Three local educators are in the running to be Bedford County's next superintendent.

The Bedford County Board of Education met Tuesday and selected finalists for the open position. The Tennessee School Boards Association presented three finalists from 16 applicants: Assistant Superintendent Karen Scoggins, Dr. Tammy Garrett, principal of Mitchell-Neilson School in Murfreesboro, and Dr. John Tucker of Georgia. Scoggins is acting as interim superintendent.

The local school board accepted those finalists, and then voted 5-4 to add Dr. Robert Ralston, principal of Community High School, and Tim Harwell, principal of Shelbyville Central High School. Voting yes, to add the local candidates, were: Dr. Andrea Anderson; Dan Reed; John Boutwell; Glenn Forsee; and Chairwoman Diane Neeley. Voting no were: Brian Crews; David Brown; Michael Cook; and Nicole Cashion.

Interview dates were tentatively set for a series of Thursdays and Mondays: Jan. 28, plus Feb. 1, 4, 8 and 11.

Central Office staff drew finalists' names out of a box to determine the order in which they would be interviewed: Tucker; Ralston; Garrett; Scoggins and Harwell. That order assumes the candidates' schedules work out for those dates.

The board decided to let Neeley and the Central Office staff arrange for times for the interviews and to finalize a location. There was discussion of using a school auditorium to allow for social-distancing. The district's technology division will help select a location based on where they can conduct a livestream from as well.

Further consideration may be given at the board's Feb. 16 meeting. The board did not rule out holding a special-called meeting at some point.

Garrett was up for superintendent for Murfreesboro City Schools, which selected their new director Tuesday, but after the Bedford School Board met. Before they knew the outcome in Murfreesboro, Bedford School Board members expressed concern that Garrett would be offered the job in her hometown, thus taking her out of the running in Shelbyville.

Crews had expressed a desire to add one or more of the TSBA's applicants back into the mix. Dr. Tammy Grissom, the group's executive director, said their screening committee selected the candidates that met the board's criteria. She was asked what type of personnel were on that committee, to which she replied former superintendents and state education department personnel; no one from Bedford County. They had selected a fourth candidate, but he accepted a job elsewhere.

Boutwell asked Grissom if a formal ranking system was used and would thus be available for consideration of other candidates. She said there was not.