The District 5 School Board race and forum

Below is the video of the 5th District School Board Forum:



The District 5 race pits current Metro School Board Chairman Gracie Porter against three challengers.

Gracie Porter has served as an educator for more than forty years and has spent the last six years as an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University training future teachers as a student teacher supervisor with the department of Elementary and Special Education. She was elected to the School Board in 2006 for a two-year term and ran unopposed for re-election in 2008. She was twice elected by the board to serve as Vice Chairman and was recently voted to serve as Chairman of the board.The SEIU which had supported Porter in her 2008 race, is angry at her for supporting Dr. Register in his privatizing of janitorial services and is not endorsing anyone in this year's race in this district.The teachers union, MNEA, has endorsed Porter.


Among conservatives and advocates of charter schools and many others who want a change at the School Board there is a buzz of excitement around Elissa Kim. Kim is the executive vice president of teacher recruitment for the national Teach for America organization. Teach for America recruits and trains teachers to teach in urban classrooms across the country. Kim taught for Teach for America in New Orleans where she taught in one of the poorest districts in the nation. She created unprecedented success in an area where many thought there could only be failure. Kim has received the endorsement of the Great Public Schools PAC and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. If I could vote in this election, I would support Elissa Kim.


Another candidate is John Haubenreich, a former school teacher with a law degree from Vanderbilt University who is currently with the law firm of Neal & Harwell. . He is a former intern in Mayor Dean’s Office of Children and Youth.


Another candidates is Erica Lanier who has served as chair of the school’s parents advisory council.

 Here is the Tennessean report on the District 5 race: Nashville school board chairwoman faces stiff test.

And here is the City Paper report on the race: Multiple candidates line up for Metro school board chair's seat,

Top Stories