As Union County teachers, students and parents look forward to the new age of education in the community, there is a new leader ready to embark on the journey of additional educational opportunities in new facilities.
Greg Clay, born and raised in Tater Valley, looks forward to assisting the community in improvements and additions to Union County Public Schools (UCPS).
Clay graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in business and later went on to receive a master’s degree in administration. Before becoming an educator in 1997, he worked at Plasti-Line in Knoxville. Clay says education was his second career.
A teacher at heart, he has a passion for sports, education and working with youth. Before making his way back home to the area in 2015, Clay taught in Carlsbad, New Mexico, as well as Washburn (just outside of Union County in Grainger County).
Along with teaching mathematics, he was the assistant principal at Washburn for ten years before filling the role of principal at Horace Maynard Middle School.
Even though Clay returned to Washburn in 2021 to work as the principal at Washburn, he was eager to return to Union County once hearing about the opening of the Union County Director of Schools position.
When the position opened, former colleagues from Horace Maynard Middle School encouraged Clay to apply. Alongside the support of many in the community, the intriguing nature of the challenging job ahead made Clay confident it was the right fit.
One of the biggest driving factors for Clay was the opportunity to work with the community to build a new middle school as he hopes it will provide more space for opportunities beyond core classes. Clay strives to incorporate Career and Technical Education-type courses at the middle school.
With a best-case scenario of opening the new middle school in the fall of 2025, Lewis Group Architects has presented their proposed designs for the school over the past few weeks to the school board and county commission. They hope to continue the design process and formulate funding information to present to the county commission in order to solicit bids in the coming months.
These goals, in combination with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Walters State Community College’s partnerships with Union County High School, will bring tremendous opportunity for our students for many years to come.
“Each school is unique and has their own culture and traditions,” Clay said.
“I hope to better understand the strengths and needs of each school as we plan for the future to provide a positive climate for learning and strive for successful academic outcomes for students.”
Clay’s top priorities moving forward encompass what it means to lead a community in the right direction. In the coming months, he plans to get to know staff, students and the community while also promoting a positive learning environment through understanding the academic strengths and weaknesses of UCPS.
Clay says he also plans to maximize funding for students and staff to ensure students get optimal opportunities and educational experiences while their teachers obtain competitive teacher salaries. Through this, he hopes to see an increase in educational staff recruitment, retainment and increased reward for faculty.