On the campaign trail: Candidates weigh in on who should control the school board

Cassandra Stephenson, Nashville Tennessean
·9 min read
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Early voting for Nashville's next mayor starts in three weeks, and seasoned voters know what that means: brace for a flood of campaign ads.

Several candidates added to their endorsement rosters, published new campaign videos — some serious, some tongue-in-cheek — and began publicizing freshly minted policy books.

Conservative-leaning candidate Alice Rolli carved herself out from the rest of the pack with her views on mayoral authority over the school board, and candidates distanced themselves from a deal to renovate Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

The Nashville Fraternal Order of Police endorsed economic development and housing executive Matt Wiltshire Monday night.

Here's what to know.

Who should control Metro Nashville schools

Should the Metro Nashville Public Schools board continue to be elected by the public, or should the seats become roles appointed by the Metro Nashville mayor?

While most candidates sided with the positions remaining in control of the electorate, business strategist Alice Rolli, one of the few conservative candidates in the race, separated herself from her competitors during a Thursday forum hosted by The Tennessean and NewsChannel 5.

Rolli said if the school board does not approve charter renewals for "high-performing charter schools" that are up for reconsideration in two years, she would bring the board under the mayor's control.

"In the next two years, we will see if this school board is being accountable to parents," she said.

While the mayor's office and Metro Council control how much of Metro's budget is dedicated to Metro Nashville Public Schools, the school board ultimately decides how each dollar is spent. This year, the district received $1.2 billion of Metro's $3.2 billion budget.

The school board authority debate roiled local politics last year when the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce pushed for state legislation allowing county mayors to take over school boards with too many underperforming schools. The proposal, which ultimately fizzled, would have required mayors to appoint school board members if a district had at least 10 schools on the state's annual priority school list for three consecutive years. Nashville's mostly progressive Metro Council formally rebuked the chamber's effort, calling it an attempt to "subvert democracy."

At-large Metro Council member Sharon Hurt said she would continue the elected school board model "because I think it's very important for (voters) to have some engagement in what happens in the school system," but she would increase school oversight and accountability measures.

State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said school board members should be elected by voters. "I believe the mayor must be the leader on education in the city and (be) accountable for the outcomes and results," he said, including ensuring schools are appropriately resourced, assisting in recruitment and establishing accountability mechanisms.

State Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, said she's against scrapping the school board and would hire community school coordinators to boost resources at schools in need to address underfunding and inequity in Nashville schools.

"Let's not conflate fiscal stability with fiscal responsibility," she said.

Former business executive Jim Gingrich acknowledged dissatisfaction with Nashville's current school outcomes."I actually reject the notion that the mayor cannot operate within the current system and have a significant impact on how our school system is performing," he said. He would work with the superintendent to shape a five-year plan for schools, fund the plan, and hold himself, the superintendent and school board accountable for implementation.

Davidson County Property Assessor Vivian Wilhoite said she does not support an appointed school board — "people know best in reference to who they want to represent their district." But she rejects the idea that funding the school board is all the mayor can do. She wants accountability for addressing inequities in the school system and said Metro should be able to play a role.

Downtown Council member Freddie O'Connell said it's the state legislature that's attacking education in Nashville through state charter school approval, school vouchers and underfunding. He said Nashville mayors do have impact on education policy, and he would focus on expanding after-care access in Metro schools and instituting later high school start times.

Former economic development and housing executive Matt Wiltshire said the school board should continue to be elected so parents "have a voice in who are representing them and how the education system works." Wiltshire said he would be accountable. "If you can't work with the school board to convince them and the administration of MNPS that you have great ideas, either they aren't great ideas or you're not a very good salesperson."

Quick quotes: Candidates shy away from Speedway deal

A proposed deal would enter the city into a 30-year agreement with Bristol Motor Speedway, which would oversee roughly $100 million in renovations to the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, including construction of a 30,000-seat grandstand, a sound wall and an "enhanced infield." The renovation would be funded by $17 million from the state, $17 million from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. and revenue bonds issued by the Metro Sports Authority to cover the remainder. The deal will be up for Metro Council consideration in July.

