← Back to Knox County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for Board Of Education District 1
County School Board District 1
general - Partisan - Knox County Schools Board District 1
About this office
A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Policy judgment on a large urban district — Memphis-Shelby County Schools serves roughly 110,000 students across more than 200 schools, with a budget over a billion dollars.
- Budget literacy for both operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the County Commission (which appropriates) and the Tennessee Department of Education.
- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent — historically the highest-stakes recurring decision the board makes.
- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members across an economically and racially diverse district.
- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association School Board Academy.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Charles Frazier's background includes substitute teaching at Austin-East High School and board service at the Helen Ross McNabb Center, offering direct insight into school operations and community health partnerships. He has administered state tests and managed data for Tennessee, demonstrating relevant administrative experience. The biography does not indicate prior experience serving on a large urban school board or managing a multi-billion dollar budget.
Holloway's biography shows local roots as a District 1 graduate and parent of five children, alongside advocacy against school closures and opposition to blanket library bans. Her background as an entrepreneur suggests potential business acumen relevant to budget literacy, though no specific financial management experience is documented. Bio does not indicate prior board governance experience or formal training in state-required school board academy curriculum.
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