Tennessee school board elections, 2016
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Elections
General elections for Tennessee school boards were held on August 4, 2016. Primary elections for two districts were held on March 1, 2016. The 19 Tennessee school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held school board elections for 80 seats.
Here are several quick facts about Tennessee's school board elections in 2016:
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2016 was the Shelby County Schools district with 149,832 K-12 students.
- The smallest Tennessee school district among the nation's largest with an election in 2016 was the Hamblen County Schools district with 10,212 K-12 students.
- Williamson County Schools had the most seats on the 2016 ballot, with seven seats up for election.
- Two districts tied for the fewest seats on the 2016 ballot, with two seats up for election each.
The districts listed below served 604,366 K-12 students during the 2013-2014 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Click on the district names for more information on each one and its school board elections.
| 2016 Tennessee School Board Elections | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Primary date | General date | Regular term (years) | Seats up for election | Total board seats | Student enrollment | |
| Blount County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11,215 | |
| Bradley County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10,455 | |
| Clarksville-Montgomery County School System | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 31,271 | |
| Hamblen County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10,212 | |
| Hamilton County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 43,540 | |
| Jackson-Madison County School System | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 13,093 | |
| Knox County Schools | 3/1/2016 | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 59,236 | |
| Maury County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 12,014 | |
| Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 82,806 | |
| Putnam County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 11,141 | |
| Robertson County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11,423 | |
| Rutherford County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 41,495 | |
| Sevier County Schools | 3/1/2016 | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 14,571 | |
| Shelby County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 149,832 | |
| Sullivan County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10,657 | |
| Sumner County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 28,715 | |
| Tipton County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 11,587 | |
| Williamson County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 34,350 | |
| Wilson County Schools | NA | 8/4/2016 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 16,753 | |
August 4 election results
Tennessee school board elections
Incumbents saw fewer challenges to their re-election bids in Tennessee's 2016 school board elections than they did in 2014, and they also saw higher success rates. A total of 82.46 percent of school board incumbents in the state's largest school districts won additional terms in the general election on August 4, 2016. Nearly half of those incumbents—49.12 percent—ran unopposed in their bids for re-election. In 2014, 75.41 percent of incumbents retained their seats, with 37.70 percent of them running unopposed.
Election results
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
Issues
Metropolitan Nashville School Board votes to sue the state over education funding
The Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education approved a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee over public education funding on June 14, 2016. Six members voted in favor of the lawsuit. Two board members—Elissa Kim and Mary Pierce—abstained from the vote, and member Jo Ann Brannon was absent from the meeting.[1] The lawsuit was filed on September 1, 2016, but it was denied by Chancery Court Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle on September 22, 2016. Lyle said the lawsuit was not actionable as previous cases against the state over education funding had not requested immediate funds as the Nashville lawsuit did.[2][3]
The lawsuit sought additional education funding for the district, specifically for teaching English as a second language. Jon Cooper, director of the Metropolitan Nashville Department of Law, asked the state in a letter why the school district had received less money for English language learners for the 2016-2017 school year. Maryanne Durski, local finance office director for the Tennessee Department of Education, responded to Cooper's letter on June 3, 2016. She said that "the funding allocation through the fiscal year general appropriations act provided adequate funds," according to the The Tennesseean.[1]
Board Vice Chairwoman Anna Shepherd and fellow board member Will Pinkston, who previously advocated for suing the state, expressed frustration at the letter. "This is state law, and they are just being flippant about it," said Shepherd. "And I don't think this is a flippant topic."[1]
"The idea that these schools — which literally sit in the shadow of the state Capitol — are getting intentionally short-shrifted by the state is frankly maddening," said Pinkston. "Local taxpayers are doing our part, and the state Department of Education sends us a blow-off letter."[1]
In August 2016, over 30 members of the Nashville City Council signed a letter supporting the district's lawsuit. The letter urged the district to resist the state's urging to withdraw the lawsuit.[4]
The Metropolitan Nashville school district was not the only district to sue the state over education funding. Two other large urban school districts—Shelby County Schools and the Hamilton County School District—sued the state in 2015.[1] Hamilton County, along with six surrounding county school districts, filed a lawsuit against the state that stated it had not provided sufficient funding for schools. Shelby County's lawsuit said that the state's lack of funding had disproportionately hurt the district's poorer students and that the state's funding model failed "to take into account the actual costs of funding an education." Hamilton County's lawsuit was denied class-action status in 2016, but a judge also ruled against the state's motion to dismiss it.[5][6]
