The Metro Nashville Public Schools board races are getting messy.
Not only is the Aug. 4 election the first partisan school board election in Metro history — it’s also loaded with the weight of education-related wedge issues like face masks and school privatization. Some of this tension played out on Twitter this week, with a couple of candidates playing offense and defense.
Metro Councilmember Dave Rosenberg took to Twitter to accuse independent District 8 candidate Amy Pate of being pro-voucher, not living in the district in which she’s running and being supported by Moms for Liberty, a right-wing group that champions censorship. Pate responded on Twitter by saying these were all lies — the Scene reached out to Pate by phone for further explanation.
“We don't even know, exactly, how the voucher program is structured and going to be accessed and really too many details about that for Nashville students right now,” says Pate. “So, I can only say that, as an independent, I look at what is best for the student in every situation. And I'm just gonna access that information as it comes. So it's really, completely unfair to say that I’m pro-voucher. I'm just pro-students.”
Pate co-founded Let Nashville Parents Choose, a group whose Twitter account criticizes the school district and board members for keeping schools closed in 2020. Though the group hasn’t declared a specific stance on vouchers — which are moving forward in the state despite widespread criticism — the account has posted about opposition to school vouchers and COVID-related shutdowns. The page doesn’t list a specific political affiliation, but aligns itself with Republican candidates and District 6 incumbent Fran Bush, who is running as an independent.
Though an earlier photo posted by the Davidson County Dems Twitter account shows a Moms for Liberty-branded graphic endorsing Pate, a post on the Moms for Liberty Instagram shows “revised” endorsements, noting that “there are no official endorsements for districts 6 or 8.” Pate says she never sought their endorsement.
As for her residence, Pate says she owns three properties, including “a condo in Green Hills … our house in [District 8’s] Oak Hill and a rental property just right across the interstate from Oak Hill, which I guess is District 2. So like many of our neighbors, and two other houses on our street right now, we're renovating our [main residence]. We have terrible timing. We were trying to do it years ago, but then COVID happened and supply chain issues and everything. So until Christmas, we are living in our rental house. And I’ve made no secret of this.”
Meanwhile, Twitter accounts including Let Nashville Parents Choose are commenting on District 2 incumbent Rachael Anne Elrod’s weight. Elrod addressed the attacks in a Twitter thread of her own.
Pate chimed in the comments, tweeting: “I never condone name calling or fat shaming. When that happens to me (routinely, esp on Twitter) I ignore it. I’m a public school kid and in my day that made us pretty tough. Guess that’s changed too.”
Pate also asked Elrod to “leave me out of your political games.”
“Seconded,” Tweeted Elrod’s Republican opponent for District 2 Todd Pembroke. “If you're going to tag me in a post, tag me about what matters within #MNPS. Tag me about the budget & the comptroller auditing your no-bid contract. Tag me about the exodus of teachers at @OliverMNPS in your district. Tag me about low test scores & dropping enrollment.”
District 8 incumbent Gini Pupo-Walker, who is not running for reelection, replied to Elrod, “Thankful for your friendship and leadership.”
Rosenberg denounced the fat-shaming. “The disgusting hatred and classlessness permeating our society has no place on our school board,” he tweeted. “An awful lot of candidates are lying down with dogs.”
TC Weber, an education blogger and former opponent of Elrod for the District 2 school board seat, also chimed in. Elrod called him out for his actions during the last election.
Update: In a message to the Scene, representatives for the Let Nashville Parents Choose account say their "run" tweet was not an intended dig at Elrod's weight. "It was a dig at Elrod’s record," they say. "Meaning she couldn’t run on her record because it’s not strong."
