Lakeland School Board — Shelby County, TN

← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06

Contest for Lakeland School Board

general - Non-partisan - School Board Lakeland

Elect 3 candidates

About this office

Members of the Lakeland School System school board govern the Lakeland School System municipal school district, separate from Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Five members are elected to staggered four-year terms. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts district policies, approves the budget, sets district goals, and oversees compliance with federal and state education law. Members are required to complete seven hours of training annually through the Tennessee School Boards Association School Board Academy.

Compensation: stipend set locally; state law requires a minimum of $4/day (T.C.A. § 49-2-202).

Term length: 4 years.

This role calls for

Policy judgment on a small suburban district within Shelby County — Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland, or Millington — typically several thousand students across a single elementary/middle/high feeder pattern.
Budget literacy for both operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the suburban municipality (which provides matching local funds in some configurations).
Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent.
Constituent relations with parents, teachers, and community members across an actively engaged small 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

Laura Harrison

Republican

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Laura Harrison's biography shows extensive tenure as the only continuously serving Lakeland School Board member since the system's founding and current board chair, demonstrating familiarity with district policy and constituent relations. The record contains no mention of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate experience in budget literacy for operating and capital funds or specific training through the Tennessee School Boards Association Academy.

Sara Castellaw

Republican

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Sara Castellaw's biography confirms her filing for the Lakeland Municipal School Board in Shelby County, Tennessee, on February 24, 2026. The record contains no mention of prior controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate experience with budget literacy, superintendent evaluation, or state-mandated training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.

Keith Acton

Republican

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Keith Acton's background includes a finance degree and decades in property management, offering budget literacy for operating and capital budgets alongside superintendent evaluation skills. His current board service and prior roles on city development boards demonstrate policy judgment and constituent relations within Lakeland. The biography contains no record of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate experience completing the state-required seven hours of annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Academy.

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