Tennessee Voter Guide: Get to know the Williamson County school board candidates

Williamson County voters will soon have a chance to completely revamp their school board.

There are six contested school board races on the ballot in the upcoming general election, scheduled for Aug. 1.

Here is a look at the candidates in those races.

County Board of Education District 1

Tony Bostic — Originally from Ohio, Bostic moved to Franklin in early 2012. For the past 8 years, he has been a loan officer. He loves helping individuals and families fulfill their dreams of home ownership. He also co-owns a networking company called Connect Nashville Business Networking with over 16,000 small business professionals in the Middle Tennessee area.  Some of the polices he supports include empowering parents, teachers and students to achieve long term success and enacting safety protocols and procedures along with armed safety officers at every school. He also believes in merit-based pay increases for effective teachers and ensuring that critical race theory (CRT), diversity, equity and inclusion (DRI), and other “radical ideologies” have no place in school curriculum.

Elmer A. Mobley — Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Mobley has lived in the Williamson County area since his family moved to Franklin in 1980. He has spent the majority of his professional career in digital marking and advertising. In his community of Fairview, he also co-founded a local non-profit, the Loblolly Pine Alliance, to advocate for responsible growth, and he currently serves as co-chair of the Fairview Parks and Landscaping Board for the city of Fairview. Some of the policies he’s supporting include improving teacher retention rates along with pay; creating policies that support innovation and student success; and creating programs that allow students to graduate with a degree of certificate in a trade program.

County Board of Education District 3

Dennis S. Driggers — A retired history professor and veteran from California, Driggers has said he is running to ensure a quality education for students in Williamson County. Driggers taught at the American Military University and later at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He served in numerous capacities throughout his military service while stationed in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Some of his policies include ensuring all schools have an armed law enforcement officer on campus and ensuring that students be proficient in reading, writing and math. He says CRT has no place in schools because it “perverts American history."

Diane Cochran — For over 15 years, Cochran has been a resident of Spring Hill. The Navy veteran is active in her community and regularly helps with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Feed America and Operation Stand Down. She went back to school and in 2022 and obtained a degree in computer information systems and is currently an applications engineer. She is running to ensure that teachers get the resources they need to help their students thrive. She also wants to get additional mental health experts that can aid teachers in resolving conflicts and help families deal with crises. Some of her policies include improving mental health support for teachers and students, diverse selection of reading materials to gain different perspectives and a safe environment that does not include armed teachers.

County Board of Education District 5

Margie Johnson — With over 27 years of experience in education, Johnson says her experiences can shape a better school system for both students and teachers. Her campaign is focused on three points: fiscal accountability, transparency and community engagement. She wants to ensure that taxpayer money is being spent on Williamson County Schools students and families first. Next, she wants to provide regular communication so the public and gain a better understanding on what the school system is doing and the policies they are enacting. Lastly, she wants to ensure that the community is engaged with changes that occur in the school system.

Jennifer Aprea — Before starting her business, Aprea taught elementary school for 12 years. After moving her family from Arrington to Nolensville, she was heavily involved in their classrooms and with various committees at their schools. She works with the Arc Tennessee to advocate for families and students who have disabilities. Some of the things she has accomplished in her first term include the pilot bus route program and an influx in participation for school board meetings. If elected to another term, she wants to continue the work she has done while also ensuring the community's role in finding solutions to various issues.

County Board of Education District 7

Angela Beaton — The seventh-generation Tennessean says she has a passion for volunteering in her community. As a corporate communications specialist for the Nashville Electric Service, she still makes sure to give back to her community, including as a recent graduate of the Brentwood Fire and Rescue Citizens Academy. In this role, she aims to restore the public’s trust in the school system; provide age-appropriate curriculum and books for students; and bridge the gap between parents, teachers and the school board.

Melissa Wyatt — As a resident of Williamson County for over 20 years, Wyatt has worked in a variety of service positions within the community. She is running as an independent so that she can “be focused on what’s best for our students, staff, and WCS families and not partisan politics.” Some of her policies include not arming teachers; age-appropriate materials in the curriculum; raising teacher retention rates; and creating a recruiting program in high schools to encourage students who are interested to get involved.

County Board of Education District 9

Claire Reeves — The Nebraska native has always had a love of education. During her career as a scientist, she has taught students and employees at universities and corporations in the U.S., Mexico, and South Korea. For the past five years, she has served as a vice president of education and member experience for a real estate education company. She relocated to Williamson County from Texas in 2019 and served in various roles in PTA at her children’s schools. Some of her policies include adopting curriculum that aligns with state standards, increasing extracurricular activities and advocating for competitive compensation packages to attract the best talent to the district.

Shandus Parish — A lifelong Tennessee resident and human resources professional, Parish originally got involved because she believes in the power of education to transform lives for the better. She is running for school board because she believes every child in Williamson County deserves a high-quality, well-rounded education. Some of her policies include strengthening teacher retainment, enacting policies that empower teacher autonomy and strengthening support services to address the unique needs of students from various backgrounds.

County Board of Education District 11

Tonja Hibma — With over 18 years of teaching experience, Hibma moved to Williamson County in 2006. She believes in championing teachers, securing discipline and safety in the classroom and revitalizing the approach to curriculum.  She also believes that parents’ rights must be protected and there needs to be full transparency and open communication with parents and schools, not only about how tax dollars are spent, but also what children are being taught and what they are exposed to. Some of her policies including an armed law enforcement officer in each school, ensuring that subject matter containing critical race theory, social emotional learning, or diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t involved; and retaining teachers.

Laura Granere — With deep roots in Williamson County, Granere has served in various volunteer positions. From 2006-2011, she collaborated with school administrators, teachers, students and parents in enriching programs like Kids on Stage and JAMS art camps. She also has experience as a substitute teacher in Williamson schools and is the chair of the criminal justice committee for the Nashville chapter of the NAACP. Some of her policies include intellectual freedom, transparent communication with the community and creating equal equational opportunities for all.

Tony Caudill — A resident of Williamson County for more than 17 years, Caudill is running as an independent to ensure that board members “will not bring party objectives or allegiances to bear on the school board.” Some of the issues he’d like to address include recruiting and retaining the best teachers and accelerating the efforts to ensure all students catch up after the interruptions caused by virtual schooling in 2020. He is against book bans, but says he want to make sure that students have access to age-appropriate materials.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voter Guide: Get to know the Williamson County school board candidates