The state did not respond to Shelby County's lawsuit until July 2016, when officials submitted a 25-page response that denied that the state's funding model was the cause of the school district's financial problems. The response also detailed that the funding model met the state's responsibilities to maintain a public school system “that affords substantially equal educational opportunities to all students in Tennessee."[6]
Pinkston said about the lawsuits in other Tennessee school districts that, "Hamilton County and the other area districts showed tremendous courage by doing what they did and when they did it and it emboldened other school districts to follow along." He also said that he expected the three lawsuits, and any additional lawsuits filed by other districts, to be rolled into one. Between 1980 and 2016, the state had lost three education funding lawsuits.[5]
At issue in the three lawsuits was the state's funding formula, known as the Basic Education Program (BEP). Metropolitan Nashville, Shelby County, and Hamilton County said they did not receive the funding due to them under BEP. The 2016 budget that was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) marked the second year for "substantial increases" to the state's public education funding, according to The Tennesseean. It added $261 million to the Basic Education Program, $104.6 million of which was dedicated to raising teacher salaries.[1] What the budget did not do, however, was set up BEP 2.0, a program that changed the funding formula to help larger school districts.[5]
Haslam said he was disappointed that the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education had approved the lawsuit. He said the state had added $14 million in funding for English language learners and that Metropolitan Nashville received the largest share of that funding. Tennessee Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen said the district's "use of taxpayer dollars to sue the state only serves to remove funds from classrooms and the very students the district is attempting to help."[5]
Board votes to join Shelby County's lawsuit against state
The Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education voted 7-0 on October 17, 2017, to join a lawsuit filed by Shelby County Schools against the state of Tennessee over education funding. Two members were absent from the vote.[7]
Shelby County first filed its lawsuit against the state in August 2015. It said that the state had not adequately funded its schools and had hurt the district's most vulnerable students as a result, according to The Tennesseean.[7] Shelby County said it did not receive the funding it was due under the state's funding formula, known as the Basic Education Program (BEP). Since Shelby County's lawsuit was filed, the state did increase the state's public education funding, but it did not change the funding formula.[8][9]
In September 2018, Davidson County Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman, appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2003, upheld a previous decision denying the state's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.[10]
Want to see how this election related to state and national trends on this topic? Ballotpedia tracked this issue in the 2016 election cycle so you can see the connections and impact on this race in context.
ACLU files complaint with OCR over Sumner County's transgender bathroom policy
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) filed a complaint against Sumner County Schools with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in May 2016. The OCR did not act on the complaint prior to the election. The complaint regarded the school district's policy of requiring transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room corresponding with their birth gender. The complaint was registered on behalf of a high school freshman and said that the policy was in violation of the requirements of federal anti-discrimination law.[11]
Under the district's policy for the 2015-2016 school year, the student had to use the boys' bathroom, the faculty bathroom, or a special needs bathroom. Through the year, the student tried to avoid using the bathroom altogether, according to the complaint. “No student should have to endure the stigma and marginalization of being segregated from the rest of the student body," said Abby R. Rubenfeld, an ACLU-TN cooperating attorney.[11]
The student's family said they sought to work out new accommodations with the district throughout the 2015-2016 school year, but asked for help from the ACLU-TN after those attemps were unsuccessful. Two months prior to filing the complaint, the ACLU-TN requested a meeting with district officials to discuss new arrangements for the student. After district officials said they were unwilling to change the restroom policy, the ACLU-TN filed the complaint with the OCR.[11] Tom Castelli, legal director of the ACLU-TN, said the family filed a complaint rather than seeking legal action because they were "not looking to get a payday."[12]
Todd Presnell, an attorney for the school district, said district officials believed the gender guidelines followed federal law and met "the needs of transgender students while simultaneously maintaining the privacy rights of all students, regardless of gender or gender identity." In response to the complaint, district officials released the following statement.[12]
| “ | The Sumner County Board of Education strives to provide all students with a quality education in a safe environment that is respectful to each of its 29,000 students. In this spirit, the school system expressly prohibits harassment and bullying of any student, including transgender students, and also devised a set of guidelines to meet the needs of transgender students while respecting the interests of all students. Under these guidelines, school administrators meet with transgender students’ parents to discuss the student’s needs. Our schools allow transgender students to follow the dress code corresponding to their gender identity, address them with the name and pronoun corresponding to their gender identity, and provide alternative physical-education options. While transgender students must use the general restroom and locker room facilities corresponding to their birth gender, our schools provide alternative, private, unisex restrooms and changing facilities. We are aware of and will take under consideration the guidelines recently issued by the Justice and Education Departments. We believe that our guidelines, after due consideration, comply with federal law and meet the needs of transgender students while simultaneously maintaining the privacy rights of all students, regardless of gender or gender identity.[13] | ” |
| —Sumner County Schools (May 19, 2016)[11] | ||
After the complaint was filed, Congresswoman Diane Black (R-6) released the following statement.
