Mrs. Melinda Hutcherson has been selected to serve as the Director of Special Education for Lauderdale County Schools. Mrs. Hutcherson is a graduate of Halls High School and is a life-long resident of Lauderdale County. She currently serves as Assistant Principal at Halls High School and has served in an administrative role in both Lauderdale County and a neighboring district for three years. Mrs. Hutcherson brings twelve years of special education experience spanning a variety of different grade levels from PreK-5th Grade and also 9th-12th Grade.
Mrs. Hutcherson is a graduate of the University of Memphis with an Educational Specialist Degree in School Administration and Leadership. She received her Masters in Special Education from Grand Canyon University in November of 2011 and a Bachelors Degree in Organizational Management and Development from Bethel University. Prior to entering into the field of education, she served for 25 years in a successful recycling business that allowed her to grow her knowledge of business-related skills such as payroll, accounts payable and receivable, budgeting, and other daily operations.
Upon entering into education, Mrs. Hutcherson began her career in a self-contained classroom as an Educational Assistant and later transitioned to the Special Education Teacher of that class. She also served as a Lead Special Education Teacher before she became a school administrator. During her time as a teacher, she was named Teacher of the Year for Dyersburg Primary School in 2019 and was also the Northwest Core Teacher of the Year for PreK - 5th Grades. Throughout her service in Lauderdale County, Mrs. Hutcherson has displayed strong leadership skills, character, and an unwavering desire to do what is best for our students. These qualities, along with the experience that she has in special education, will allow her to effectively carry out the responsibilities of Director of Special Education for our school district.