VITAL POLICY – STATE LAWMAKERS CONSIDER PARTISAN SCHOOL BOARD RACES IN SPECIAL SESSION

Bills Supported by the Jefferson County, Tennessee GOP

Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) has introduced proposed legislation that will allow candidates for school board to run for office and be nominated by a political party on or after July 1, 2022.

Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) is the sponsor of a companion Senate Bill (9003). In light of Covid-19 issues and controversial decisions made by school officials in Tennessee, the legislature has a renewed interest in how the voting public selects school board members.

The proposed legislation reads, in part, as follows:

Elections for school board members may be conducted on a partisan basis, and a person seeking a position on a board may campaign as the nominee or representative of a political party.”

According to the house sponsor, an expected amendment to the bill could make the effective date occur as soon as the governor signs the bill and would clarify the process for holding upcoming primary elections.

The Jefferson County Republican Party supports the legislation via a resolution made on October 26, 2021.

Source: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, as well as a recognized artist and local businessman. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.