| “ | Washington liberals’ campaign to compromise the safety and privacy of our students in the name of hyper-political correctness has now hit our backyard,” Congressman Black said. “These days, a complaint by the ACLU is a sure sign you’ve done something right. From the organization’s work to silence expressions of faith in our schools to their attacks on laudable organizations like Boy Scouts of America, they’ve lost all credibility with Tennesseans and they know it. Nonetheless, if the ACLU wants to pick a fight with our Sumner County educators, then they’ll have to pick a fight with me as well. I sent my children to Sumner County public schools. I know our Director of Schools and the Chairman of the Board of Education. I have the utmost confidence in their ability to offer accommodations for transgender students while maintaining reasonable policies that protect the privacy and security of the student population as a whole and I stand with them in the face of this blatantly political complaint.[13] | ” |
| —Diane Black (R-6)[11] | ||
Jennifer Donnals, press secretary for Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R), also released a statement.
| “ | The governor is aware of the complaint to the U.S. Department of Education. We will do everything we can to assist Sumner County if there is an investigation by OCR because the governor firmly believes decisions on sensitive issues such as these should continue to be made at the local level based on the unique needs of students, families, schools and districts while working closely with the local school board counsel.[13] | ” |
| —Jennifer Donnals (May 19, 2016)[11] | ||
The complaint was filed days after a guidance letter was published by the federal government detailing that transgender students should be able to use the bathroom of their chosen gender. The letter said that not allowing students to do so could be a violation of Title IX.[14]
State's Achievement School District halts school takeovers for one year
Following the cancellation of the state's TNReady tests, officials of the state's Achievement School District (ASD) announced that they would not seek to take over any additional schools for the 2017-2018 school year. “Extending flexibility to priority schools during this transition mirrors the flexibility we have offered to teachers and students,” Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced in a statement on April 15, 2016.[15]
The ASD is a statewide school district designed to take control of struggling schools. The schools are assigned to charter school networks and taken out of the control of the county school district. According to its website, the ASD "was created to catapult the bottom 5% of schools in Tennessee straight to the top 25% in the state." The ASD opened its first school in 2012. As of the 2015-2016 school year, the ASD operated 29 schools. Two of those schools were former Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, and the other 27 were previously under the jurisdiction of Shelby County Schools.[15][16]
Testing suspended in wake of state terminating TNReady contract
After the Tennessee Department of Education terminated the contract with the provider of the state's new TNReady test assessments on April 27, 2016, a majority of school districts in the state halted their assessments for students in grades three through eight. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said that the contract was terminated with North Carolina-based Measurement Inc. after it failed to deliver all of the testing materials.[17][18]
McQueen called Measurement Inc.'s performance "deeply disappointing" after months of delivery delays and a failure to roll out the assessment online in February 2016. "We’ve exhausted every option in problem solving with this vendor to assist them in getting these tests delivered. Districts have exceeded their responsibility and obligation to wait for grade 3-8 materials, and we will not ask districts to continue waiting on a vendor that has repeatedly failed us," said McQueen.[19]
Measurement Inc. President Henry Scherich said the contract termination was a disappointment. "It has been a very difficult job, and we were within a couple days or so of having all the tests in the state," said Scherich.[18]
Scherich said that the company had been put in a "difficult, and even impossible, situation" after they were required to switch to a paper test in response to the failed online assessment, according to Chalkbeat Tennessee. McQueen said the state's contract had included provisions for paper tests in the case of technical difficulties.[19] The state first contracted with Measurement Inc. in 2014 in response to displeasure with the Common Core standards. As of the termination, the state had paid $1.6 million toward the $108 million contract.[18]
The state decided to continue testing high school students, as those materials had been received, but it suspended the tests for younger students. School districts that received the needed materials for testing younger grades were allowed to choose between continuing the assessments or suspending them.[17][19]
Due to the suspension, accountability measures related to test scores, such as teacher evaluations, were also delayed for one year. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) said that despite the delay, the state was still moving forward.[19]
