Update: Round 2 is over and round three is open! Jump over to our most up to date post and vote!
Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen of Education Commissioner Madness! We don’t get to legally vote for our education commissioner in Tennessee, but today you do! The polls open at 8 AM on Sunday, November 23rd (today) and close at 8 PM on Tuesday, November 25th. FYI, we included a “how we picked them” section at the bottom of this post for inquiring minds.
Trends from Round One:
Round one is in the books, and in reflection I’ve noticed a few interesting trends that I want to highlight quickly:
In-State Preference: Notably that all the out of state candidates (Paul Vallas, Terry Holiday and Cami Anderson) were defeated by in state candidates. This suggests that Tennesseans truly are looking for an in state candidate that they can trust.
Likely Candidates Defeated: We also saw the defeat of two individuals who Governor Haslam will likely consider, Jamie Woodson by Gloria Johnson and Jim McIntyre by J.B. Smith. Only Kathleen Airhart made it to the Sweet 16. Chris Barbic was also defeated and the three of these together suggests that Tennesseans, at least among our voters, aren’t looking for another strong reform-minded education commissioner.
Big Districts Fall: The only big-district superintendent to make it through to the round of 16 was Rick Smith from Hamilton County. Jesse Register, Dorsey Hopson and Jim McIntyre were all defeated by their respective opponents.
Enthusiasm Gap: There was a decided gap in the enthusiasm level for some races. A few like Mike Looney and Dan Lawson garnered almost 500 votes while others like Paul Conn/Bob Rider and Dolores Gresham/Paul Vallas failed to top 200. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the Sweet Sixteen.
Oh, and Andy Spears kicked my butt…
With that in mind, we present the Sweet Sixteen of TN Education Commissioner Madness!
How to Vote
Simply scroll down the page and select the candidate in each match up that you believe would be the best of the two in the Commissioner of Education role for the state of Tennessee. Below each match is some additional information about each candidate to help in making your selection. We highly recommend that you also research each candidate yourself. Happy voting, and may the best candidate win! Also, share the page on your social media accounts to let you friends know that you voted! Thanks to Dan for suggesting it in the comments.
Like what you see? Check out some of our other pieces by Tamera Malone, including how to balance your work/personal life as a teacher. Follow ProEdTN, TNEdReport and BluffCityEd on twitter! You can also follow TNEdReport and BluffCityEd on facebook.
Sweet 16 Matchups
Superintendents Sweet Sixteen Match 1
- Lyle Ailshie (60%, 339 Votes)
- J.B. Smith (40%, 224 Votes)
Total Voters: 563
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J.B. Smith (Giles County) – director of schools. Previously served as principal of a middle school.
Lyle Ailshie (Kingsport schools) – Superintendent, former Director of Greenville City Schools (TN) – Greenville schools recognized during tenure as a high performing system, past president of Tennessee Organization for School Superintendents, 2005 Superintendent of the year. School district ranked second in the state by niche.com.
Superintendents Sweet Sixteen Match 2
- Wanda Shelton (73%, 667 Votes)
- Linda Stroud (27%, 244 Votes)
Total Voters: 911
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Wanda Shelton (Lincoln County) – Superintendent, named Superintendent of the year for 2015 by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents. School district ranked fifth fifth in the state by niche.com.
Linda Stroud (Greenville) – Director of Schools, has spent entire career in Greenville City School System and has been a principal and assistant director of administration. Named Tennessee Mid Level Principal of the year in 2005, finalist for National Association of Secondary School Principals National Principal of the Year in 2006. School district ranked third in the state by niche.com.
Superintendents Sweet Sixteen Match 3
- Mike Looney (53%, 733 Votes)
- Rick Smith (47%, 654 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,387
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Mike Looney (Williamson County) – Superintendent since 2009, previously served as superintendent of Butler County Schools and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Montgomery public schools in Alabama. School district fourth second in the state by niche.com.
Rick Smith (Hamilton County)– Superintendent, has 30 years of educational experience. School district ranked forty fourth in the state by niche.com. Wants to build a new magnate school in Hamilton County for the arts. Hamilton County school board gave him high marks for personal ethics and his ability to communicate with his staff and the public.
