Bill That Would Have Allowed Communities To Elect School Superintendents Fails Again

Image: Senator Frank Niceley presents SB0910 to the Senate Education Committee on March 1st, 2023. Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

A bill that would have given local communities the choice to elect their school superintendent or keep the system of appointing them failed in the Senate Education Committee at the beginning of March. 

Proponents of the bill, SB0910, which has overwhelming support in rural counties, have worked for two years to get this proposed change in the law only to witness the bill fail in a 3-6 vote on March 1st.

A similar bill in last year’s legislative session also met the same end.

Had the bill passed, it would have also returned local control to school districts in choosing their school superintendent.

It would have placed requirements on would-be elected school superintendent candidates to hold a Masters Degree in Education Administration and have at least 5 years of teaching and administrative experience.

The bill would have transferred personnel responsibilities back to the school board, the way it was before the Education Improvement Act of 1992 mandated that all school directors in Tennessee be appointed by local school boards.

In an op-ed, Centralized Power And The Origin Of Appointed School Directors, A Recipe For Controversial Educational Practices – Tennessee Conservative (tennesseeconservativenews.com), in The Tennessee Conservative from 2022, David Seal explored the ramifications of appointed school directors. 

A video of Seal’s testimony in front of the Senate Education committee from Wednesday March 1, 2023 is available here.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.