| “ | The failure of the testing vendor to deliver the tests and meet its own obligations does not take away from the fact that Tennessee has created our own, higher standards, we have an improved assessment fully aligned with those standards, and we remain committed going forward to measuring student performance fairly and ensuring accountability for those results.[13] | ” |
| —Gov. Bill Haslam (R)[19] | ||
Transgender bathroom bill
State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-57) proposed legislation in January 2016 that would require public school students in kindergarten through college to use the bathroom and locker room that corresponded with the sex listed on their birth certificates. Four months later, she withdrew the bill. "I am still absolutely 100 percent in support of maintaining the privacy of all students. But I'm going to roll the bill over until next year so we can work on those issues," Lynn said.[20][21]
House Bill 2414 drew criticism from local media and some companies threatened to withhold business from the state if the bill were passed. Lynn said that was not why she withdrew the bill; instead, she put it on hold in order to further study the issue. She said school districts in Tennessee were "largely following what the bill says."[20][22]
While HB 2414 was still in committee, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) expressed concern about the bill. “I’m hearing that our school boards have figured out how to adjust to each situation that arises, and to date, I’m not hearing parents say we have [a] problem in our schools today,” said Haslam.[23]
State Reps. Mike Stewart (D-52) and Harry Brooks (R-19) asked for an opinion on the issue from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery (R). Slatery responded by warning that the state could lose federal Title IX funding if the bill were passed.[24]
| “ | As things currently stand, we must, as a practical matter, assume that H.B. 2414 would violate Title IX, because the enforcer of Title IX has clearly interpreted — and enforced — Title IX to prohibit as 'discriminatory on the basis of sex' what H.B. 2414 is designed to accomplish.[13] | ” |
| —Attorney General Herbert Slatery (April 2016)[24] | ||
Stewart said Slatery's opinion was the "final nail in the coffin" for the bill. He and State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-55) said the bill could also hinder the state's goal of creating a business-friendly climate.[24] Executives of dozens of companies had signed a letter to state lawmakers asking them to reject the bill on the grounds that it was discriminatory.[25]
David Fowler, former state senator and president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, objected to Slatery's opinion. He said the attorney general had used settlement agreements rather than court decisions to warn the state legislature away from passing the bill. "Settlement agreements have no persuasive value as a matter of law, unlike the court decisions that have actually ruled in favor of sex-designated bathrooms," Fowler said.[24]
After the bill was withdrawn, Fowler issued a statement:
| “ | But we join the thousands of parents across the state who are profoundly disappointed that at this point in the process Rep. Lynn has decided not to proceed with a bill that would have simply protected the privacy of the children they have entrusted to our public schools.[13] | ” |
| —David Fowler (April 2016)[20] | ||
In addition to receiving support from the Family Action Council of Tennessee, the bill was backed by approximately 30 pastors from the Tennessee Pastors Network. At least 67,000 state citizens opposed the bill, as two transgender high school students turned in that many signatures to the governor's office. They were joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Tennessee Equality Project, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, and the Human Rights Campaign.[20]
Election trends
Trends in Tennessee school board elections
The following sections analyze competitiveness and incumbency advantage in school board elections held in Tennessee's largest school districts by student enrollment. Two of the districts utilized primary elections on March 1, 2016. In the other districts, winners only had to receive a plurality, or relative majority, of votes in the general election to secure a seat. All of the school board elections held in the state in 2014 and 2016 were nonpartisan.
Details of the data discussed here can be found in the table below.
Competitiveness
Eighty school board seats in Tennessee's largest school districts by enrollment were up for election in 2016. In 2014, 87 seats were on the ballot, and 169 candidates ran in the elections. That created an average of 1.94 candidates per seat, which was similar to the 2014 national average of 1.89 candidates per seat. A total of 36.78 percent of school board seats on the ballot in Tennessee were unopposed in 2014. This was a higher percentage than the 32.57 percent of school board seats that were unopposed nationally that year.
Incumbency advantage
A total of 70.11 percent of Tennessee school board incumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran for re-election in 2014, and 75.41 percent of them won. Nationally, 81.37 percent of incumbents won re-election in 2014.
Forty newcomers were elected to school boards in the state that year. They took 45.98 percent of the total seats, which was higher than the 38.19 percent of school board seats that went to newcomers nationally in 2014.
The map below details the success rates for incumbents who ran in the 2014 school board elections that were held in the largest school districts by enrollment in the U.S.
