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'Leaving here is killing me'
Ash shapes lasting legacy at Central Magnet School before returning home as director of Smith County Schools
May 18, 2026
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
For the first time in nearly 17 years, Dr. John Ash will no longer be the principal of Central Magnet School starting June 1.
Instead, Ash will become Smith County’s new director of schools — a fitting next step for the man many back home know as “Eddie,” after his middle name, Edward. Ash was born and raised there, and he and his wife, Jennifer, were already building a home in the county where they plan to retire one day.
And while he is looking forward to returning home and contributing his leadership to his native county, Ash admits it will be hard no longer calling the shots at the renowned magnet school on East Main Street in Murfreesboro.
“It’s very painful,” Ash said. “At my interview up there (in Smith County), they asked why I would want to leave. Every job I’ve ever had has been the best job I’ve ever had. I loved teaching at LaVergne High School. I loved being principal at Christiana Middle. And I love being here. As long as you’re around kids, it’s a great job.”
Ash added: “But it’s time to do something more. Smith County was very good to me. It played a large role in developing me, and I feel like I need to give back before I retire. So it is time. But leaving here is killing me. I’ve been here a lot of hours in the last 17 years.”
After graduating from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Ash went on to teach at Smith County High School, Brentwood High School, and LaVergne High School, where he taught advanced courses in chemistry and physics. He was also a coach for football, baseball, track and basketball before moving into administration as an assistant principal at LaVergne High School. He then was named the first principal of Christiana Middle School by former Rutherford County Schools Superintendent, Hulon Watson.
Ash remembers the funny timing that occurred when he was first named Christiana principal, along with other new principals Ken Nolan and Richard Zago.
“Yeah, Mr. Watson introduced me, Zago, and Ken Nolan (at the School Board meeting). Zago got Smyrna Elementary and then Ken Nolan got Siegel High at the Board. Then the next morning, Mr. Watson decided he couldn’t do this anymore and announced his retirement,” Ash said, adding jokingly, “I don’t know that it was correlated, but I think the transfer paperwork was signed already.”
After six years leading Christiana Middle with distinction, Ash was tapped to develop an academic magnet program for grades 6-12 at Central Magnet School. The school had originally served as a high school serving many in Murfreesboro before the opening of Oakland and Riverdale high schools in 1972. It then became Central Middle School before the School Board voted to revitalize the school as a magnet school.
Ash spent a year hiring his faculty and staff and fleshing out the school’s programs. It officially opened as the magnet school in 2010.
“We tried to make a school where being smart was the goal — where it wasn’t looked down on,” Ash said.
The school’s performance has earned a litany of awards over the years, including being named multiple times as the best high school in Tennessee by U.S. News and World Report, which last spring named Central the third best high school in the nation.
Ash’s pride in the school is obvious, and he can name multiple student accolades without hesitation.
“Last year, our homecoming king and queen both had 36 ACT scores, and both went to Princeton University. We had 19 36’s this year and more National Merit scholars than anybody else in the state,” Ash listed proudly. “But the bigger thing is our kids feel comfortable here. They’re respected for their achievements, whether it’s academics or basketball. We want everybody to feel like this is their home. They don’t even have locks on their lockers. They don’t need them. Our kids take care of each other.”
Ash will begin his new duties in Smith County in June. Dr. Clark Blair, the current principal of nearby McFadden School of Excellence, has been named Central’s new principal.
And while it will be difficult and different not being the school’s principal, Ash said he doesn’t want to get in the way of Dr. Blair and his team.
“If (Blair) has a question or invites me to something, I’ll be thrilled to help. But I won’t be one of those people second-guessing,” Ash said. “I want Central to be more successful than it is now. We try to get better every year. I tell people when 100% of my kids get into their first-choice colleges and it’s all paid for, then I can relax a little bit. Until then, we can always be better.”
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