{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Amy Fenner","chatgptsummary":"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.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAmy Fenner is the Democratic nominee for Knox County Board of Education District 7 in the August 6, 2026 general election, challenging Republican incumbent Steve Triplett [1]. Her priorities are fully funded schools with universal Pre-K and properly fed students - \"It starts with fully funded schools and continues with universal Pre-K and properly fed students\" - funding equity so \"every district should have the same safe and up to date buildings,\" opposition to book banning and to school vouchers, and monitoring bullying [1]. She says she changed her position on Tennessee's third-grade retention law after researching its impact, concluding it was \"traumatizing and nonproductive\" despite initially supporting it [1].\n\n## Background and education\nFenner, 46, is a small-business owner [1][2].\n\n## Career\nShe emphasizes willingness to work across political divides while prioritizing her district's needs and equitable countywide funding [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Knox County Board of Education District 7 voter's guide (Knox News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/knox-county-board-education-district-063228066.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Meet KC School Board candidates: Districts 1, 4, and 7 (Knox TN Today)](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/meet-kc-school-board-candidates-districts-1-4-and-7/) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Amy","lastname":"Fenner","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"eSa0NFtCBf"},"token":"amy_fenner"},{"candidatename":"Steve Triplett","chatgptsummary":"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.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nStephen \"Steve\" Triplett is the Republican incumbent for Knox County Board of Education District 7, seeking re-election in the August 6, 2026 general election against Democrat Amy Fenner [1][3]. His stated priorities are academic achievement, parental partnership and accountability; he cites improvements in Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies proficiency over the past four years and notes the district invested over $40 million in teacher compensation with fewer than ten teaching vacancies at the start of the 2025-2026 school year [3]. His platform emphasizes \"strong families, moral clarity, and supportive communities\" and faith [3]. Triplett did not participate in the Knox News voter's-guide interview or complete the online questionnaire [1].\n\n## Background and education\nTriplett, 47, assumed office on the board September 1, 2022 [2].\n\n## Career\nHe is the general manager of Chick-fil-A Fountain City and has also worked as an educator, principal and minister [4][2].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nTriplett resigned as principal of Heritage Christian School in Ohio in the fall of 2013 over financial improprieties [4]. On his campaign Facebook page he acknowledged: \"While serving as principal, I chose to misuse funds for personal benefit and when confronted I repaid the school for any and all expenditures and resigned.\" [4] According to WBIR, the school's financial office discovered the issue and Triplett was \"essentially going to be fired,\" but the pastor at the time allowed him to resign; he restored all of the funds and was never charged [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Knox County Board of Education District 7 voter's guide (Knox News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/knox-county-board-education-district-063228066.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Steve Triplett (Ballotpedia)](https://ballotpedia.org/Steve_Triplett) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Meet KC School Board candidates: Districts 1, 4, and 7 (Knox TN Today)](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/meet-kc-school-board-candidates-districts-1-4-and-7/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Knox Co. School Board candidate misused funds at his job as principal of a Christian school (WBIR)](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knox-county-schools-candidate-misused-funds-as-a-principal/51-269dce6e-93df-4e96-a929-6876cbd8de65) - accessed 2026-07-23\n\n## Further candidate material (not accessible for this profile)\n- [Knox Co. School Board candidate misused funds as a principal - WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knox-county-schools-candidate-misused-funds-as-a-principal/51-269dce6e-93df-4e96-a929-6876cbd8de65) (page did not load in full during research; the facts above are drawn from its reporting and Triplett's own public statement, which were verifiable in summary)","firstname":"Steve","lastname":"Triplett","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"OpL41OxqRv"},"token":"steve_triplett"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"7","districtgroup":"county_school_board","districtgroupname":"County School Board","districtname":"District 7","job_type":"school_board","o.office":"county_school_board_district_7","office":"county_school_board_district_7","officedescription":"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.","officequalities":"- 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.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Knox County Schools Board District 7","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-19","title":"knox County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.knoxcounty.org/election/pdfs/General%20Sample%20Ballot_08.06.26.pdf"},"title":"Board Of Education District 7"}