Knox County school board members elected Democrat Katherine Bike on Sept. 8 to chair the nine-member body. Democrat Anne Templeton will serve as vice chair.
This is the first time in years a Democrat will lead the school board. After a long stretch of holding nonpartisan school board elections, Knox County returned to partisan elections beginning in 2022. In the August general election, Democrats flipped a reliably Republican seat to win a 5-4 majority, and with it the power to choose the board chair.
None of the four Republicans supported Bike or Templeton in their nominations or in the votes to elect them to the leadership positions.
Bike won a second term in August to represent District 4, which covers parts of West Knoxville, including the
Bearden, Rocky Hill and West Hills neighborhoods. This is her first time in a school board leadership position.
Bike told Knox News she's looking forward to building on her strong working relationships with Knox County Mayor Betsy Henderson, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon and Knox County Commission chair Terry Hill. All three women previously served as school board chairs.
Bike said she hopes Henderson's time on the school board will serve as an important reinforcement of the importance of Knox County's public schools.
Templeton is in her first term after she was elected in 2024 to represent north Knoxville's District 2, which covers parts of north and central Knoxville, including neighborhoods such as Belle Morris, Fourth and Gill, Oakwood and Old North Knoxville. She initially supported previous Vice Chair Travis Wright to keep his position, but he declined her nomination.
"We are all elected officials and represent a diverse set of students across 91 schools," Templeton told Knox News. "Although I would have preferred to make our first step of this new body a bipartisan one, I will be honored to take on the leadership role as nominated and will serve with all students as our priority."
Wright declined a request for comment from Knox News after the vote.
"I think Travis has done a good job over the last year, and it stinks – the partisanship of it," Bike told Knox News. "I don't know if that he didn't want to do it, or if it was something political."
The board chair presides over each meeting, can call special meetings and sets the tone for discussions, often influencing whether conversations are contentious or cordial. The chair determines when board members can speak and for how long. The chair also is the main point of contact with district leaders, which includes setting the agenda for each board meeting.
Six experienced members realistically could have been considered to lead the board. Three new members − Democrats Breyauna Holloway and Brandy Jenkins and Republican Lee Ann Eaves− were elected in August and unlikely to be considered for board leadership positions.
Who serves on the Knox County Schools Board of Education?
There are nine members on the Knox County school board, and members are elected from geographical districts. Members are elected on a rotating basis:
Board of Education members are not term-limited.
Are you unsure who represents you? You can input your address into KGIS, which will tell you who represents you on the school board, Knoxville City Council (if applicable) and the Knox County Commission.
District 1
District 1 is represented by Breyauna Holloway, who is starting her first term on the school board. Holloway, 41, is a Knox County Schools graduate.
Schools represented
- Austin-East Magnet High
- Beaumont Magnet Academy
- Chilhowee Intermediate
- Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy
- Fair Garden Family Community Center
- Ft. Sanders Edu. Development Center
- Green Magnet Elementary
- L&N STEM Academy
- Lonsdale Elementary
- Maynard Elementary
- Pond Gap Elementary
- Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy
- Vine Middle Magnet
- West View Elementary
Neighborhoods represented
District 1 is centered on downtown and includes neighborhoods to the immediate east and west, including East Knoxville, Fort Sanders, Lonsdale, Marble City, Mechanicsville and Pond Gap.
How to contact
- Email: breyauna.holloway@knoxschools.org
District 2
District 2 is represented by Anne Templeton, who is in her first term on the school board, and is up for re-election in 2028. Templeton is the director of maker initiatives at The Maker City, and was the PTA president at Beaumont Magnet Academy.
Schools represented
- Belle Morris Elementary
- Central High
- Christenberry Elementary
- Fountain City Elementary
- Fulton High
- Gresham Middle
- Inskip Elementary
- Richard Yoakley
- Shannondale Elementary
- Spring Hill Elementary
- Sterchi Elementary
- West Haven Elementary
- Whittle Springs Middle
Neighborhoods represented
District 2 covers parts of north and central Knoxville, including neighborhoods such as Belle Morris, Fourth and Gill, Oakwood and Old North Knoxville.