A poll commissioned by BMS in early June found most Nashvillians likely aren't familiar with the deal, and without further information on its details, leaned toward supporting the proposal.

Here's what candidates said about the deal during Thursday's debate.

Campbell: "This racetrack proposal is very problematic, and they haven't taken (parking) into consideration … it's something that certainly hasn't been designed to the approval of the people who live near me."

Gingrich: "The speedway … has a lot of issues. The financials aren't strong, the city's going to have to back every dollar of those bonds, (and) it's opposed by people who live in the neighborhood."

Wilhoite: "We are always doing these super entertainment-type deals, so I wonder sometimes do we ever remember that it is the people that live here that need to benefit … whenever we're spending taxpayer dollars, we need to make sure they're at the table."

O'Connell: "What we've seen so far doesn't seem like something that's going to be able to pass in this council, and I look forward to having a future conversation about the fairgrounds, but right now I'm focused on the priority of what Nashvillians need."

Rolli: "The deals that have been worked on for decades by a lot of folks on this stage are creating a nearly unsustainable environment for us to build a thriving city."

Wiltshire: "I do have some concerns about the proposal and putting public dollars into funding and additional investment into a neighborhood. Those are things that need to be explored. It does seem like it's being pushed through pretty quickly in this council."

Hurt: "I am leaning toward no in terms of the racetrack right now, because the racetrack was there and the community was built around it, and I think we've got to do more in focusing on the people."

Yarbro: "I'm a little bit skeptical of the racetrack deal because I think it puts the property taxes that we use on police, on education, at risk."

Plans, TV ads and outreach, oh my!

Gingrich and Wiltshire each released policy plans last week, adding to the growing library of 2023 mayoral campaign literature that already includes O'Connell's "15 Fixes on Day One" and Campbell's "Building a City to Live In" platform.

More video ad campaigns have rolled out over the last two weeks:

  • A Rolli ad focuses on turning around the "recipe book that has failed cities: higher taxes, higher crime, failing schools."

  • Wiltshire released an ad centered on funding education. It features his daughter, Maria, who will soon start kindergarten.

  • Gingrich released an ad introducing his mother, who battled breast cancer during his childhood and what she taught him about determination. On Monday, he launched an ad set to a comedic soundtrack featuring his father's presentation of Gingrich's position against the Speedway deal. The ad concluded with one last comically timed line: "He's not related to Newt Gingrich."

  • O'Connell has posted on social media video testimonies from community members, including local author John Bridges and Keisha Gardner Beard, who worked with O'Connell to create Jefferson Street's Kossie Gardner, Sr. Park, honoring her grandfather's legacy in the Jefferson Street community.

Campbell and Yarbro are expected to release television ads in the coming weeks.

Embracing less-conventional campaign outreach approaches, Hurt danced with crowd members during a Juneteenth event at Fort Negley and O'Connell stepped behind the DJ booth to spin some vinyl at Grimey's in East Nashville.

Upcoming mayoral forums

Thursday, June 29

  • Building Nashville's Equitable and Resilient Future 2023 Mayoral Forum, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Belmont University's Johnson Center, 1909 15th Ave. S. The event is sponsored by Urban Land Institute Nashville in partnership with the Cumberland River Compact and the American Institute of Architects Middle Tennessee. Tickets are available online for $30 each.

  • Nashville Pan-Hellenic Council Mayoral Candidate Forum, 6 p.m. at Olive Branch Baptist Church, 939 Havenhill Drive. The forum is sponsored by the NPHC of Nashville in partnership with the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship, the Nashville chapter of the NAACP and the Music City chapter of The Links. The moderated forum will focus on equity and building a city inclusive of Nashville's African American community. This forum is free and open to the public.

Thursday, July 6

  • The Nashville Mayoral Debates, 6:30 p.m. at American Baptist College, 1800 Baptist World Center Drive. The event is the third in a series of forums hosted by The Tennessean in partnership with NewsChannel5, Belmont University, American Baptist College and the League of Women Voters of Nashville. The debate will be streamed on tennessean.com and broadcast on NewsChannel 5. More information on in-person attendance to come.

Dates to know for 2023 election

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mayoral candidates on who should control Nashville's school board