Wilson County Schools, Tennessee elections (2016)
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Five seats on the Wilson County Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on August 4, 2016.[1] The election added two more seats to the board, bringing the total from five up to seven.[2] The Zone 1 race featured incumbent Wayne McNeese and challenger John Jankowich. McNeese was re-elected to his seat. In Zone 3, Tom Sottek ran unopposed and won after incumbent Don Weathers dropped out of the race. Zone 5 incumbent Larry Tomlinson defeated challenger Dave Dixon to win another term. In the race for the new Zone 6 seat, Johnie Payton ran unopposed and won election to the board. Larry Inman, Chad Karl, and Gwynne Queener ran for the new Zone 7 seat, and Inman won the election.[3][4][5][6]
This race had a lower percentage of unopposed seats and a higher average number of candidates running per seat than the 2014 school board elections held in the district and the state. To see how else this race compared to past elections in the district and the state, check out the "Election trends" section below.
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses. All but one of the candidates running in this race attended a candidate forum on June 30, 2016. Click here to read their opinions on property tax increases and teacher retention.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Wilson County Board of Education consisted of five members until the 2016 election added two more seats to the board for a total of seven. Elections are held by district, and members hold four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every August of even-numbered years. The Zone 2, 4, and 5 seats were up for election on August 7, 2014, and the Zone 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 seats were up for general election on August 4, 2016. All but the Zone 6 seat were up for four-year terms. The Zone 6 seat was up for a two-year term. There was no primary election.[2][4][7]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file their qualifying documents by April 7, 2016. The deadline to withdraw from the election was April 14, 2016.[1]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by July 5, 2016.[1] Photo identification was required to vote in this election.[8]
Candidates and results
Zone 1
Results
| Wilson County Schools, Zone 1 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Wayne McNeese Incumbent |
57.85% | 748 |
| John Jankowich | 42.15% | 545 |
| Total Votes | 1,293 | |
| Source: Wilson County Election Commission, "Precinct Election Results," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Wayne McNeese 
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John Jankowich | ||
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Zone 3
Results
| Wilson County Schools, Zone 3 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tom Sottek (unopposed) |
100.00% | 1,333 |
| Total Votes | 1,333 | |
| Source: Wilson County Election Commission, "Precinct Election Results," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Tom Sottek
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Zone 5
Results
| Wilson County Schools, Zone 5 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Larry Tomlinson Incumbent |
74.20% | 1,001 |
| Dave Dixon | 25.80% | 348 |
| Total Votes | 1,349 | |
| Source: Wilson County Election Commission, "Precinct Election Results," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Larry Tomlinson
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Dave Dixon | ||
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Zone 6
Results
| Wilson County Schools, Zone 6 General Election, 2-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Johnie Payton (unopposed) |
100.00% | 1,566 |
| Total Votes | 1,566 | |
| Source: Wilson County Election Commission, "Precinct Election Results," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Johnie Payton
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Zone 7
Results
| Wilson County Schools, Zone 7 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Larry Inman |
39.06% | 718 |
| Chad Karl | 37.76% | 694 |
| Gwynne Queener | 23.18% | 426 |
| Total Votes | 1,838 | |
| Source: Wilson County Election Commission, "Precinct Election Results," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Larry Inman
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Chad Karl | Gwynne Queener | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2016
The Wilson County Schools election shared the ballot with primary elections for the District 46 and 57 seats on the Tennessee House of Representatives as well as a general election for Wilson County Assessor of Property.[3]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Tennessee school board elections in 2016:[1]
| Deadline | Event |
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| April 7, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 11, 2016 | 1st quarter campaign finance report due |
| April 14, 2016 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| July 5, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| July 11, 2016 | 2nd quarter campaign finance report due |
| July 15, 2016 - July 30, 2016 | Early voting period |
| July 28, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| August 4, 2016 | Election day |
| October 11, 2016 | 3rd quarter campaign finance report due |
| January 25, 2017 | 4th quarter campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
No candidates received official endorsements in the election.
