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District 5 is northeast Williamson County and includes Nolensville and Triune. If you vote at Sunset Elementary, Nolensville United Methodist, Triune Baptist or Nolensville Baptist, you’re in District 5. Confirm your district by entering your address here.
Incumbent Gary Anderson
votegary4wcs@gmail.com, (615) 776-2942
Facebook page: Liked by District 3 WCSB candidate Christy Coleman, District 3 WCSB candidate Eliot Mitchell, District 4 WCSB member Anne McGraw, District 6 WCSB member Jay Galbreath, District 7 WCSB member Bobby Hullett, District 7 WCSB candidate Jennifer Luteran, District 9 WCSB member Rick Wimberly, District 11 WCSB candidate KC Haugh
Current school engagement: Two grown children graduated from WCS and two grandchildren attend Sunset Middle and Nolensville Elementary; current WCSB school board chairman who has served on the board since 1990
Professional: Assistant superintendent of Mufreesboro City Schools; played baseball for Lambuth College
History: Has lived in Nolensville for 34 years
Politics: First elected to the WCSB in 1990
Other groups and associations: Discovery Center (Murfreesboro) board member, Nolensville Historial Society member
Endorsements: WillCo Rising PAC ,Williamson Business PAC, Mayor Rogers Anderson, County Commissioners Tommy Little and Lewis Green, former WCSB member Vicki Vogt, former FSSD board member Kent McNish
Public social media posts: N/A
“I am extremely proud to be a board member of the best Pre-K through 12 school district in the State of Tennessee and look forward to potentially continuing to serve the residents of this great county. I made my decision to run based on the fact that my heart continues to be focused on doing what is in the best interest of all of our students to ensure their success and I feel that I have the desire, will and knowledge to be a positive contributor to that success.”
Julie Mauck
VoteMauck@gmail.com, (615) 540-2490
Facebook page: Liked by J. Lee Douglas (founder and president of 912 TN) who endorsed Burgos, Cash, Curlee and Emerson in 2014, County Commissioner Kathy Danner who endorsed Burgos, Curlee and Emerson ($150) in 2014 and Laurie Cardoza-Moore in 2015, 2014 County Commission candidate and 912 leader Cyndi Miller who endorsed Burgos ($500) and Curlee ($1000) in 2014, County Commissioner Barb Sturgeon who endorsed Burgos, Curlee and Emerson ($250) in 2014, Don Beehler who endorsed and provided PR assistance to Burgos, Cash, Curlee and Emerson in 2014, Denise Birnbaum who was Candy Emerson’s campaign treasurer, endorsed Laurie Cardoza-Moore in 2015, and supports Susan Curlee and Barb Sturgeon; State Rep. Jeremy Durham who contributed $1000 to Susan Curlee in 2014, Patsy Writesman who ran for WCSB in 2014 before endorsing Dan Cash, WCRP Executive Director Jean Barwick who endorsed Burgos, Cash, Curlee and Emerson in 2014, District 3 school board member PJ Mezera, District 1 WCSB candidate Richard Davis, District 4 WCSB candidate Joey Czarneski, District 7 WCSB candidate Jennifer Luteran; Facebook friends with Glen Casada, Stuart Cooper
Twitter: Followed by Susan Curlee
Current school engagement: Oldest child in college, three younger children in WCS; did not attend the 5/16 WCSB Candidate Panel on Special Education
Professional: Realtor with Crye-Leike Cool Springs; Criminal Justice Administration degree from MTSU
History: Moved to Nolensville in July 2015
Politics: Self-identified as “a right-wing-nut-job… if that’s what you call a lover of God and these United States…” on her former Twitter profile
Other groups and associations: Admin for secret Facebook group Greater Nolensville Conservatives, member of Julie West’s group Parents for Truth in Education
Endorsements: Williamson County Homeschool Coalition, 912 TN, RWWC
Public social media posts:
(Remember that AFP put a lot of money into the 2014 WCSB elections.)
“Growing up, I was blessed to have had the opportunity to move around and experience some very diverse cultures and learning experiences, but ever since first moving to Middle Tennessee in 1985, I have referred to it as ‘home’.” “With the opening of three new schools in our district this fall and the continued residential growth in Williamson County, I will advocate for our district and try to make any transitions comfortable for families.” “Growing pains are inevitable with any school district that is seeing as much success as ours, but I will work diligently to promote the interests of the District Five community.” “In this time of burgeoning government and controversial reforms, it’s more important than ever to be in touch with the community, the teachers and the constant changes in education legislation and funding requirement. I have 19-plus years of parenting my public-school-educated children and of working with educators to be pro-active for my children with learning disabilities.” “I have always had a huge heart for children and would be honored to serve this district.”
