Four Knox County school board seats are up for election this year, and just one has an incumbent running. That means there will be at least three new board members — a third of the board — in September. 

Districts 2, 3, 5 and 8 are on the ballot this year, with two primary races.

They will take office at a time when public schools are in the political spotlight and the cultural crosshairs, and they will join a board that has grown somewhat more contentious since turning partisan in 2022.

Five of the 10 candidates running for the seats were able to make it to a forum Monday night sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County (and a host of partner organizations). A crowd of about 50 people filled the community room of Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church on Dandridge Avenue in East Knoxville.

Questions from the crowd hit on several of the major issues facing the school system and public education more broadly: whether the county needs a tax increase to bolster school funding, the possible impact of Gov. Bill Lee’s statewide voucher plan, diversity and discipline in the classroom, and school safety.

The seats that are up are in District 2 (North Knoxville), District 3 (Northwest Knoxville), District 5 (Farragut/Concord), and District 8 (East Knox County). Candidates from all districts except 8 were present Tuesday night.

In attendance were: District 2 candidates Jennifer Owen (the incumbent, running as an independent) and Anne Templeton (Democrat); District 3 candidates Robert Daspit (Republican) and Patricia Fontenot-Ridley (D); and District 5 candidate Terrye Whitaker (D).

Not able to attend for various reasons were the other five candidates: Pat Polis (District 2, independent), Angie Goethert (3, R), Lauren Morgan (5, R), Tommy Lakins (8, R) and Travis Wright (8, R). (Editor’s note: Compass’ Jesse Fox Mayshark served as moderator for the forum.)

Only Districts 3 and 8 have contested primaries in the March 5 election, with two Republicans vying for each seat. Early voting starts Feb. 14. You can find full election information here.

For school system knowledge, the five candidates present had varied backgrounds. Three — Owen, Fontenot-Ridley and Daspit — have current or prior classroom experience. Templeton is the mother of a current Knox County student, and Whitaker’s daughter graduated from Farragut High School.

We will have full coverage of the individual races as this year’s elections progress. Here are a few thoughts from each candidate at Tuesday’s forum on some of the major issues.

Taxes and Funding

Question: Adjusted for inflation, Knox County contributes less money per student than it did in 2008. Would you be willing to support a tax increase to fund our schools?

Owen: Yes, I would support a tax increase if it were for schools. I know in the past, we have had tax increases that were supposed to go to schools that didn’t necessarily end up going there.

Daspit: No, I will not vote for a tax increase, nor do I think we need one. We have $660 million allocated to the schools. That’s plenty of money to do everything we need to do with our schools. We need to change some of the ways that we're doing business.

Fontenot-Ridley: I believe that in order to have quality schools, quality government, we have to pay fair shares in taxes. There's no way around it. $660 million is a big budget. More than 80 percent of it goes to people: teachers, staff, support staff, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, everybody.

Whitaker: Nobody likes to have an increase in taxes. But when you're looking at what you can or cannot do for your schools, then we have to say this is something that is appropriate. But it should be a tax that goes directly to the schools.

Templeton: Regarding a tax increase, nobody wants that. Nobody wants more money taken out of their paycheck, unless it is for a specific reason. And our schools are a really good reason.  Protecting our public schools and making sure that we're not just filling a stopgap, we’re actually doing something with that money.

Vouchers and Charter Schools

Question: Do you think charter schools or the voucher program will help or harm Knox County Schools?

Daspit: I believe charter schools and the voucher system is good, and I support it. However, there needs to be an implementation plan. It hasn’t even gone into committee yet in Nashville, so it’s going to take a while for it to come to fruition. But we need to have a plan once we bring it here. 

Fontenot-Ridley: We need to protect our public schools and the money that goes into them. They still have to turn the lights on, they still have to run the heating and air. And if the money is taken away from public schools to give it to vouchers, there’s not as much money to go around. 