Superintendents Sweet Sixteen Match 4
- Jason Vance (65%, 529 Votes)
- Mike Winstead (35%, 287 Votes)
Total Voters: 816
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Mike Winstead (Maryville) – Director of Schools since 2013. Previously served as assistant director of schools. School district ranked first in the state by niche.com. Raised school district’s budget by $900,000 in 2013. District nominated for SCORE prize this September.
Jason Vance (loudon County) – Director of Schools. School district ranked thirty third in the state by niche.com. Received unanimous approval when selected. Holds a education specialists degree from Tennessee Technological University, former principal and assistant director of schools prior to being appointed superintendent.
Policy Makers and Advocates Sweet Sixteen Match 1
- Kathleen Airhart (51%, 334 Votes)
- Jim Wyre (49%, 324 Votes)
Total Voters: 658
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Kathleen Airhart (TNDOE) – Deputy Commissioner of Education, prior director of Putnam County Schools since 2007, named TN Superintendent of the year in 2012. Has experience as a classroom teacher.
Jim Wrye (TEA) – government relations manager and chief lobbyist for TEA. Previously worked for Alabama education Association, notably fought to stop charter schools in Alabama. Also served as the Deputy Commissioner for Alabama Dept. of Children’s Affairs and Assistant Director of University of Alabama.
Policy Makers and Advocates Sweet Sixteen Match 2
- JC Bowman (54%, 344 Votes)
- Gloria Johnson (46%, 296 Votes)
Total Voters: 640
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JC Bowman (ProEdTN) – Executive Director and CEO of PET. Fomer school teacher and VP of the National Association of Professional Educators. Served as chief policy analyst for the Education Policy Unit for Gov. Jeb Bush. Received 2003 SMART award from the National institute for Education options.
Gloria Johnson (former Knox State Rep) – former rep, was defeated this cycle. Democrat, worked as a Knox County teacher for 26 years. Graduated from Knox County Schools. Voted against the statewide charter authorizer, for testing notification and a return to the experience-based method of calculating teacher pay this past legislative session.
Policy Makers and Advocates Sweet Sixteen Match 3
- Andy Spears (57%, 252 Votes)
- Paul Conn (43%, 191 Votes)
Total Voters: 443
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Andy Spears (consultant, Nashville) – Tennessee Emergency Communications Board, president of Spears Strategy, editor/writer at TNEdReport. Formerly a press secretary in the Tennessee State Senate.
Paul Conn (president of Lee University, Cleveland TN) – president since 1986, previously worked in the Lee College psychology faculty, won an award for excellence in teaching. Also taught at Appalachian State.
Policy Makers and Advocates Sweet Sixteen Match 4
- Dolores Gresham (53%, 347 Votes)
- Candice McQueen (47%, 312 Votes)
Total Voters: 659
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Candice McQueen (Lipscomb) – Senior Vice President of Lipscomb, taught in Elementary and Middle schools. Named as a likely candidate by the Tennessean. Lipscomb ranked among the top 10 institutions for elementary and secondary teacher training programs nation wide.
Dolores Gresham (Senate Ed Chair) – elected in 2008, previously served three terms in TN Hous of Representatives. District located in western part of the state. Served in US Marine Corps. Voted for the statewide charter authorizer, for school vouchers, for testing notification and for a return to the experience-based method of calculating teacher pay this past legislative session.
How We Picked Them
We selected individuals who met two criteria: were 1) realistic and 2) experienced and qualified. If someone wasn’t realistic, we left them off. For example, when it comes to experience, Diane Ravitch and Arne Duncan might be experienced, but they wouldn’t be realistic, hence they are not included. Experience was determined based on would have the qualifications to lead the district by their experience as a superintendent or who we thought might be in contention given their affiliations and experience in education advocacy or policy making. Superintendents were selected if they were in the top 80 districts in the state by niche.com. Out of state people were picked based on their similarity to Commissioner Huffman and the Governor’s priorities. If you think we left someone off, let us know in the comments!
Vote Gloria Johnson…Come on people…we need someone in it for the children. Gloria would be the one to choose.
Education Commissioners:
Dr. Mike Looney Madness
Vote for Dr. Mike Looney
Williamson County best school scores!
