Retired teacher Chism re-elected to Collierville school board alongside newcomer Blair

Laura Testino, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

A crowded Collierville school board race went to newcomer Keri Blair, who ran a conservative campaign supporting parent choice and with criticism of perceived "social agendas" in public education.

Collierville also re-elected retired teacher Wanda Chism to the five-person school board.

School board races in Shelby County remain non-partisan.

Heath Hudspeth, who received support from predecessor Frank Warren, placed second to Blair in the four-person race.

For the most part, Blair self-financed her campaign but also received contributions from community members including Patricia Woodard, treasurer for the Shelby County chapter of Moms for Liberty. The national conservative political group has grown in recent years and successfully supported school board candidates in recent elections.

Board Position 2

Chism, current vice chair of the Collierville board, retained her Position 2 seat, receiving 64% of the vote.

Candidates and vote percentages are below, with the board member-elect in bold. The tallies reflect early voting totals and 12 of 12 precincts on Election Day:

  • Wanda Chism, incumbent and current vice chair of the Collierville school board: 64%, 10,286 votes

  • Alissa Fowler, a local real estate agent: 35%, 5,613 votes

Board position 4

Blair won the Position 4 seat, receiving 44% of the vote. She will replace board member Warren, who was elected in 2018 and did not run for re-election.

School board races in Collierville do not head to a runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.

Candidates and vote percentages are below, with the board member-elect in bold. The tallies reflect early voting totals and 12 of 12 precincts on Election Day:

  • Keri Blair, who ran a conservative campaign supporting parent choice and with criticism of perceived "social agendas" in public education: 44%, 7,266 votes

  • Chelsea Glass, a community activist who campaigned on inclusivity and stances against legislation limiting school reading materials and restricting transgender students: 13%, 2,176 votes

  • Heath Hudspeth, a Collierville parent who campaigned on adjusting a new third grade retention law and finding solutions to at-capacity school buildings: 32%, 5,251 votes

  • Jeremy Smith, who campaigned on his community experience as a Collierville High graduate and career educator of 25 years: 11%, 1,851 votes

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Collierville school board: Chism, Blair win election