MADISONVILLE-If it is up to the Monroe County Board of Education, voters will one day elect the director/superintendent of schools.

At the Thursday monthly meeting, the board voted that they would support a publicly-elected director.

Before the board had reached the item on the agenda, 3rd District Board Member Steve Rogers jumped the gun.

"About 98 percent of the people in Monroe County are against an appointed superintendent," said Rogers.

When the item finally was finally up for conversation, Rogers was again the first to speak.

"The people feel like they have a right to decide who is superintendent of the schools and I happen to agree with them," he said. "I don't feel like five people should have the authority to elect the superintendent or anyone else. I think it needs to be left up to the voters in Monroe County."

Monroe County Director of Schools Mike Lowry told the board the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) is asking for input from school boards to help with state legislation.

"There's a strong push in the state [for elected superintendents], maybe even stronger that they've seen in a long time," said Lowry.  

See full story in the Sunday, Feb. 17, edition of The Advocate & Democrat.