How long have you lived in Williamson County?
17.5 years
Employer/Occupation:
Bridgestone Americas / Director
What was your personal education experience for primary and secondary education?
I attended both public and private schools
What are your family connections to Williamson County Schools?
My kid(s) currently attend a WCS school (2024-2025), My kid(s) graduated from WCS
Which WCS school(s) do your children attend? (Write N/A if not applicable)
Centennial High School
What, if any, involvement have you had in local public schools before running for this office?
My two kids have attended both FSSD and WCS schools. I have volunteered in my kids’ classrooms, supporting theater programs, and served as a member of the Franklin Elementary School Shared Leadership Team.
Please list any professional or personal organizations you’re currently involved with or have recently been involved with (within the last 3 years), including where you sit on a Board or committee, volunteer, or regularly attend meetings:
Within the last 3 years, I have served on the Moore’s Landing HOA Board of Directors for the past two years as Treasurer and President (1 year each). And I have served on our HOA Architecture Committee for 3+ years, currently serving as Chairperson.
What do you think are the three most pressing issues facing Tennessee public schools (especially Williamson County Schools) at this time, and how do you plan to address them?
The three most pressing issues I feel we are facing in our Williamson County Schools are (1) recruiting and retaining the best teachers; (2) ensuring all of our students feel safe and enjoy a shared sense of belonging in our schools; and (3) keeping the focus on real issues (e.g., 1 and 2, here) and not partisan/ideological “issues” (i.e., “book bans”). As for how to address each issue, for #1, please see my answer to your next question. For #2, we need to ensure that WCS policies provide for an environment where our kids feel welcome, supported and comfortable being themselves – in other words, they feel a part of a caring, supportive community. Our larger community heard and saw a lot of prejudicial words and actions during the Franklin BOMA election last year; there have been reports of racially motivated bullying; and several speakers at school board meetings have made clear that there are members of our community who do not believe in supporting all students. We need to be proactive in making sure our students have teachers who look like them – which means we need to have more diversity in our pools of candidates for open teaching positions. And for this issue in particular, it will be important that parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and board members listen to one another, seek to find common ground, and collaborate towards solutions that help meet these goals. For #3, I am very intentionally running as an independent, non-partisan candidate because I do not feel that the introduction of partisan politics to our public school boards is serving the best interest of our students or teachers. We should not focus our priorities on what a state or national party platform dictates; rather, we should be focused on real issues that Williamson County parents, teachers, and administrators believe are most important for our students. The Board needs to develop policies and budgets that support the needs of all of our students – keeping our schools the invaluable economic and community assets that they are.
What is your vision for recruiting and retaining teachers?
First, we need to ensure that our teachers have a very competitive salary and benefits package. I am encouraged by all of the recent comments from both our School Board members and County Commissioners confirming that they support giving our teachers a 6% raise. Likewise, I am encouraged to hear comments by the BOE supporting the need to have equal supplemental pay structures for our fine arts teachers and athletic coaches. This said, I am concerned by some of the misinformation being shared by some in the community that could leave us without adequate funding to make the raises possible. I hope that the BOE and Commissioners will discuss in good faith and find a way to provide the required funding to support this well-deserved raise. Second, while competitive salaries and benefits are a critical element necessary to recruiting and retaining the best professional educators, we also need to do a better job at ensuring our teachers feel valued, respected, and supported. I feel it is critical as a Board member to listen first – to parents (parents’ rights are of course very important), but also to our teachers. As professional educators (teachers, librarians, administrators), they also play a critical role, and we need them to know that their opinions are also valued. And lastly (for now), while the BOE cannot directly influence housing costs, I feel they can play a role advocating for affordable housing options in Williamson County with County Commissioners, the Franklin Mayor and Board of Aldermen, and other government entities who can help in this regard – our teachers should have options to live closer to their places of work.
What areas of the WCS strategic plan do you think need the most attention?
