Five newcomers are taking over the Metro School Board following yesterday’s election. The fresh faces will make up a majority of the nine-member board, and the turnover comes as good news to some local groups.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce political action committee has called for change up in the school board’s personnel. PAC chairman Phil Trella says the board lacked the ability to collaborate.
“Their responsibility is to provide oversight, not dissention. And in so far as they endeavor to be divisive, to make it difficult for the professional educators to operate, yeah, they ought to be held accountable.”
After a controversial appointment process in the Metro Council earlier this year, interim District Five board member Kay Brooks was unseated by veteran Metro principal Gracie Porter.
The East Nashville-district faces some of the biggest challenges throughout the city with two of the lowest performing high schools and graduation rates at less than half. Porter says she wants to be accountable for the schools’ progress.
“If you don’t think big, you will never get to the dream that you would like to see happen, and I think vision will get us there. It may not be as fast as people would like to see, but I think the small steps will eventually get us to where we need to be.”
In School District Eight which includes the Green Hills area, investment businessman David Fox defeated incumbent Kathleen Harkey. Former assistant principal Jo Ann Brannon beat out ex-councilman Michael Kerstetter for the District Two spot.
PTO president Karen Johnson unseated incumbent Mebenin Awipi for the Antioch-area seat. In an uncontested race, Steve Glover will take over School District four. Kathy Nevill and George Blue did not seek re-election.
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