District 5 Home Page Candidate Survey Responses
Gary AndersonJulie Mauck…what’s your philosophy on school rezoning, grandfathering and the anticipation of future growth for rezoning?We have an existing grandfathering and sibling policy, but I think we need to hold firm and allow them to stay the last year where they are attending. We don’t want to split a family, and I am strong advocate for that.It helps soften the blow. No one wants to go to a new school, and they usually love where they are are at. I want to have as close to a community school as we can. Elementary is tight knit, middle school is a conglomerate of families and high school is a bigger community picture.We are going to continue to grow. Every time we open a school that means we have to rezone. We’ve been fortunate to not open in five or six years. No one in Williamson County Schools wants to be rezoned, and it’s the reality that we have to do something.In a nutshell, I just think that it needs to be thoughtfully done. I’ve been caught in the path of it before. A lot of people react emotionally to it. Anytime you are in a successful school district, it will happen. There will be growth and people moving in.I don’t like splitting subdivisions. I don’t want to split communities. You have to do the best you can. I definitely think kids should be grandfathered and stick with the schools they started with if at all possible. Anytime there is success, there will be growth, and we will see a lot more growth out that way in District Five. It needs to be done thoughtfully, and we definitely need input from parents. It’s a “do the best you can” situation.What is your position on standardized testing – is there too much, too little?There are two types – Benchmark or formative. The Benchmark is our decision, so that’s where we can tell where our student is. Most are focusing on the state testing, and yes, there is too much testing and then they split it into two different parts this year.So I would love to see them do something different. It’s such high-stakes testing. You have pressure on teachers and the entire district, and that feeds through to the families.This year because we switched to what was supposed to be online, we had to make sure they were keyboard literate. The question that came is, are we testing the knowledge of the material or the ability to type? So a lot this year went into preparing not only for the material of the test, but how to take it.I think there is way too much testing. I think the teachers teach to the test, and I am not a fan. I think we should give teachers more discretion and that gets down to the standards. I don’t think a teacher’s pay should be accountable to what their scores are. There needs to be a differential or something there.With a parent of a kids with special needs, they will pick teachers that will be good for your child and have good experience with special education. Those classes are stacked and those students may not do as well on a standardized test. Sometimes, the alternative to that is not putting your child with the best teacher. I disagree with the teacher accountability issue. There is way too much testing.What is your position on Common Core?Common core is dead and it doesn’t exist. But the part I want to make sure everyone understands is that we will go above and beyond the standards and we will go above the new state standards.I think it will be interesting to follow. I have fought hard against Common Core. I don’t think these businesses and the federal government should be dictating what our kids should learn. I am for local control of education. I hope they are in fact phasing it out and not just giving it a new name.What do you think of current state education standards?I’ve not seen the new test and they’ve done for English-Language Arts and the math. They are working on the social studies and science now, and I am counting on that we will be updated. I know our professional educators will go above and beyond on what they are showing.The problem with those standards is they try to align them with IEP [Individualized Education Program] students, and that just doesn’t work. There are certain things, like having a kid learn five ways to do division when they can’t tell time or count money, which is ridiculous. I think we need standards, but I don’t think they should be an index to the curriculum to what the teachers will teach. There are too many and too much paperwork to justify what the teachers are going to do. I think reducing the standards and eliminating unnecessary ones would help that.Do you think world religions should be part of history or social studies curricula?You can’t ignore religion and it’s impact on history. The difference I want to make is we teach about the religions but we don’t teach the religions. They teach the impact it had on war and not the religion itself. That’s the big difference in how this is looked at.Religion as in theology, no. But you can’t talk about some issues from a historical perspective without identifying the religion it might have come from. I think it’s a touchy and personal subject for a lot of people. I think it boils down to what textbooks you are going to use, and how the textbooks are going to handle it.For me, I don’t see why you can’t have an index in the textbook that these are the top-10 religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam and go down the list. Say what it stands for and fairly identify the key issues. Have it for reference without delving into the theology.I know Islam is the hot topic, but I don’t want the public school version of Christianity being taught to my kids, either. I just think it’s a slippery slope, and I don’t think it’s fair to the teachers, either. They get backlash for it obviously. It’s controversial and unnecessary if it’s handled correctly.What is your opinion of the current state of WCS and the current leadership?I think our district is in excellent shape. It’s very strong all the way down to Dr. [Mike] Looney to central office administration to the school-based teams. We are in a good position. We typically hire the top 10 percent of applicants and that speaks volumes that that many people want to work here. We pick the best. Even as we progress, we can attract the best people.We moved here for the schools, and they have been known to be some of the best schools in Tennessee. It’s the reason why a lot of people move here, and it’s a huge draw. Whatever the leadership is doing, they must be doing something right.What is the best thing about WCS?The thing that has always set us apart is the community and parent involvement. Other districts would beg for it, and it’s one of the best things we’ve had. I moved to Williamson County Schools to get my kids here when they were little ones. I remember going to the PTO meetings and the fundraisers. I was at Nolensville Elementary with the Williamson County Parents Association, and it’s evolved. Today they do a lot more. It was a grassroots effort then.I just love Williamson County as a whole. I couldn’t wait to get back after I moved away. But the best things on a personal level are the teachers. I have teachers doing the best they can with the constraints they have. The teachers care. At the end of the day as a mother, you want your child to come home feeling important, cared for and to have learned something. If you were to choose those things, you want them to feel loved, and they do that here. What needs attention and what aspect of it could need adjustment?I think the growth will need our biggest attention. We’ve averaged about 1,000 a year for the last several, and it’s getting faster and faster.That’s going to take our attention, and how do we handle this growth in any form or fashion. We need to make sure of the financing with the county and the state.Williamson County receives one of the two lowest amounts in the state, and it floats. We need to continue to hire and keep the best teachers and support staff we can. When we get the kids, we have to make more schools. It’s kind of like we create the desire people to live here in our county.If you ask, the majority they will say that.I think the textbooks need to be evaluated. I would like to see, and this is just moving off in a different direction, but I would like to see them come from companies from here in the United States. Pearson is a United Kingdom company, where a lot of our materials come from. I am not crazy about the math curriculum. I think we really need to drill down on the books so that we are selecting our textbooks carefully.
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