{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJon Matthews is the 7th District member of the Cumberland County Board of Education, running again for the seat in the August 6, 2026 election [1][4]. He is a resident of Bear Creek Road in the 7th District [3].\n\n## Office history\nMatthews was named the Republican Party's nominee for the 7th District Board of Education vacancy and appeared on the November 2024 ballot for the seat [3].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nOn January 23, 2025, the Board of Education voted 5-4 against renewing the contract of Director of Schools William Stepp; Matthews was among the five members who voted against renewal, saying teachers felt Stepp was \"inaccessible\" and telling the board, \"they see him there, but they don't have an opportunity to talk to him or have a discussion\" [2]. He later raised the idea of hiring an interim Director of Schools for board discussion [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Cumberland County Board of Education members](https://www.ccschools.k12tn.net/boardofeducation) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Outrage among parents after Cumberland County school board votes against keeping director \u2014 WATE (via Yahoo News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/outrage-among-parents-cumberland-county-220710188.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Sole candidate named for 7th District BOE vacancy \u2014 Crossville Chronicle](https://www.crossville-chronicle.com/news/sole-candidate-named-for-7th-district-boe-vacancy/article_ef67031a-71e2-11ef-83c0-a71ca2035413.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Discussion for interim Director of Schools on BOE agenda \u2014 Crossville Chronicle](https://www.crossville-chronicle.com/news/local_news/discussion-for-interim-director-of-schools-on-boe-agenda-for-april-s-meeting/article_f0ada4ed-a1e7-4f26-b6dc-56e1291b93d1.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_7","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"School Board District 7"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JON","fullname":"JON MATTHEWS","lastname":"MATTHEWS","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_7","contest_title":"School Board District 7","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_7","contest_title":"School Board District 7","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board_district_7","office_title":"School Board District 7","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Member of the Cumberland County Board of Education for the 7th District; 2024 Republican nominee who voted against renewing the schools director's contract in January 2025.","terms":[],"token":"SUSHa5qGO0"}