Questions for Wilson County, Lebanon school board candidates as early voting starts Friday

Three Wilson County School Board seats and one Lebanon Special School District board seat highlight contested races for the Aug. 4 Wilson County general election.

The general election follows the primary in May when a number of other offices were decided with only Republican candidates. Independent candidates are included in the August general election against May's primary winners.

Here's a look at the school board candidates. Answers were edited for length.

Wilson County School Board Zone 2

Beth Meyers (R): Meyers was uncontested in the primary. Meyers moved to Wilson County in 2019 from Louisiana with 31 years experience in education. Meyers also was a private school superintendent and was on its board of directors for two years.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? “Parents have expressed two consistent concerns.  First (parents) are unhappy with the content and ideologies their children are being exposed to at school. Second, they feel the school board and district leaders have failed to adequately respond to their concerns. They stated that they feel board members go through the motion of allowing community input, but that they see citizens and parents more as annoyances. While teachers have expressed similar concerns as parents regarding content, they are particularly frustrated that their work is scripted. They emphasized that they know how to teach but feel that their hands are often tied."

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? “My first priority would be my constituents, in particular, understanding what their vision of education is for their children and community. Wilson County has a solid reputation for good schools. I would like to see the district reach even higher to become the gold standard for educational excellence with a primary focus on knowledge-based education. Unfortunately, too many districts have displaced academics with a psycho-social focus, which the parents I have spoken with made clear they do not like. I would like to see community stakeholder meetings outside of formal school board meetings that would allow more community input, possibly organized by school zones. Ultimately, there has to be an attempt to provide a balance between honoring the work of teachers and respecting the rights of parents.”

Bill Robinson (I), 75: The incumbent is seeking his fourth term. Robinson taught and coached at Watertown High for 32 years and spent five years at the former Lebanon Junior High.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? “I think my people have pretty good trust in me. They have been great to me for 12 years and relied on my judgement. That’s what I want, for people to sleep good at night … and trust me to get the job done.”

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? “Growth would be a question. If something comes up that shouldn’t be done in our system I have great confidence in our leadership (to) correct any shortcomings that come up and keep everything on a solid educational footing. I want to keep the air clear.  A lot of things people say are happening in schools (nation wide), I don’t think they are happening in our schools and I’m proud of that. We’re going to keep concentrating on education and not conspiracy theories.”

Wilson County School Board Zone 3 (uncontested)

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? "To help with my decisions guiding our schools, I will continue to seek input from parents and teachers."  

Wilson County School Board Zone 4

Joseph Padilla (R): Padilla won the Republican primary in a three-candidate race over Preston George and Maurisa Pasick. Padilla spent 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? "After (May's) tragedy in Texas, safety of our children at school has become a top priority in Wilson County. I plan to request an immediate evaluation of all our schools security procedures with local law enforcement. Parental rights is another topic that is frequently brought up."

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? "In order to maximize the effectiveness of the Wilson County School Board, I must be aware of the policies, laws, and regulations that impact the operation of the district. I will also ensure the citizens of Wilson County have the ability to review and make recommendations to implement new policies, laws, and regulations or change them in order for the WCS District to meet the community's expectations."

Dorothy Critchlow, 71 (I): Spent 30 years in education including 20 in Metro Nashville Public Schools until retirement. Critchlow was a community superintendent who supervised schools in the southwest quadrant of Davidson County and all pre-kindergarten, alternative and special education day schools. Critchlow is also a former principal.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? “Many Zone 4 parents and community members are anxious for our schools to regain stability as we move away from the trauma of the tornado destruction of two schools and the challenges of the pandemic issues. They are expressing desires for our school district to refocus on providing wholesome – safe, respectful, inclusive, predictable and engaging – learning environments in neighborhood schools so achievement outcomes can continue to improve." Bus transportation, pending state legislation's potential impact on instruction, possible limitations of a local school board's authority and the overall political landscape are also concerns Critchlow is hearing as she campaigns.

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? “An important component of any decision is to consider the impact on the students. My experiences as a teacher … can inform my contributions to the work (and) decisions of the board. Inclusive relationships with the Zone 4 community, which are built on respect and trust, will inform my representation for them on the board as I participate in determining actions to provide present and future educational services to meet the needs of our students, educators and staff and families.”

