Views on partisan School Board Elections

 My decision as a life-long Republican to run as an Independent in the upcoming August 1, 2024 General election is based on my beliefs about partisan politics.

• Boards of Education are charged with governing the school district so that all students receive the best educational opportunities in order to graduate prepared to enter a postsecondary institution or the workforce.

• Teachers and administrators are expected to be non-partisan in the classroom, and no less should be expected of our School Board members.

• Prior to November 2021, all elections for school board members were required to be conducted on a nonpartisan basis, and no person seeking a position on a board could campaign as the nominee or representative of any political party.

• Tennessee Code Annotated 49-2-201, as revised in 2021, now allows school board elections to be conducted on a partisan or non-partisan basis.

• The new legislation allows county parties to declare whether a race will become partisan.

• This decision in Sullivan County was made by the political parties, not the citizens.

• Most School Board business such as setting the budget, adopting policy, hiring a Director of Schools, and most remaining duties of the School Board are independent of partisanship.

• School Board members, in order to faithfully carry out their duties, should be free from the influence of political parties and enabled to act as they believe is best for the students, staff, and families of the schools they represent.

• Tennessee voters often decide which primary to participate in based on campaign developments.

• The partisan balance in Tennessee means many local elections are decided in the primary, with the large cities leaning heavily Democratic and most other areas leaning heavily Republican.

• It is my belief that the General Election allows all registered voters to participate in the process. My name will appear on the August 1, 2024 ballot but did not appear on the Primary ballot on March 5, 2024.