Whitaker: I am not in favor, really, on vouchers or charter schools. Although charter schools I think are a little harder, because if they are actually going to meet a need that the public school cannot provide, then it needs to be looked at on a case by case basis. But I think if it's going to take public money, they need to be held accountable, just like public schools.

Templeton: A voucher system is taking money out of public schools and putting it into private institutions that are not held to the same standards as public schools. There isn't any kind of guidelines for them to take that money.

Owen: The folks who are proponents of the current voucher plan keep claiming that it's not coming from TISA (the state’s new public education funding formula). ‘The money's not going to hurt public schools, because it's not coming out of TISA.’ TISA is not funding — TISA is a funding formula. So when they tell you that it's not coming from our public schools, that's garbage. Because our legislators choose how much money to put into the funding formula. So every dollar they have that they are choosing to put somewhere else is a dollar they could have put into the funding formula.

School Discipline

Question: Are you familiar with whole school restorative practices? How would you support whole school restorative practices?

(Editor’s note: Knox County Schools has adopted restorative practices, which involve positive reinforcement and helping students take responsibility for their actions rather than punitive disciplinary approaches.)

Fontenot-Ridley: I have been trained in restorative practices. Our school and all of Knox County Schools are implementing the PBIS program, which is a behavior preventative kind of program that celebrates the good acts that the children do. When the children have struggles, either at home or at school, or anywhere, they come to school. They come to school every day, because they feel like it's a safe place to be.

Whitaker: I’m probably not as familiar with this as some of the others are. But yes, from what I understand, restorative practices are giving the kids what they need to be able to function appropriately within the school system.

Templeton: I’m absolutely in favor of restorative practices. It's important for every student to feel seen. And the only way that they can learn is an environment that is both equitable and safe for them. … There is so much research talking about how positive reinforcement helps students learn.

Owen: I think a lot of times we think about it as, ‘not punishment.’ What we forget is that what it's really about is students learning how their behaviors impact themselves, but also impact other people. So that they can have reasons to avoid those behaviors, reasons besides being punished, so that they understand that ‘What I'm doing has harmed someone else.’

Daspit: I propose eliminating the RLC (Restorative Learning Center) programs. I've been around it for a while, I've been involved with it for a while. The ISS (in-school suspension) program, which we all were familiar with, is what we need to go back to. There’s too many feel good stuff, not enough marching on the lines in the high schools and middle schools. I know all about this. You cannot do this with these kids.

Immigrant Students

Question: How will you help and support immigrant children in Knox County Schools?

Whitaker: Well, we want to make sure that we have English as a second language, that teaches immigrants to make sure that they understand English. We have that, but do we have it for all the immigrants that are here? You also want to make sure that they are included in everything that's going on, because that's how they're going to learn about what's happening in the community.

Templeton: I grew up in Miami, Florida. I moved here for school, moved away, and then came back. And I can speak firsthand to the importance of understanding other cultures, as we grow and as we interact with people that don't look like us, or don't speak the same language, or don't come from the same socioeconomic background. So much can be done with everyone sitting around the table. So first and foremost, I would speak to that community, make sure that community feels heard.

Owen: We have over 100 languages spoken in Knox County Schools. Being able to meet the needs of all of those students is a huge challenge. And we have this really fabulous place, it’s called the Knox County Schools Welcome Center. Our students who are coming into Knox County Schools for the first time can begin there, so that they have someone who can help them with whatever forms they need to fill out, making sure they have documentation that they need to start school, so that they can have support to go into their school for the first time.

Daspit: The ELL (English-language learner) programs in all the schools are there for a reason.  And they've done a really good job. But again, one of the problems is they don't have enough teachers. It's a change that needs to occur right now in Knox County Schools, we need to hire more teachers.

Fontenot-Ridley: The beauty of a public school is that we take all of the children. If they’re on our doorstep, we take them in. Sometimes it’s their second day in the country, and they walk through our door, and they are terrified. Because they don't know the language, they don’t know the people, people look different than they do. So they are scared. Our ELL teachers do a fantastic job.