Two Rutherford school board candidates vie for Zone 6 open seat
Editors note: This story is the first in a series on Rutherford County Board of Education candidates.
Rutherford County Board of Education candidates Butch Vaughn and Chase Williams seek to replace retiring chairwoman Shelia Bratton's seat in Zone 6.
Vaughn was the first of the two to qualify as a candidate for the school board seat with the Rutherford County Election Commission. A retired district principal, Vaughn has support from Bratton.
Williams trains Tennessee Walking Horses, plays organ for horse shows and provides volunteer campaign work for local candidates. He's known as a school parents advocate, including giving parents choices on whether children should wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams has support from board member Tammy Sharp, the previous chairman (Sharp prefers chairman over chairwoman).
Both candidates are competing as Republicans in the March 5 primary for presidential and local office candidates. The winner will advance unopposed to the Aug. 1 election for a four-year term to represent Zone 6. The zone represents Murfreesboro neighborhoods on the west, southwest, central and northern sides of the city. The zone consists of Rutherford County Commission Districts 13, 15 and 16.
The elected candidate will join a seven-member board that oversees Schools Director Jimmy "James" Sullivan. The director manages more than 6,000 employees and contracted bus drivers and substitute teachers. The large workforce provides services for a fast-growing district with nearly 52,000 pre-K through 12th grade students.
Board members also consider director recommended positions before adopting district polices, procedures, school zoning, budget requests for the County Commission and contracts, including school building projects.
Three other school board seats are up for election, including a Zone 5 seat held by unopposed Republican incumbent Claire Maxwell, the board vice chairwoman.
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Vaughn: 'I really want to help the kids all I can'
Vaughn grew up in Rutherford County and graduated in 1963 from Central High School in downtown Murfreesboro. He then attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on a football scholarship. He also earned a bachelor's degree in education from MTSU, and added a master's degree in education administration and an education specialist's degree from the university.
Vaughn after graduating from MTSU returned to Central High where he taught math and physical education, and served as the assistant football coach, including for the 1970 state championship team. V
After Central High converted to Central Middle in 1972, Vaughn became a local banker for about five years before returning to education to become teacher, football coach, assistant principal and principal at Central Middle.
Vaughn's campaign has support from Bratton, the retiring school board chairwoman.
"I’ve known Butch Vaughn since I was 16," said Bratton, who was a Central High School sophomore assigned to Vaughn's homeroom class. "He has a great deal of expertise in education and leadership. He cares deeply for Rutherford County Schools."
Vaughn's career also included serving as the principal at Blackman Middle and Oakland High.
"I really want to help the kids all I can," Vaughn said.
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The founding principal at Blackman Middle in 2002, Vaughn won statewide principal of the year recognition. His Blackman Middle efforts included the establishment of a "summer transition academy" with grant funds to help students behind on being prepared for high school.
The academy included instructional technology to improve literacy and other skills, classroom instruction from experienced teachers with effective and creative skills, and educational field trips.
"It really helped the kids," Vaughn said. "It was really effective. It just gave them six more weeks to prepare for high school."
Vaughn next became principal at Oakland High around 2006 with a goal of rebuilding the school's reputation after the campus lost students and faculty in 2003 to the then new Siegel High.
While at Oakland High, Vaughn started International Baccalaureate instruction for high achievers and emphasized additional career and technical education before he accepted a job as the head master for Providence Christian Academy in Murfreesboro.
Vaughn finished his career in education as an adjunct professor at MTSU. His university job included overseeing student teaching to train education majors.
One of Vaughn's goals is for the district to provide more training for new teachers with a common sense approach to teaching.
"It would help new teachers to no end," Vaughn said, adding that he's concerned about teachers leaving the profession. "We've got to retain these teachers."
Vaughn said the school board hired a great director in Sullivan.
"I'd really like to work with him and help in moving our system forward," Vaughn said. "I think we've got the best school system in the state of Tennessee. We've got great teachers."
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Williams: 'Let parents decide what’s best for their kids'
Williams has lived in Murfreesboro since 2019 after growing up in Lebanon in neighboring Wilson County.
Although expecting campaign criticism for being a single man without children, Williams said he's a taxpayer with a nephew and two nieces attending either Rutherford County Schools or Murfreesboro City Schools, and cares about helping all children succeed.
"I am helping to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow in the greatest country on earth," Williams said. "The old adage that only people with children should contribute to education is not only categorically wrong but dangerous. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that our children are educated for the world of tomorrow, for they are our future."
Williams said he is a conservative Republican but views serving on the school board as not being about politics.
"It's about our children and doing the right thing to ensure that their minds blossom," Williams said.
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One of his top goals for Williams is to see more parents involved in the schools. He wants the board to bring back quarterly roundtable discussions each year with parents.
"Let parents decide what’s best for their kids," said Williams, adding that parents have asked him to campaign for the school board. "It is essential there is a working relationship between the parents and the teachers."
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Another goal for Williams is to advocate for instruction to be more than preparing children for standardized tests that only provide a limited snapshot of academic progress.
"The problem in education today is we are teaching to a test," Williams said.
Many children with learning disabilities or English as a Second Language students from immigrant families are gaining knowledge and skills despite low test scores, he said.
"Standardized testing doesn’t reflect that," Williams said.
Williams noted that he has dyslexia and wants to see improvement in special education services for children with disabilities.
"When I win this election, they are forgotten no more," Williams said.
Williams wants less focus on standardized testing and more on classroom observations by established district and state educators with a goal of improving instruction.
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Williams said he earned a Wilson County Adult High School diploma in 2013. He previously had quit high school as a frustrated senior when he was 18 rather than graduate with his class in 2004 and went to work training horses in Mt. Juliet to help his family income while his father was between jobs.
"I couldn’t get the help I needed," said Williams, adding that he did get the help he needed a decade later when he returned to complete his high school education and earn a diploma.
Williams said he's impressed by the resourcefulness of Sullivan, the county schools director.
"I look forward to working with him," Williams said.
Although voters have a choice of two strong candidates, Sharp said she's endorsing Williams.
"I think he’s going to bring a fresh set of eyes to our system," Sharp said. "I think he’s much like people in our community. The board is supposed to be an elective representative of our community."
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Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow his tweets on the X social media platform @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.
Who's qualified for 2024 elections
Rutherford County Property Assessor: Rob Mitchell, a Republican incumbent; Virgil Gammon, Republican
Rutherford County Highway Superintendent: Greg Brooks, a Republican incumbent;
Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 2: Stan Vaught, Republican; Nicholas Rourke, Republican; Robert Brooks, independent; John Duncan, independent
Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 3: Caleb Tidwell, incumbent Republican; Timothy Holden, Republican; Tiffany Fee, Democrat; Lorri Johnson, independent
Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 5: Claire Maxwell, Republican incumbent;
Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 6: William "Butch" Vaughn, Republican; Chase Williams, Republican
Murfreesboro City School Board (elected at large for four seats), with all who qualified running as independent candidates: George "Butch" Campbell, incumbent; Jimmy Richardson III, incumbent; David Settles, incumbent; Jeanette West-Price
Source: Rutherford County Election Commission staff
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Two Rutherford school board candidates vie for Zone 6 open seat
