Sherrell sponsors education bill

New bill would allow constituents to vote for superintendent of schools, if they choose to do so

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At the persistent requests of his constituents, State Representative Paul Sherrell is sponsoring a bill that aims to bring power and a voice back to the general public in regard to school district leadership roles.

House Bill 1228, which is scheduled to go to the Subcommittee on Education, would give counties, or cities, the option of bringing back the process of selecting a superintendent of schools via general election.

“Back in 2016, before I had even been elected as representative, while I was still on the campaign trail, people were coming to me and asking what I could do change the law and reinstate the policy of elected superintendents rather than appointed superintendents,” Sherrell said, stating that he had put the legislation off knowing that it had been carried before, once by the House and once by the Senate, and it failed. “But people from the communities I represent kept coming to me and asking if I couldn’t help them have a voice.”

The people in each school district across the state of Tennessee used to choose their school superintendent through a general election every four years.  However, when the Education Improvement, Act was passed, all school districts were required to begin selecting their superintendents through appointment by their respective school boards by the year 2000.

“My idea is to carry a bill that would give each district the option of how they choose their superintendent whether it be through general election or through appointment,” Sherrell explained. “Under the new legislation, if it were to pass, White County could keep appointing their superintendent if they want, but if they want to have freedom to elect their superintendent, then they would have that option as well.”

 Sherrell explained there is a long way to go to get the bill through subcommittee and then through both the House and the Senate, where State Senator Janice Bowling is sponsoring it, and then on to be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee. Even if it becomes law, there will be decisions that will have to be made on the local levels.

“It will have to go through the county court of commissioners to be put on the ballot,” Sherrell said.

 He explained that if a county wanted to return to election by popular vote, the county’s commissioners would have to pass a resolution to place that on the ballot. But, should the commissioners feel that is not what their constituents want, they can choose to leave it off of the county ballot, and the process of choosing a superintendent of schools will remain as it has been since 2000, by appointment from the county’s school board.

Sherrell said he feels the bill is in the best interests of protecting students, teachers, and other school professionals and that it is not aimed against any school board or superintendent, saying that he feels they are all doing amazing jobs preparing Tennessee’s youth for the future.

“It gives freedom back to the people, that is all, and that is what they want,” he said. “It seems like our freedoms are taken away a little more each day, and I am a person that likes to give that back to the people.

Sherrell also said it is important to note that the qualifications for becoming superintendent of schools will remain the same, whether a community chooses to make the seat an elected position or continue with it as an appointed one. 

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