Incumbent School Board Members Defeated in Rutherford and Knox Counties

In the span of 24 hours, the makeup of several school boards across the state has changed.¶

Cities and counties across the state held their primary elections for local races on Tuesday, and a handful of new candidates beat out incumbent members of their school boards, with some primary races serving as de facto general elections in certain areas.¶

Rutherford County Schools¶

One of the biggest shakeups occurred in Rutherford County, where Republican incumbents, Tammy Sharp and Frances Rosales, lost their bids for re-election.¶

Chuck Isbell defeated Sharp with more than half the vote and took to Facebook to dedicate his win to his late son, Nate Isbell, who died in 2020 after being hit by a speeding, distracted driver.¶

“Losing you five and a half years ago changed my life forever. Without you here, our world became a much darker place. The pain of losing you set me on the path that led to tonight, and not a single day has passed without thinking of you. I never imagined that losing you would lead me here, standing in this moment of victory, wishing more than anything that you could be by my side to celebrate it with me,” wrote Isbell. “Tonight is for you, Nate.”¶

Julia Wishing defeated Rosales with just over 60 percent of the vote.¶

In the Rutherford County Democratic primary, each candidate ran unopposed.¶

Rutherford County School Board Republican Primary¶

Zone 1¶

1. Chuck Isbell, 56.2 percent
2. Tammy Sharp (Incumbent), 42.78 percent

Zone 4¶

1. Katie Darby (Incumbent), 55.34 percent
2. Clarissa Smith, 42.96 percent

Zone 7¶

1. Julia Wishing, 60.44 percent
2. Frances Rosales (Incumbent), 39.26 percent

Rutherford County School Board Democratic Primary¶

Zone 1¶

1. Jeanice McCord, 518 votes

Zone 4¶

1. Brian Hall, 693 votes

Zone 7¶

1. Jonathan Yancey, 725 votes

¶

Knox County Schools¶

Voters in Knox County also elected to shake up their board of education, ousting current District 2 Board Member Kristi Kristy in the Republican Primary and District 1 Board Member Rev. Dr. John Butler in the Democratic Primary.¶

Kristy narrowly lost to challenger Bill Sofield by 1.64 percent of the vote. She took to Facebook to thank her supporters and bow out of the race.¶

“South Knoxville… THANK YOU for allowing me to serve as your school board member,” Kristi wrote. “It has truly been the honor of a lifetime. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and supporters who rallied beside me every step of the way. I am incredibly proud of our campaign — we kept it clean, led with kindness, and treated people with respect.”¶

She went on to express her best wishes to the community and her opponent, Bill Sofield, who works as a computer applications analyst for a healthcare company.¶

Knox County Board of Education Republican Primary¶

District 1¶

1. Charles Frazier, 779 votes

District 4¶

1. Ashley Sartelle, 5.024 votes

District 6¶

1. Lee Ann Eaves, 56.3 percent
2. Kevin Crateau, 39.94 percent
3. Thierry Sommer, 3.76 percent

District 7¶

1. Steve Triplett (Incumbent), 5,075 votes

District 9¶

1. Bill Sofield, 50.82 percent
2. Kristi Kristy (Incumbent), 49.18 percent

Knox County Board of Education Democratic Primary¶

District 1¶

1. Breyauna Holloway, 48.53 percent
2. Rev. Dr. John Butler (Incumbent), 34.18 percent
3. O’Tavais “OT” Harris, 17.28 percent

District 4¶

1. Katherine Bike (Incumbent), 1,500 votes

District 6¶

1. Cadence Collins, 947 votes

District 7¶

1. Amy Fenner, 672 votes

District 9¶

1. Brandy Jenkins, 1,011 votes

¶

Memphis-Shelby County Schools¶

In Memphis, incumbents Michelle McKissack and Joyce Dorse-Coleman both won their primary races, but Dorse-Coleman narrowly scraped out a victory by just half a percent over challenger Tamara Jordan.¶

Dorse-Coleman took to social media to thank her supporters, families, and educators.¶

“Your trust, prayers, encouragement, and support mean more than words can express. This victory belongs to all of us who believe in strengthening our schools, empowering our students, supporting our teachers, and building a brighter future for every child in District 9,” wrote Dorse-Coleman.¶