How to contact
- Email: anne.templeton@knoxschools.org
District 3
District 3 is represented by Patricia Fontenot-Ridley, a former Knox County Schools teacher, who is in her first term. She retired from Belle Morris Elementary School and grew up going to District 3 schools herself before graduating from Farragut High School.
Schools represented
- Bearden Middle
- Bearden High
- Cedar Bluff Preschool
- Cedar Bluff Elementary
- Cedar Bluff Middle
- Ridgedale School
Neighborhoods represented
District 3 includes the Cedar Bluff and West Hills communities.
How to contact
- Email: patricia.fontenotridley@knoxschools.org
District 4
District 4 is represented by Katherine Bike, who is entering her second term. Bike is a University of Tennessee at Knoxville employee and community health councilmember.
Schools represented
- A.L. Lotts Elementary
- Bearden Elementary
- Blue Grass Elementary
- Knoxville Adaptive Education Center
- Northshore Elementary
- Rocky Hill Elementary
- Sequoyah Elementary
- West High
- West Hills Elementary
Neighborhoods represented
District 4 covers west of downtown and includes the Bearden Hill, Bluegrass, Rocky Hill and West Hills neighborhoods.
How to contact
- Email: katherine.bike@knoxschools.org
District 5
District 5 is represented by Lauren Morgan, who works at the nonprofit Project Gabriel. She's been involved with the Farragut schools' parent-teacher organizations.
Schools represented
- Farragut Primary
- Farragut Intermediate
- Farragut Middle
- Farragut High
- West Valley Middle
Neighborhoods represented
District 5 covers the schools in Farragut and western Knox County.
How to contact
- Email: lauren.morgan@knoxschools.org
District 6
District 6 is represented by new board member Lee Ann Eaves. She's a retired teacher with experience teaching in private and public schools.
Schools represented
- Amherst Elementary
- Ball Camp Elementary
- Hardin Valley Elementary
- Hardin Valley Middle
- Hardin Valley Academy
- Karns Preschool
- Karns Elementary
- Karns Middle
- Karns High
- Mill Creek Elementary
- Northwest Middle
- Norwood Elementary
- Pleasant Ridge Elementary
Neighborhoods represented
District 6 represents the northwest part of the county and shares borders with Anderson, Loudon and Roane counties. It includes the Ball Camp, Hardin Valley and Karns neighborhoods.
How to contact
- Email: leeann.eaves@knoxschools.org
District 7
District 7 is represented by Stephen Triplett, who is entering his second term. He is a business manager.
Schools represented
- Adrian Burnett Elementary
- Brickey-McCloud Elementary
- Copper Ridge Elementary
- Halls Elementary
- Halls Middle
- Halls High
- Powell Elementary
- Powell Middle
- Powell High
Neighborhoods represented
District 7 represents the north central part of the county. It shares a border with Anderson County to the west and Knoxville city limits to the east. It includes the Halls, Heiskell and Powell communities.
How to contact
- Email: stephen.triplett@knoxschools.org
District 8
District 8 is represented by Travis Wright. He's been on the board since 2024.
Schools represented
- Career Magnet Academy
- Carter Elementary
- Carter Middle
- Carter High
- Corryton Elementary
- East Knox County Elementary
- Gibbs Elementary
- Gibbs Middle
- Gibbs High
- Holston Middle
- Ritta Elementary
- Sunnyview Primary
Neighborhoods represented
District 8 represents east Knox County, including the Carter, Corryton, Gibbs and Mascot communities.
How to contact
- Email: travis.wright@knoxschools.org
District 9
District 9 is represented by new board member Brandy Jenkins. She is a senior manager of operations.
Schools represented
- Bonny Kate Elementary
- Dogwood Elementary
- Gap Creek Elementary
- Knox County Virtual School
- Mooreland Heights Elementary
- Mount Olive Elementary
- New Hopewell Elementary
- South Knoxville Elementary
- South-Doyle Middle
- South-Doyle High
Neighborhoods represented
District 9 runs along the south side of the Tennessee River to the borders with Blount and Sevier counties The district includes all of South Knoxville and Knox County.
How to contact
- Email: brandy.jenkins@knoxschools.org
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Democrats selected as chair and vice chair of the Knox County school board
