To date, Fox has worked to create a “template contract” based on previous contracts, including that of former Director of Schools Pedro Garcia. He has not yet begun salary negotiations with Register, though the two plan to speak by telephone tomorrow.

Register has asked for a total compensation package of about $285,000. Garcia’s package, at the time he left the district, was closer to $250,000, and Fox has been asked by board members to begin negotiations with Register starting there.

Board members asked Fox to attempt to negotiate a clause that would release the district from buying out Register’s contract in the event of a governance chance forced by an outside government entity.

School board members decided in a seven-to-two vote Dec. 20 to pursue negotiations with Register. Attea has also recommended that the board complete background checks and visits to Hamilton County before sealing a deal with Register.

Register worked as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga for 10 years before retiring in 2006. Nashville has been without a director of schools since the end of last January, when Garcia resigned prior to his evaluations.