← Back to Rutherford County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for School Board Zone 4
general - Partisan - School Board Member
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 for a public school district — setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.
- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.
- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent — the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.
- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.
- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Katie Darby's biography shows four years of service on the Rutherford County Schools board, demonstrating direct experience with policy judgment and constituent relations. She has participated in board elections and internal nominations without documented controversy or disciplinary records. Bio does not indicate specific budget literacy or formal training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.
Dayna Nichols's biography shows current experience as a school principal, demonstrating direct knowledge of district operations and constituent relations with staff and parents. The record contains no mention of controversy or disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate experience in budget literacy for capital projects or policy judgment regarding county commission coordination.
Know something about this race we don't?
Submit a contribution →