In a Special Called meeting on Monday, February 9, 2026, the Smith County Board of Education voted to grant interviews to six applicants for the Director of Schools position: John Ash, Elizabeth Lackey, Mike Lytle, Jimmy Maynord, Bobby Storie, and Tim Towns. Each of the board members selected up to six candidates they wished to interview, with interviews being granted to the six most-selected applicants. The selections of the individual board members are presented below:
Interviews with the six candidates are tentatively scheduled to be conducted at the Smith County Board of Education on Saturday, February 28, 2026.