Shelby County GOP Leadership Says No To Partisan School Board Races In Secret Ballot

Image Credit: quia & Republican Party of Shelby County / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

Last week, Shelby County Republican leadership said no to partisan school board races in 2024 in a secret-ballot vote.

One source told us that “it was clear from the first 5 minutes that it was a scripted event meant to do one thing and that is keep partisan school board elections from taking place in Shelby County.”

The County Executive Committee (CEC) let a resolution pass in August, after submitting a call for primaries in June, allowing for partisan elections in all races where they are allowed in the next election cycle. The Election Commission took this to mean that there would be primary elections for the Arlington and Memphis-Shelby County School board seats also as state law allowed partisan races for school boards for the first time last year.

A leaked resolution from the Shelby County Republican Party CEC alarmed Shelby County conservatives as the document stated clearly that Republican leadership intended to reverse the August resolution as it pertained to school boards.

Justin Johnson, a Collierville Republican and a group of concerned parents met with leadership of the Shelby County GOP on August 17th. In that meeting, Terry Roland, District 29 Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committeeman, insulted one of the mothers in attendance.

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The morning of the meeting on Thursday, Roland went on radio to say that he would get the 6 municipal school districts to sue the county GOP if they voted for partisan elections.

About 100 people – many in support of partisan elections – showed up for the CEC meeting on Thursday night where Germantown law enforcement were in attendance for crowd control. Roland again threatened a lawsuit aimed at everyone in the room and claimed that partisan school board elections would not be legal in Shelby County. Currently Shelby County is the only Tennessee county out of 95 that have made the decision to not allow partisan school board elections.

Many who attended the Thursday night meeting came prepared to speak, including members of Shelby County’s local Moms for Liberty chapter and Conservative Women of Collierville. They did not get the opportunity to make their case for school board primaries.

Cary Vaughn, Shelby County GOP chairman, limited debate to 4 speakers from each side, after which he adjourned to go to an executive meeting where the vote was taken secretly. According to sources, Vaughn invited specific guests to speak for as long as they wished. These speakers represented non-partisan supporters.

State Senator Brent Taylor who wished to speak in support of primaries at the school board level was prevented from entering by a security guard.

Shawn Graham, of Conservative Christians of Tennessee (CCT), says that in 2022, Shelby County saw trans-affirming candidates running for school board positions.

“This open desire to take the seat of power over our children should be met with the biblical response of righteous judgment (John 7:24) and a demand that parents require morally upright leadership over their children,” said CCT in an official statement.

On Thursday, screenshots of an event to be hosted by the Memphis Public Library illustrated the need for partisan school board elections. The event for teens as young as 13-years-old invited attendees to read “controversial picture books” in their PJs with the best reader to receive an autographed copy of Gender Queer. The event was shared online by a former Democratic backed school board candidate who ran last year.

The library’s event was pulled due to public outrage but can still be viewed here.

According to CCT, “It is clear that many elected officials and several members of the old guard within the Shelby County GOP are not willing to stand up for our children.” 

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