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
The pre-general campaign financial disclosure report for this election was due July 28, 2016. Candidates were also required to file quarterly reports for the 2016 election year. Those reports were due on April 11, 2016; July 11, 2016; October 11, 2016; and January 25, 2017.[1]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $3,022.74 and spent a total of $1,464.54 in the election, according to the Wilson County Election Commission.[9]
Zone 1 incumbent Wayne McNeese, Zone 5 challenger Dave Dixon, Zone 6 challenger Johnie Payton, and Zone 7 challengers Larry Inman and Chad Karl filed statements of non-disclosure for the 2016 election stipulating that they would not spend more than $1,000 on their campaigns. Because of this, they did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[10][11][12][13][14]
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Jankowich | $0.00 | $525.00 | $398.80 | $126.20 |
| Tom Sottek | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Larry Tomlinson | $0.00 | $198.74 | $198.74 | $0.00 |
| Gwynne Queener | $0.00 | $2,299.00 | $867.00 | $1,432.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
The 2016 election for the Wilson County Schools Board of Education had a lower percentage of unopposed seats and a higher average number of candidates running per seat than the 2014 school board elections in the district and the state. Nine candidates ran for five seats in the district's 2016 race, equaling an average of 1.8 candidates per seat. A total of 40 percent of the seats on the ballot in 2016 were unopposed. In 2014, the district attracted an average of 1.67 candidates per seat, and 66.67 percent of the seats were unopposed. That year, Tennessee's largest school districts attracted an average of 1.94 candidates per seat and 36.78 percent of the seats were unopposed.
Three seats were guaranteed to go to newcomers in the district's 2016 race as one incumbent dropped out of the race and two new seats were added to the board. The other two seats on the ballot had the potential to go to either newcomers or incumbents. Incumbents took both seats. In the district's 2014 race, one newcomer was elected to the board after she defeated an incumbent. The other two incumbents who ran for re-election won additional terms, creating an incumbent success rate of 66.67 percent. Statewide in 2014, 45.98 percent of school board seats went to newcomers, and 75.41 percent of incumbents who ran for re-election won additional terms.
Issues in the election
Candidate forum
Eight of the nine candidates in this race participated in a school board candidate forum hosted by the Parents of Wilson County TN Schools on June 30, 2016. Candidates discussed tax increases and teacher retention.
Every candidate at the forum agreed that the district would need to look at raising property taxes. “We don’t have enough classrooms as it is, so we have to get even to catch now. Then we can talk about the future. Yes. We’re going to need a tax increase to build the classrooms we need today and tax increase for classrooms we’ll need tomorrow,” said Zone 5 challenger Dave Dixon.
Zone 5 incumbent Larry Tomlinson said, “I certainly do support a tax increase. Not only for the schools to build buildings and keep up with the growth, but to help sustain and bump our teachers up to where they deserve to be." Unopposed Zone 3 newcomer Tom Sottek said, “I also agree that a tax increase is most likely going to be necessary. Not only for the school building, but for the future of the school."
“We do need a tax increase. I’ve been in education 35 years from the classroom to administration and when you have teachers floating, students crowding in a classroom, it’s a very poor educational environment to work in," said Zone 7 challenger Gwynne Queener. Her opponents for the open seat, Larry Inman and Chad Karl, stressed the importance of having a long-term plan for the district's finances.
“Years from now people will forget budget, they will forget time, but if you didn’t do what you were supposed to do right, they will say, ‘this is wrong,’” Karl said. “If you make good decisions with the capital money and build the schools in the right spots where they’re able to be expanded, then your capital costs go down over time.”
Inman said, “We need, at least, a 15-year plan, a 10-year plan and down to a five-year plan as we plan what money we’re going to spend and how we’re going to spend it to where it’s not a shock."
On the subject of teacher retention, Queener said, “Pay, environment, teacher appreciation are all factors in keeping teachers. If they feel loved and cared for in the schools and by their faculty, administration and parents, they’ll stay."
