{"county":"hamilton","description":null,"district":"9","districtgroup":"county_school_board","id":615,"key":"county_school_board_district_9","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Gary Kuehn","next_election":null,"notes":null,"officegroup":null,"partisan":0,"party":null,"qualities":"- Policy judgment on a large urban district \u2014 Memphis-Shelby County Schools serves roughly 110,000 students across more than 200 schools, with a budget over a billion dollars.\n- Budget literacy for both operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the County Commission (which appropriates) and the Tennessee Department of Education.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 historically the highest-stakes recurring decision the board makes.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members across an economically and racially diverse district.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association School Board Academy.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01","term_years":4,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":null,"electiondate":"2022-08-04","name":"Gary Kuehn","person":{"biography":"Gary Kuehn is a Republican member of the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee, representing District 9 [1]. He assumed office on September 1, 2022, and his current term ends on September 1, 2026 [1]. Kuehn is running for re-election to this seat in the Republican primary scheduled for May 5, 2026 [1]. In that primary, he faces incumbent challenger James Walker [1]. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Jordan Hammond in the general election on August 6, 2026 [1].\n\nKuehn, who is 67 years old and resides in Ooltewah, spent nearly 40 years as a teacher and administrator in Hamilton County Schools before retiring [4]. He has lived in District 9 for 49 years and has four children [4]. His administrative career included serving as an assistant principal and instructional leader at Central High School, principal of Hunter Middle School, principal of Harrison Bay Vocational School, and principal of the Hamilton County Adult High School [7]. Prior to his election to the board, he was a science teacher at Central High School [8].\n\nKuehn was first elected to the school board in 2022 after defeating incumbent James Walker and Tate Smith in the Republican primary with 46.8% of the vote [1]. He subsequently won the general election on August 4, 2022, receiving all votes cast in that contest [1]. During his tenure, he has served as Vice Chair of the board and Chairman of the Facility Committee for the past two years [4]. His campaign highlights include bringing the Aviation Academy to the Harrison Bay Future Ready Center, supporting turf fields and updated lighting for sports facilities, voting to reduce benchmark testing, and leading efforts to paint Central High School [7].\n\nKuehn\u2019s 2026 campaign priorities include creating balanced budgets without raising taxpayer dollars, expanding Future Ready opportunities and centers, reducing student testing time, and finding non-monetary ways to show teachers they are valued [4]. He identifies the high number of private schools in the area as the largest challenge facing Hamilton County Schools, arguing that his focus on school choice options like Future Ready centers and magnet schools helps retain students [4].\n\nIn October 2022, Kuehn was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure related to an incident at a doctor's office in August 2017 [8]. The charges were dismissed in January 2023 because the arrest warrant had expired [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Gary Kuehn - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Gary_Kuehn)\n- [2] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [3] [2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tennessee_gubernatorial_election)\n- [4] [School board: Incumbent Gary Kuehn wants more technical education, balanced budgets | Chattanooga Times Free Press](http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/apr/10/school-board-incumbent-gary-kuehn-wants-more/)\n- [5] [Gary Kuehn seeks second term on Hamilton County school board | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/dec/03/gary-kuehn-seeks-second-term-on-hamilton-county/)\n- [6] [Hamilton County Board of Education member has indecent exposure case dismissed | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/jan/10/kuehn-court/)\n- [7] [Gary Kuehn Seeks Re-Election To District 9 County School Board Seat - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/12/2/511981/Gary-Kuehn-Seeks-Re-Election-To.aspx)\n- [8] [School Board Member Arrested On Indecent Exposure Charge; Update Given On 5-Year-Old Warrant - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/10/24/458112/School-Board-Member-Arrested-On.aspx)\n- [9] [Gary Kuehn Is A Great Choice For District 9 School Board - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/7/20/431605/Gary-Kuehn-Is-A-Great-Choice-For.aspx)\n- [10] [School board: Challenger James Walker hopes to promote transparency, be \u2018voice\u2019 for district | Chattanooga Times Free Press](http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/apr/10/school-board-challenger-james-walker-hopes-to/)\n- [11] [15 candidates vying for five Hamilton County school board seats | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/feb/19/15-candidates-vying-for-five-hamilton-county/)\n- [12] [2026 Chattanooga area elections news | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026elections/)","firstname":"Gary","lastname":"Kuehn","token":"tRPlArEJTb"},"term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"}],"title":"Hamilton County Schools Board District 9","type":"legislative","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-26 19:41:49"}