MSCS Democratic Primary:¶

District 1¶

1. Michelle McKissack (Incumbent), 65.4 percent
2. Dolores Missy Rivers, 17.9 percent
3. Hailey Marie Thomas, 16.3 percent

District 6¶

1. T.L. Harris, 29 percent
2. Marinda A-Williams, 27.9 percent
3. Juliette Eskridge, 24.6 percent
4. Stacey Kelly, 11.7 percent
5. Contessa Humphrey, 6.3 percent

District 8¶

1. Tanya Frey, 60.9 percent
2. Ayleem Connolly, 38.5 percent

District 9¶

1. Joyce Dorse Coleman (Incumbent), 32.3 percent
2. Tamara Jordan, 31.8 percent
3. Jonathan Carroll, 21.1 percent
4. Louis M. Morganfield III, 6.7 percent
5. Damon Curry Morris, 7.5 percent

¶

Metro Nashville Public Schools¶

In Nashville, District 2 incumbent Rachael Anne Elrod and District 8 incumbent Erin O’Hara Block both ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. In the other two district races, the incumbents again prevailed, with Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney returning to represent District 4 and Cheryl D. Mayes returning for District 6.¶

Both incumbents made statements on Facebook to celebrate their re-election. Nabaa-McKinney thanked her campaign team, her family, and educators at Metro Nashville Public Schools for their support and the work they do each day.¶

“We did this!!” Nabaa-McKinney wrote in a Facebook post. “To my campaign team, volunteers, supporters, and everyone who gave their time, energy, prayers, donations, and encouragement throughout this journey, thank you. This victory belongs to all of us, and I am incredibly grateful for the people who stood beside me every step of the way because they believe in our students, schools, and community.”¶

Mayes posted a video on Facebook to thank supporters.¶

“Good morning, Team Mayes and District 6,” Mayes said in the video. “I am so excited about last night's victory, and I just wanted to say to you, thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for believing in me, and I will not let you down. I am so excited. It is my honor, my absolute honor, to serve as your District 6 school board representative for another term.”¶

MSCS Democratic Primary¶

District 4¶

1. Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney (Incumbent), 65.3 percent
2. Jennifer Bell, 34.6 percent

District 6¶

1. Cheryl D. Mayes (Incumbent), 55.9 percent
2. Fran Bush, 32.3 percent
3. Mary Bernice Polk, 11.7 percent

¶

Hamilton County Schools¶

In Chattanooga, voters decided to keep the status quo in the Hamilton County Board of Education, moving forward with both incumbents who ran during this cycle. Gary handily won his race in the District 9 Republican Primary, and Ben Connor ran unopposed in the District 6 Democratic Primary.¶

Cindy Fain, who ran unopposed in the District 3 Republican Primary, also took to Facebook to thank her supporters and highlighted what she believes is a concerning lack of voter participation.¶

“While I am humbled by the results, yesterday also highlighted a significant challenge: voter turnout was extremely low,” Fain said. “Decisions that impact our children’s classrooms and our community’s future are made by those who show up. Between now and the general election, my goal is to bridge that gap and ensure every neighbor feels heard and empowered to participate.”¶

Hamilton County Board of Education Republican Primary¶

District 3¶

1. Ashley R. Dillon, 978 votes

District 5¶

(No Candidate Qualified)¶

District 6¶

1. Cindy Fain, 458 votes

District 8¶

1. Sabrina Daniel, 56.8 percent
2. Sterling DuPre, 43.2 percent

District 9¶

1. Gary Kuehn (Incumbent), 54.9 percent
2. James B. Walker, 45.1 percent

Hamilton County Board of Education Democratic Primary¶

District 3¶

1. Ruth Walker, 638 votes

District 5¶

1. Thessela White, 55.9 percent
2. Micah Chapman, 44.1 percent

District 6¶

1. Ben Connor (Incumbent), 1,045 votes

District 8¶

1. Katie Perkins, 57.5 percent
2. Betty J. Duggan, 42.5 percent

District 9¶

1. Jordan Hammond, 611 votes