Inman said pay was important in keeping teachers. “I definitely feel that teachers should get paid what they deserve. What that incentive means if you have great teachers, just like a great coach, you’re compensated for the job that you’re doing,” said Inman. Dixon agreed, saying, "Grading them based on testing and then rewarding causes animosity. It doesn’t build teamwork. These teachers collectively teach. They’re not singular teachers. Yes. Our teachers need raises, especially those master level teachers that can go over to Rutherford County and make $6-7,000 more right away.”
Zone 1 incumbent Wayne McNeese and his challenger John Jankowich agreed that teacher retention required more than increases to pay. “Do we need to raise teacher salaries? Absolutely we do. We need to make it a complete package – salary and benefit. We really struggle with our insurance benefits,” said McNeese. Jankowich said, “We absolutely need to put together a new teacher compensation package that makes us competitive with the counties we live around."[15]
Issues in the district
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, Wilson County Schools halted its assessments for students in grades three through eight. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said the contract was terminated with North Carolina-based Measurement Inc. after it failed to deliver all of the testing materials.[16][17]
McQueen called Measurement Inc.'s performance "deeply disappointing" after months of delivery delays and a failure to rollout 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.[18]
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.[17]
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.[18] 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.[17]
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.[16][18]
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.[18]
| “ | 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.[19] | ” |
| —Gov. Bill Haslam (R)[18] | ||
Issues in the state
Transgender bathroom bill withdrawn
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.[19] | ” |
| —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.[19] | ” |
| —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]
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Zone 5 challenger Dave Dixon and Zone 7 challenger Larry Inman.
Top priorities
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Dixon stated:
| “ | I want to give our teachers a voice. I want to lift up all students. I want to improve our operations and fiscal management.[19] | ” |
| —Dave Dixon (June 11, 2016) | ||
Inman said he hoped to achieve the following if elected to the board:
| “ | My ultimate goal is to make the kids first become a reality along with motivated teachers with the same desire, not just a job.[19] | ” |
| —Larry Inman (June 10, 2016) | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||
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| Issue | Dixon's ranking (Zone 5) |
Inman's ranking (Zone 7) |
| Expanding arts education | ||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||
| Expanding school choice options | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
- See also: Wilson County Schools, Tennessee
The Wilson County school district is located in Wilson County in central Tennessee. The county seat is Lebanon. Wilson County was home to 128,911 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[26] The district was the ninth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 16,753 students.[27]
Demographics
Wilson County outperformed Tennessee as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 24.4 percent of state residents. The median household income in Wilson County was $60,095, compared to $44,621 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 10.1 percent, compared to 18.3 percent statewide.[26]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Wilson County Schools' 'Tennessee'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wilson County Schools | Tennessee | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Calendar 2016," accessed March 31, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "calendar" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Tennesseean, "4 of 5 Wilson school board seats to be contested in August," April 7, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wilson County Election Commission, "Petitions," accessed April 8, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wilson County Schools, "School Board," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ Lebanon Democrat, "Weathers drops out of school board race," April 16, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Election Results Reporting," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email communication with Wilson County Administrator of Elections Phillip Warren," March 6, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "What ID is required when voting?" accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Financial Disclosures For Campaigns And PACs," accessed November 29, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Statement of Non-Disclosure," February 2, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Statement of Non-Disclosure," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Statement of Non-Disclosure," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Statement of Non-Disclosure," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ Wilson County Election Commission, "Statement of Non-Disclosure," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ Lebanon Democrat, "School board candidates discuss issues," July 1, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 WATE.com, "Tennessee Department of Education terminates TNReady testing contract," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 The Tennesseean, "Tennessee terminates contract with TNReady test company," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Tennessee fires TNReady testmaker, suspends tests for grades 3-8," April 27, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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 26.2 United States Census Bureau, "Wilson County, Tennessee," accessed April 12, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed June 26, 2014
| 2016 Wilson County Schools Elections | |
| Wilson County, Tennessee | |
| Election date: | August 4, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Zone 1: • Incumbent, Wayne McNeese • John Jankowich Zone 3: • Tom Sottek Zone 5: • Incumbent, Larry Tomlinson • Dave Dixon Zone 6: • Johnie Payton Zone 7: • Larry Inman • Chad Karl • Gwynne Queener |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
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