(a) The state board of education is authorized to employ an executive director and other personnel it determines are necessary to provide it with staff support. The staff shall provide the necessary services to the board for the board to perform its duties. The executive director shall be hired by the board. Other staff personnel shall be hired by the executive director with the approval of the board. The position of executive director cannot be filled by an employee or official of any other department, agency or board, but must be responsible solely to the state board. The staff will be independent of all agencies or departments of state government and shall be subject only to the state board. For administrative purposes, however, the executive director and staff shall be administratively housed in the department of education. The executive director and staff shall have no responsibility for administering policies, rules or regulations, or the education laws of the state.

(b) The staff shall be subject to personnel regulations and policies that are applicable to state employees in general, such as leave, compensation, classification, travel regulations, etc. The sole authority to appoint, terminate and control staff employees shall remain with the board and the executive director as set out in this section, and the employees of the board shall not have state service status.

(c) The compensation of the executive director shall be fixed by the state board and the compensation shall not be less than the compensation provided for an assistant commissioner in the department of education. The compensation of other employees of the board shall be set by the executive director with the approval of the state board.

(d) The executive director shall be an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Tennessee higher education commission.