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Putnam County School System, Tennessee, elections

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Putnam County School System
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District details
School board members: 6
Students: 11,762 (2023-2024)
Schools: 22 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Putnam County School System is a school district in Tennessee (Putnam County). During the 2024 school year, 11,762 students attended one of the district's 22 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections

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Putnam County School System school board, District 1

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 1

Incumbent Dawn Myers Fry won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 1 on August 4, 2016.

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Dawn Myers Fry (Nonpartisan)

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Putnam County School System school board, District 3

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 3

Incumbent Kim Cravens won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 3 on August 4, 2016.

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Kim Cravens (Nonpartisan)

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Putnam County School System school board, District 5

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 5

Incumbent Lynn McHenry won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 5 on August 4, 2016.

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Lynn McHenry (Nonpartisan)

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Putnam County School System school board, District 2

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 2

Incumbent Celeste Bates Gammon won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 2 on August 7, 2014.

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Celeste Bates Gammon (Nonpartisan)

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Putnam County School System school board, District 4

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 4

Incumbent David M. McCormick won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 4 on August 7, 2014.

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David M. McCormick (Nonpartisan)

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Putnam County School System school board, District 6

General election

General election for Putnam County School System school board, District 6

Incumbent Jerry Maynard won election in the general election for Putnam County School System school board, District 6 on August 7, 2014.

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Jerry Maynard (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

Tennessee code establishes default regular school board general election dates in August and November of even-numbered years, but also allows for school board general elections to be held on a different date.

In Tennessee, school board primary elections can be held to select party nominees for the school board general election. State law does not require there to be a school board primary election, and parties can nominate candidates through other methods. The date of a school board primary election, if held, depends on the date of the school board general election. If a school district holds a school board general election on a date other than the default August or November dates in even years and if a primary election is held, it must be on the first Tuesday of the third month before the general election. If that day is a holiday, it must be on the second Tuesday of the third month before the general election.

Tennessee law sets the first Thursday in August as one of the default dates on which school board general elections can be held.

School districts in Tennessee that hold school board general elections on the first Thursday in August, if they hold school board primary elections, must hold the primary elections on the first Tuesday in May in nonpresidential election years and on the first Tuesday in March in presidential election years.

School districts in Tennessee that hold school board general elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, if they hold school board primary elections, must hold the primary elections on the first Thursday in August.

Tennessee law sets the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as on of the default dates on which school board general elections can be held.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

In Tennessee, the school board candidate filing deadline depends on what election date is used and whether or not a primary election is held. For elections held at other times than the August and November dates, candidate filing deadlines are 12 pm on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election. If a primary election is held, the filing deadline for the primary election applies to all candidates.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101

Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding school board general elections in August of even years

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding school board general elections in August of even years. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • General election date: August 7, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: February 19, 2026
  • Primary election date: March 5, 2026
  • Filing deadline date: April 2, 2026
Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding school board general elections in November of even years

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding school board general elections in November of even years. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Primary election date: August 7, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: August 21, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: April 2, 2026
  • General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

School board members in Tennessee are elected either through a system of a nonpartisan general election without a primary or through a system of partisan party primaries and a partisan general election. Political parties can nominate candidates through party primaries or through other methods according to party rules.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Tennessee can be partisan — which means candidates can be nominated by political parties and are displayed on the ballot with party labels — or nonpartisan — which means candidates are displayed on the ballot without party labels. Tennessee Code states, "If at least one (1) county primary board of a political party elects to conduct school board elections on a partisan basis, then a person seeking a position on any board in that county may campaign as the nominee or representative of a political party, and political parties may nominate candidates for membership on the board." Legislation was enacted in 2021 to allow partisan elections. Before 2021, Tennessee school board elections were all nonpartisan without party labels.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

Winning an election

In Tennessee, if a political party holds a school board primary election to nominate a candidate for the general election, the candidate that receives the most votes in the primary election advances to the general election as that party's nominee.

In Tennessee, the school board candidate that receives the most votes in the general election is elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Term length and staggering

Tennessee Code sets four-year school board terms for all school districts except for some special school districts with a different term established by special or private act. As of 2022, there were four special school districts with six-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

As close to half of school board members as possible are up for regular election every two years. Special acts can establish different election schedules.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Tennessee are elected at large by all voters in the district, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two. State law provides that county school board members are elected by sub-district, but special or private acts and grandfathered systems establish at-large elections for some county school board members. Special school district board members are elected according to special or private acts. Municipal school district board members are elected with the same representation method as the municipality's governing body. State law says that municipal school districts with board members elected by sub-district as of June 6, 1995, must continue to use that method of representation.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

In Tennessee, the school board candidate filing deadline depends on what election date is used and whether or not a primary election is held. For elections held at other times than the August and November dates, candidate filing deadlines are 12 pm on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election. If a primary election is held, the filing deadline for the primary election applies to all candidates.

For districts holding school board general elections in August with primary elections in March (presidential election years) or May (nonpresidential election years), the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the second Thursday in December in presidential election years and 12 pm on the third Thursday in February for nonpresidential election years.

For districts holding school board general elections in August and for which no primary "is called for any office to be filled in the regular August general election," the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the first Thursday in April.

For districts holding school board general elections in November and for which no primary election is called, the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the third Thursday in August.

