In his final days as Greene County Director of Schools, Dr. Joe Parkins said he has enjoyed his 37-year career with the county school system.

What he enjoyed the most as director of schools, he said, were the challenges faced to meet the goals created right before he took the job nine years ago.

"Not only have we accomplished all those goals, we've surpassed them," Parkins said during an interview in his office last week. "I feel now that I've accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish, I'm ready to go."

Accomplishments in curriculum and facilities achieved under his leadership since 2001 range from improved test scores to construction of two new schools.

"We accomplished more than I ever dreamed would be possible," he said as he looked back over his career with the school system.

Before taking the top job, Parkins worked 15 years at the county school system's Central Office as instructional supervisor for grades 4-8.

He also worked as the school system's transportation supervisor, personnel director and purchasing agent, with duties that included fingerprinting all new employees, he recalled with a laugh.

After teaching, Parkins was principal of McDonald Elementary School for two years and West Pines Elementary School for three years.

"I've done a little bit of everything, and it prepared me well for this [director of schools] job," he said.

Numerous improvements to curriculum have been made under Parkins' leadership:

* All elementary and middle schools received accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Previously, all four high schools received accreditation.

* Fifteen pre-K classrooms were added at all but one elementary school. Ironically, the local elementary school he attended as a boy, Glenwood, is the only one that does not have a pre-K program, because enrollment is not high enough.

* Band programs were added at all four high schools, offering instrumental music instruction to all students in grades 6-12.

* The high school curriculum was expanded to offer Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), Advanced Placement (AP) classes, dual enrollment with Walters State Community College and distance learning through new technology.

* Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), Gateway, end-of-course and writing test scores have improved.

"Our test scores have continued to improve, year after year, and I'm very, very pleased with that," Parkins said.

Almost every school has had improvements to facilities under Parkins' leadership:

* A new Chuckey-Doak High School and Mosheim Middle School were constructed.

* The former Chuckey-Doak High School was renovated into a separate Chuckey-Doak Middle School.

* A new gym was built at Camp Creek Elementary School, and the gym at Baileyton Elementary School was renovated.

* A new wing classroom wing and new kitchen and cafeteria were built at Ottway Elementary School.

* A new library was built at West Pines Elementary School.

* New ag shops were built at North Greene and South Greene high schools.

* New field houses and band rooms were built at North Greene, South Greene and West Greene high schools.

* At McDonald, the old ag shop was renovated into four classrooms and two set of restrooms for grades 7-8.

Parkins said he is very proud of all the improvements in both curriculum and facilities.

"To me, it's a challenge to see how much we can accomplish with the limited resources we have," he said. "We've gotten a lot of mileage out of our money."

The accomplishments have not been made without some tough challenges, and one of the toughest was a steady stream of state and federal mandates with little or no funding, Parkins said.

These mandates include the federal No Child Left Behind law, Internet safety rules, state requirements for school support groups and physical education changes related to coordinated school health, he recalled.

Parkins said that sometime the mandates were issued so often that he said he almost wanted to hold his hands up and say, "Hold it. Give us time to adjust to the latest changes." But he has worked with the Central Office staff and others in the school system to make sure the requirements were met.

"These people are like my second family," he said. "I have a lot of friends in this school system."

Parkins said he also realizes that some people do not agree with his decisions.

"Every decision that I have made as director of schools has been made in the best interest of the students and the school system," he said. "I have made no decisions based on personal reasons or personal interests."

Asked about the timing of his decision to retire, Parkins said his wife of almost 39 years, Carolyn, always told him he would know when the time was right.

Now, she has planned an 11-day trip to Hawaii as a retirement gift to her husband.

The couple also plans to buy a condo on Cherokee Lake. Parkins said he is looking forward to spending time there.

He added that he would like to start part-time work in September to occupy his time, he said. "I think it's important to stay busy, both mentally and physically," he said.

Parkins said he will miss the school system employees and the challenges of the director of schools job.

But he said, "I will not miss the stress."

He explained that he always thought about his duties, even while on vacation. "I don't care where you are or what you're doing, it never leaves you, and that's what it takes," he said.

Parkins said he thinks his successor, Dr. Vicki Kirk, will do a good job in moving the county school system forward.

He said he will be available to help her at any time, adding "My heart will always be with the school system."