Riverdale High, Christiana Elementary principals reassigned as classroom teachers

• Both principals were reassigned based on academic performance, a spokesman says.
• Former Schools Director Don Odom promoted the two reassigned principals in 2017.
• Employee turnover is also mentioned as reason by district to reassign the two principals.
• Rutherford County Schools Director Bill Spurlock makes decisions on personnel for the district.

Rutherford County schools director Bill Spurlock demoted Riverdale High's Ryan Nance and Christiana Elementary's Angie Baker-Templeton, a spokesman confirmed Thursday.

"Mr. Nance has been assigned as a teacher at Siegel High School and Ms. Templeton to a teaching position at Brown’s Chapel Elementary School," spokesman James Evans said.

"Our instructional staff who had been assisting with the plan of assistance this year did not think there had been a substantial improvement in the instructional framework of each school up to the time schools closed in mid-March."

Spurlock made the decision to rescind rather than reinstate the annual contracts for both principals based on academic performance of their schools, according to an email from Evans.

"Both principals had been placed on a Plan of Assistance for the 2019-2020 school year because of poor academic performance at their schools," Evans said. "Both schools are currently rated as a Level 1 out of 5 for growth on the most recent Tennessee Department of Education Report Card. In contrast, Rutherford County Schools is rated Level 5 for student growth as a district."

Nance accepted his principal position at Riverdale in 2017 to replace retired Principal Tom Nolan from former Schools Director Don Odom.

"I would like to thank Mr. Tom Nolan (for giving me the opportunity to be an assistant principal and Mr. Don Odom for allowing me to be the Principal," Nance said. "Over the last eight years at Riverdale, I have enjoyed every experience with the staff, students and community members.  I have seen great things happen at Riverdale, and I have no doubt they will continue to be the greatest student body and faculty in the state of Tennessee.  I wish we would have given the TNReady tests this past spring to get Riverdale to the academic excellence we strive for as educators. To the Riverdale community, thank you for allowing me to serve you and I wish you the best."

The DNJ was unable to reach Baker-Templeton for comment. She was an assistant principal at Thurman Francis Arts Academy when she accepted promotion from Odom in 2017 to be principal at Christiana Elementary.

The district director has authority on personnel decisions, such as the recent promotion of Theowauna Hatchett from being principal at Smyrna Middle to replacing recently retired La Vergne High principal Dirk Ash. 

LHS gets new principal:Smyrna Middle principal Theowauna Hatchett promoted to lead La Vergne High School

Employee turnover mentioned

During the past school year, many resources were provided by the district to assist in improving the performance at Riverdale High and Christiana Elementary, Evans said.

"However, after thorough evaluations of both schools’ direction, the decision was made to begin a fresh start with new leadership," Evans said. 

In addition, both schools have experienced a great deal of employee migration and turnover, including two assistant principals at Riverdale who have left for positions with Murfreesboro City Schools.

"Riverdale, in particular, is a legacy school and has always been one of the top schools in our district, and we are confident it will return to that status," Evans said. "We thank both Mr. Nance and Ms. Templeton for their service leading the schools. They both remain as educators with the district. A search for new principals is under way."

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Reach Scott Broden at sbroden@dnj.com or 615-278-5158, and on Twitter @ScottBroden.