For districts holding school board general elections in November with primary elections in August, the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the first Thursday in April.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101 and Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101



 


About the district

School board

The Putnam County School System consists of six members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Lynn McHenryDistrict 520162028
Kim CravensDistrict 320122028
Dawn Myers FryDistrict 120122028
Kerry LedbetterDistrict 620222026
Jill RamseyDistrict 220222026
David M. McCormickDistrict 420042026

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Putnam County School System
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Tennessee House of Representatives District 42Ryan WilliamsRepublican Party 67% 100%
Tennessee House of Representatives District 25Cameron SextonRepublican Party 33% 16%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $30,738,000 $2,566 23%
Local: $42,632,000 $3,558 32%
State: $62,097,000 $5,183 46%
Total: $135,467,000 $11,307
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $130,116,000 $10,860
Total Current Expenditures: $120,436,000 $10,052
Instructional Expenditures: $73,485,000 $6,133 56%
Student and Staff Support: $13,495,000 $1,126 10%
Administration: $11,816,000 $986 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $21,640,000 $1,806 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $4,993,000 $416
Construction: $1,935,000 $161
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $2,045,000 $170
Interest on Debt: $2,642,000 $220

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 32 60-64 15-19 20 <50 35
2018-2019 38 60-64 20-24 25 <=20 41
2017-2018 36 65-69 20-24 22 21-39 39
2016-2017 46 80-84 25-29 30 <50 50
2015-2016 60-69 PS PS PS 60-69
2014-2015 54 80-84 35-39 36 <50 57
2013-2014 55 80-84 40-44 37 21-39 58
2012-2013 54 80-84 35-39 38 40-59 56
2011-2012 53 65-69 30-34 41 40-59 55
2010-2011 44 60-64 25-29 33 21-39 46

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 31 50-54 20-24 15 PS 35
2018-2019 36 50-54 20-24 18 40-59 39
2017-2018 32 45-49 15-19 15 21-39 35
2016-2017 38 50-54 20-24 19 40-59 41
2015-2016 41 >=50 20-29 25-29 PS 42
2014-2015 52 70-74 35-39 30 40-59 56
2013-2014 55 70-74 35-39 32 <=20 58
2012-2013 54 70-74 40-44 33 21-39 57
2011-2012 57 70-74 35-39 34 40-59 61
2010-2011 55 65-69 40-44 32 40-59 57

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 91 >=50 80-89 80-84 PS 93
2018-2019 91 >=50 >=80 85-89 PS 92
2017-2018 90 >=80 >=90 85-89 PS 91
2016-2017 92 >=80 >=90 80-84 >=50 93
2015-2016 93 >=50 >=80 >=90 PS 94
2014-2015 93 >=80 >=90 85-89 PS 94
2013-2014 93 >=50 >=80 >=90 PS 93
2012-2013 92 >=50 >=80 >=90 PS 92
2011-2012 91 >=50 >=80 70-79 PS 92
2010-2011 85 >=80 >=80 80-89 PS 85

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 11,762 -2.3
2022-2023 12,032 0.4
2021-2022 11,981 3.1
2020-2021 11,609 -2.6
2019-2020 11,916 1.7
2018-2019 11,716 2.5
2017-2018 11,421 0.4
2016-2017 11,373 0.8
2015-2016 11,282 0.6
2014-2015 11,219 0.7
2013-2014 11,141 0.5
2012-2013 11,082 0.2
2011-2012 11,065 1.0
2010-2011 10,955 1.9
2009-2010 10,747 -1.4
2008-2009 10,899 -0.9
2007-2008 10,996 1.4
2006-2007 10,844 3.0
2005-2006 10,515 2.3
2004-2005 10,275 3.9
2003-2004 9,872 3.2
2002-2003 9,560 0.6
2001-2002 9,505 1.3
2000-2001 9,386 -2.7
1999-2000 9,638 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Putnam County School System (%) Tennessee K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.4 2.1
Black 2.7 20.5
Hispanic 18.0 14.8
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 1.7 4.7
White 76.1 57.7

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Putnam County School System had 815.89 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.42.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 24.00
Kindergarten: 43.17
Elementary: 510.30
Secondary: 238.42
Total: 815.89

Putnam County School System employed 6.50 district administrators and 56.78 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 6.50
District Administrative Support: 62.50
School Administrators: 56.78
School Administrative Support: 57.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 281.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 11.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 27.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 17.00
Library/Media Support: 5.50
Student Support Services: 74.50
Other Support Services: 312.50

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Putnam County School System operates 22 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Algood Elementary507PK-4
Algood Middle School7305-8
Avery Trace Middle School7455-8
Baxter Primary352PK-1
Burks Elementary530PK-6
Cane Creek Elementary432PK-4
Capshaw Elementary522PK-4
Cookeville High School2,2029-12
Cornerstone Elementary3672-4
Jere Whitson Elementary317PK-4
Monterey High School5447-12
Northeast Elementary453PK-4
Park View Elementary422PK-4
Prescott South Elementary545PK-4
Prescott South Middle School7665-8
Putnam Co Adult High School299-12
Putnam County Vital106PK-12
Sycamore Elementary310PK-4
T T U Child Development Lab20PK-PK
Upperman High School9189-12
Upperman Middle School8475-8
White Plains Academy98KG-12


About school boards

Education legislation in Tennessee

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See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Tennessee
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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