Vote Dr.Looney!!! WCS
Dr. Mike Looney is a truly inspiring leader. The district is nationally recognized, and Dr. Looney makes it clear that all we do is for the ‘boys and girls.’ No knee jerk reactions. Just solid, visionary leadership. Although losing him would be sad for the district, TN deserves a commissioner of his experience and expertise.
Kathleen Airhart is an excellent choice. She is realistic, confident, experienced and understands what it takes to be a good educator. She will take these traits along with many others, and be an very effective Commissioner.
The students of Tennessee will be her first priority. She will work to lead Tennessee’s Education to the top.
An exceptional choice.
Dr. Looney or Gloria Johnson
Vote for Jason Vance. He’s an experienced leader who brings out the very best in all the people he comes in contact with. He is the caliber of educator we need to lead our state education system. Jason is a no nonsense leader that truly cares about everyone around him especially kids ,teachers and supervisors . VOTE FOR JASON VANCE!!!!!!
Correct you are Mr. Hankinson.
Many things have contributed to my happy experience on my second “go round” here in the Loudon County school system. Not the least being Jason Vance’s can do attitude and the contagious happy attitude he exudes each and every day. He assuredly is a dedicated and experienced leader with the students best interest front and center. When talking with Jason you are left with the feeling, not of communicating on a superior/inferior level, but talking with an on level colleague who just happens to be in a position to help with your problems and concerns. He deserves all our support. He certainly has given his support to us.
I’d love to see Tennessean Dr. Mark Edwards, currently superintendent in Mooresville, N.C, considered. He grew up in Cookeville and taught in various Tennessee counties and was principal in Murfreesboro. He earned a Phd in Educational Leadership at Vanderbilt. He was national superintendent of the year in 2013. He’s also been Eean of the College of Education at the University of North Alabama and is the author of Every Child, Every Day. The book describes how Mooresville makes every child a winner every day.
I would vote for Gloria, Andy Spears, or TEA guy, Tim. Definitely not guy from PET. PET hurt teachers big-time.
Everyone on this list is an incredibly talented person, and worthy of consideration. Susan Norwood, you should be ashamed of yourself. Advocate for whomever you would like, but do not tear people down. I will gladly discuss this or any education issue with you, at anytime. I assure you of this, nobody works as hard for our members, as we do in our organization. And we do it by being positive and working for our teachers. It takes all of us working together. It takes many voices. There is no one voice for all educators. By working together we will accomplish much more. If you want to be negative have at it. Personally, I am friends with almost everyone on this list, and I know I would never be considered for this position, nor would I accept. But make no mistake we need a new direction at the DOE and I will support new leadership, as long as they work to improve public education and listen to those in the classroom. Be blessed and have a happy Thanksgiving.
One needn’t speculate on how the superintendents above would do as Commissioner. Just look at a proven record of positive performance advocating for children in their districts. While most readers see a name and a paragraph, I have enjoyed the honor of working with almost all of the supts and found them to be men and women of great character, courage competence and conviction.
How would I measure? First and foremost, would I trust my children to their care? Emphatically YES! Lyle, Jim, Dale, Linda, Wanda, Mike, Rick, Jason, Mike, JB, BJ, Jesse, Del would all serve as exceptional advocates for high quality free public education and provide proven leadership for the nearly 1,000,000 students in our great state.
While this referendum is certainly not binding, it does capture the passion of many related to the importance of quality leadership. Furthermore, this Thanksgiving this clearly demonstrates that we in Tennessee have an abundance of reasons to be thankful!
Jason Vance is the Man we need in this position!!! I Have had the pleasure of knowing Jason as a Principle and a Superintendent and will tell you that he makes Loudon County schools an Excellent School for our Children, Teachers and his Staff. He truely cares about the Education of our children and takes the time needed with eveyone and makes them feel comfortabe talking with him no matter who they are or what the issue is. He is the type of leader needed in this position. He has the Experience and the Education and gives the positive support needed to our Educators!! Vote Jason Vance to Improve our Education System!!!!!!
Thanks to everyone leaving such glowing comments about our candidates! It affirms our belief that we’ve got a lot of great talent here in Tennessee.
Dr.looney! He’s amazing with amazing people skills, and he really knows how to deal and understand kids and teenagers in an appropriate matter in which we can understand. Simply artistic!
Dr. Edwards is a great chioce! Amazing to see what he accomplishes in his system.