Data table
| Tennessee school board elections, 2014 - 2016 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2016 | |||||||||
| All candidates | ||||||||||
| Seats up | 87 | 80 | ||||||||
| Candidates | 169 | TBD | ||||||||
| Candidates/seat | 1.94 | TBD | ||||||||
| Unopposed seats | 32 | TBD | ||||||||
| % unopposed | 36.78% | TBD | ||||||||
| % seats won by newcomers | 45.98% | TBD | ||||||||
| Incumbents | ||||||||||
| Sought re-election | 61 | TBD | ||||||||
| Unopposed | 23 | TBD | ||||||||
| Retained | 46 | TBD | ||||||||
| % retained | 75.41% | TBD | ||||||||
Academic performance
- See also: Public education in Tennessee
The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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NAEP scores
- See also: NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth- and eighth-grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi), Tennessee had the second highest share of fourth- and eighth-grade students who scored at or above proficient in both math and reading.[26]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Tennessee | 40% | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Alabama | 38% | 20% | 31% | 25% |
| Kentucky | 41% | 30% | 36% | 38% |
| Mississippi | 26% | 21% | 21% | 20% |
| United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" | ||||
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Tennessee and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[26][27][28]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[29]
Tennessee schools reported a graduation rate of 86.3 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.
In Tennessee, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.5.
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Tennessee | 86.3% | Second | 19.5 | 100% | 1709 | 8% | |
| Alabama | 80.0% | Fourth | 20.4 | 78% | 1608 | 7% | |
| Kentucky | 86.1% | Second | 19.6 | 100% | 1741 | 5% | |
| Mississippi | 75.5% | Fifth | 18.9 | 95% | 1673 | 3% | |
| United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
| **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" | |||||||
Dropout rate
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Tennessee was higher than the national average at 3.6 percent in the 2010-2011 school year and 3.7 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[30]
State profile
State profile
| Demographic data for Tennessee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,595,056 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 41,235 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 16.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 24.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,219 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Tennessee. **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. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Tennessee
Tennessee voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Tennessee, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[31]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Tennessee had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Tennessee coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Tennessee
- United States congressional delegations from Tennessee
- Public policy in Tennessee
- Endorsers in Tennessee
- Tennessee fact checks
- More...
See also
| Tennessee | School Boards | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Tennessean, "Nashville schools to sue state for education funding," June 15, 2016
- ↑ Nashville Scene, "Metro Files Education Funding Lawsuit Against State," September 2, 2016
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Judge denies Nashville schools education funding complaint," September 23, 2016
- ↑ Nashville Patch, "Metro Council Backs School Board's Suit Against State," August 30, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chattanooga Times Free Press, "More lawsuits expected as frustration grows over Tennessee education funding," June 21, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Tennessee affirms its school funding formula in response to lawsuit over Memphis schools," July 11, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Tennessean, "Nashville schools board votes to join Shelby County Schools in lawsuit against state," October 17, 2017
- ↑ Chattanooga Times Free Press, "More lawsuits expected as frustration grows over Tennessee education funding," June 21, 2016
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Nashville schools to sue state for education funding," June 15, 2016
- ↑ Chalkbeat Tennessee, "After three years, the fight to spend more money on Tennessee schools inches toward trial," September 25, 2018
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 New Channel 5 Network, "ACLU-TN Files Complaint Over Sumner County Schools' Bathroom Ban," May 19, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Tennesseean, "ACLU files federal complaint over bathroom access in Sumner," May 19, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Tennesseean, "Tennessee among states suing over Obama transgender guidance," May 26, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Citing TNReady transition, Tennessee’s school turnaround district to halt takeovers for one year," April 15, 2016
- ↑ Achievement School District, "Building the Possible," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 WATE.com, "Tennessee Department of Education terminates TNReady testing contract," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 The Tennesseean, "Tennessee terminates contract with TNReady test company," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Tennessee fires TNReady testmaker, suspends tests for grades 3-8," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 The Tennesseean, "Transgender bathroom bill dead for year," April 18, 2016
- ↑ Open States, "HB 2414," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Knoxville News Sentinel, "Tennessee lawmakers should stay out of students’ restrooms," April 3, 2016
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Tennessee Governor Skeptical Of Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 The Tennesseean, "Attorney general: Tennessee bathroom bill threatens Title IX funds," April 11, 2016
- ↑ CBS News, "Tennessee lawmakers under fire over transgender bathroom bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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