← Back to Knox County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for Board Of Education District 7
County School Board District 7
general - Partisan - Knox County Schools Board District 7
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
Amy Fenner's biography shows small-business ownership and a history of adjusting policy positions based on research, relevant to constituent relations and policy judgment. The record notes no controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience with large district budgeting or superintendent evaluation.
Steve Triplett brings experience as a former principal, educator, and current board member since 2022, alongside business management skills relevant to district oversight. However, his biography documents a 2013 resignation from a previous school principal role due to financial improprieties involving personal fund misuse, which he repaid before leaving. Bio does not indicate experience with large-scale urban budgeting or formal training through the Tennessee School Boards Academy.
Know something about this race we don't?
Submit a contribution →