Wilson County School Board Zone 6

Kimberly McGee (R – incumbent): Was unopposed in the Republican primary in a bid to be reelected to a second term.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? “The main pivotal concerns are unprecedented growth and the need to build new schools, rebuilding of SCE (Stoner Creek Elementary) and WWMS (West Wilson Middle School, retain (and) attract teachers (and) staff and bus driver shortages.”

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? “I will help guide Wilson County Schools to outcomes that are in the best interest of all students by actively seeking feedback from stakeholders, and encouraging parent/guardian involvement because education is a partnership and essential to student success.”

Dalton Teel (I), 25: A former Carroll-Oakland student and 2015 Lebanon High graduate who teaches third grade math and science at Byars Dowdy Elementary in the Lebanon Special School District.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? “For teachers, pay in Wilson County in comparison to the surrounding district. Also concern with the new pay plan voted on … there are some immediate concerns for teachers. And following the mass shooting in Texas, safety is always a  concern, but the concern around school safety is the No. 1 issue right now. And this is in conjunction with other issues were facing, overcrowding, teacher retention, keeping small class sizes.”

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? “I think that the way I will help guide Wilson County Schools is through relationships and community organizing. Those two things go hand in hand. I’ll be building relationships with PTOs and stakeholders at each of our community schools, seeing what their needs are and advocating for it at the county level  ... I want to be visible.”

Lebanon Special School District board at-large

Belita McMurry-Fite, 58 (D): Unopposed in the Democratic primary. McMurry-Fite is a bishop and pastor at Lebanon’s Heaven View Baptist Church. McMurry-Fite has had her own children and students connected to the church in the Lebanon Special School District.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? "The pivotal concerns that I have heard while campaigning continues to resound loud and clear, and that's the overall success of our children to move them forward in academia to better prepare them for the future challenges ahead. Not only that, but that there would be learning curriculum that will keep their interest and motivation high enough to enjoy attending school, and learning daily with their peers to build relationships with all ethnicities that will go far beyond the walls of the schools to yield productive citizens. A strong education makes a strong economy." 

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? "I will seek to help guide the Lebanon Special School District by being heavily involved with all school board delegates to make sure that a high quality education remains a top priority, and that none will fall behind on their way to a pathway of success. Rolling up my sleeves to help aid each teacher, family, child, and community in our district is what I intend to do.  I also intend to be a voice of change, and to show excellent leadership, and equality as we work together to build the greatest economy that will produce the greatest and smartest children in our district, who will in turn go into the world to make a positive difference in our society to give back that which was given to them so that all of us wins."

Mark Tomlinson (R – incumbent): Defeated Krissa Stephens in the Republican primary. Tomlinson has been on the board since 2006. Has had children in the district, now has grandchildren attending and has a daughter teaching at Sam Houston Elementary.

Leading concerns heard from stakeholders? "The number one concern currently is in regard to expectations for students to perform at the same level they were prior to the lengthy time they were out of the classroom during COVID shutdowns and interruptions in the classroom due to the high volume of absences related to COVID. The number one priority has been adjusting ourselves into a position where we can adequately prepare our students both academically and mentally so that they can be successful in their upcoming grade level."

How will you help guide Wilson County Schools? "The role of the school board is not to guide but rather to trust and support the daily decisions made by our director of schools, administration, teachers and staff ... The school board members are a sounding board for those whom we serve. I will always listen to what they have to say and do my very best to represent them in every decision that is made. Many people believe that it is the responsibility of the school board to oversee the daily operations of the school district. Just like a corporation that has a board of directors, our role is to oversee the allocation of funds as they pertain to the operation of the school system and to be the final checkpoint for any issues that may arise."

Early voting

Dates: July 15-30.

Times: 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday.

Locations:

• Wilson County Election Commission, 230 E. Gay Street, Lebanon

• Mt. Juliet Community Center, 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway

• Gladeville Community Center, 95 McCrary Road

• Watertown Community Center, 8630 Sparta Pike

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Questions for Wilson County, Lebanon school board candidates as early voting nears