South Pike County School Board Elects Officers, Hears Academic Updates
The South Pike County School District Board of Education met Tuesday, March 17, for their regular monthly meeting, addressing leadership roles, staffing, and academic progress across the district.
During the meeting, the board elected officers for the coming term. Robert Silva will serve as president and disbursing officer, Barbie Baxter as vice president, and Carrie Tidwell as secretary.
Board members also approved a motion to hire David McKinnon, Griffin Grayson, and Ashley Simmons as high school teachers for the 2026–27 school year. The motion, made by Cory Ballard and seconded by Carrie Tidwell, passed unanimously with a 6-0 vote.
Superintendent Tanya Wilcher presented her monthly report, welcoming Carrie Tidwell to her first meeting following her recent election to the board. Wilcher said those interested in filling the open Zone 3 board position must submit completed paperwork by April 3, 2026. Wilcher also shared that the district is exploring a grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation that could be used to asphalt the school track and develop a walking and running trail for cross country teams and community use.
In other updates, the junior class invited board members to attend the Junior/Senior Prom scheduled for April 30th.
At the elementary level, Murfreesboro Elementary School Principal James Riley reported that students have completed 538 interim tests, showing 66.5 percent growth overall. He highlighted the use of “Growth Bracelets” to recognize student achievement and noted that three sixth-grade students have been named finalists in the Appelley Publishing Poetry Contest. Kindergarten pre-registration is scheduled for later this week.
At Murfreesboro High School, Principal Davey Jones reported that academic progress continues as interim ATLAS testing gets underway. He noted that students are showing strong growth, particularly those participating in HIT tutoring, which provides more individualized instruction. Special education students are also demonstrating significant improvement, with staff recognizing the efforts of teachers supporting those programs.
Additionally, the school’s Electricity and Ag Mechanics teams recently placed second in district competition and will advance to the state contest scheduled for April 2–3.
The board announced their next meeting will be held Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m.