As the executive committee of the Shelby County Republican Party prepares to meet on Thursday night at the Great Hall of Germantown to consider the issue of partisan school board races, a longtime GOP activist weighs in against the idea
In a letter to the Flyer, Naser Fazlullah, a recent candidate for party chairman who held the office of vice chair, condemns the idea. Says Fazlullah:
“As a resident of Shelby County and someone who deeply values public education, I’m alarmed by efforts to make our school board elections partisan.
“Our children are already navigating a complex world. They don’t need the added burden of political division influencing the decisions shaping their classrooms, curriculum, and futures.
“Partisan school boards risk turning every vote, every debate, and every decision into a political battle, one where our kids are the casualties. We need leaders focused on what’s best for students, not what’s best for a party.
“Our schools must be places where all children, regardless of background, can feel safe, supported, and inspired to succeed. That only happens when school boards are free from political agendas.
“Let’s focus on the kids and reject partisan school boards in Shelby County.
“Sincerely,
Naser Fazlullah”
The discussion comes in the wake of legislation recent passed by the Tennessee General Assembly requiring that all school board races be concurrent with elections to the County Commission and subject to the same term-limit considerations — a change that will tend to locate school board elections within a political nexus — especially as some version of a full or partial state takeover via an “advisory board” is known to be high on next year’s agenda of the General Assembly.