Image Credit: Hamilton County Schools & Rhonda Thurman / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Hamilton County School Board member Rhonda Thurman, known for being unapologetically Conservative, does not plan to run for reelection, after serving for almost twenty years.
Thurman, board representative for District 1, says she does not plan to seek reelection next March but instead plans to spend more time with her family, including her aging mother and her two grandchildren.
Thurman has frequently come under fire from leftist groups seeking her resignation.
Moms for Liberty Hamilton County once said, “The left hates her because she calls out their nonsense and stands up for parents & students.”
Thurman is known for her willingness to stand up for conservative ideals.
As schools remained closed after COVID-19, she pushed for students to return to classrooms in an effort to stop the continued learning loss seen after shutdowns and failed remote learning.
Thurman also served as the head of a committee that aimed to address divisive literature found in Hamilton County Schools. She challenged school librarians and administration to approach the podium at a school board meeting and read questionable excerpts from school materials.
In 2021, when Hamilton County Schools were forced to take in migrant children, Thurman was one of only a handful of individuals who was willing to speak up and talk about the potential negative impact this would have on Tennessee teachers and students.
“I’ve served my life sentence and now it’s time to turn it over to somebody else,” Thurman said.
Her choice to fill her role is Steve Slater, a former Mr. Soddy Daisy High School. Thurman says that Slater is the only person who has talked to her about running for the position. She says she has met with him three times already; he has similar conservative views and is “a good guy.”
Slater has already picked up qualifying papers to run as a Republican for District 1.
It is expected that several other incumbents will not run for reelection to the school board, including Marco Perez in District 2, Tiffanie Robinson in District 4, and Joe Wingate in District 7.