While all three strategic commitments that serve as the foundation for our strategic plan are important (preparing students for life after WCS; team quality; and learning environment), in line with my comments above, I feel that the third priority, learning environment, needs attention. The first objective under this priority is “create a district-wide culture where all students and all WCS team members have a place of belonging and are included, supported, and respected.” I believe we can and should do more to ensure our policies are robust and set a proactive direction to ensure our students and staff enjoy a shared sense of belonging to our school community. And I believe our plans can be more specific and clear about how we will strive to engender a welcoming environment for ALL students.
What are some positive steps that you think the district can take to further improve inclusion of all students regardless of race, religion, or political preference?
One positive step would be to encourage student groups with teacher mentors where students feel comfortable to bring their authentic selves and be celebrated for who they are. These kinds of groups are open to all students, and provide a chance for students from varied backgrounds to come together, learn about one another, and enjoy each others’ company. Examples could include gay/straight alliance or African American heritage or Asian American / Pacific Islander heritage groups. Another action we can take is to work towards having teachers who look like our students (gender, race, ethnicity, etc.) – this can be done by actively seeking out diverse sets of candidates for teacher openings.
Recent legislation in TN permits school districts to allow armed teachers in public high schools. Would you support arming teachers in Williamson County schools? If so, in what scenario?
No. I am very happy Mr. Golden has clearly stated that we will not purse armed teachers in WCS. I do not believe that armed teachers is the right way to provide for a safe learning environment in Williamson County Schools – more guns is not the solution to school safety. I also do not believe a teachers with 40 hours of basic training can possibly be prepared to handle a potential situation that our police have extensively trained for. I am proud to have been awarded the 2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
One responsibility of the school board is to evaluate the superintendent’s record. From your perspective, how has Superintendent Golden performed recently?
I have a lot of respect for Mr. Golden and believe he and his leadership team are doing an excellent job. As a recent example, I very much appreciate the work they have done preparing the budget proposal for the 2024-2025 school year. They are always ready to answer challenging questions from the Board, and it appears to me that they have removed all unnecessary spending rom the budget. This said, one of the key roles of the Board is to provide oversight for the Superintendent and I would look forward to ensuring he and his team are challenged to continuously strive for improvement.
Do you agree with the WCS Board’s resolution to denounce a voucher program? Why or why not?
Yes. WCS are among the best in the state and I am concerned about the potential shifting of resources away from our schools and what could be the impact on our schools. If some of the funds set aside by the legislature for vouchers were available for our public schools, we would not have the budget funding issue the BOE and Co. Commissioners are not discussing. I am also concerned about public funds being used for private education – schools that are not held to the same academic measurement standards, or required to meet the same standards for special needs families. I am pleased that the Governor’s voucher bill did not pass both chambers in the last session. If the Governor should push for his voucher plan again next year, I will remain very much opposed – and would support another resolution as appropriate.
If an incumbent, what are you most proud of during your tenure in office?
N/A
Will you participate in non-partisan public candidate events for this election? (e.g. forums or townhalls)
Yes
If elected, what methods will you use to communicate with your constituents?
Should I have the honor of representing District 11, I will strive to always listen to our parents and teachers. I will use email as my primary communication method, but also will maintain a presence on social media. And I will always be available for phone calls or in-person meetings as appropriate to talk through issues in more detail.
My website is: https://www.
My email address is: tonycaudill4d11@gmail.com.
My FB page is: https://www.facebook.com/
And my Instagram link is https://www.instagram.com/
What do voters need to know about you that we haven’t already asked when deciding whom to support and vote for as their representative?
I have two opponents in this race – an “R” and a “D”. The most obvious difference between them and me is that I am running as an independent, non-partisan candidate. I believe our Board should focus on what Williamson County parents, teachers, and administrators identify as real issues and feel is best for our kids – NOT what a state or national party platform says. If voters in District 11 agree with me about this, I am the only candidate who can honestly say I am not tied to partisan ideologies or objectives. Second, I have recent and current experience with my kids in WCS schools. Both of my opponents children graduated years ago. I can speak from real, current experience about potential issues in our schools. Third, I have 30+ years’ experience working with and leading teams in large, diverse organizations, finding common ground, and accomplishing things together towards shared goals and objectives. And I believe I can bring this experience to bear in a productive way on our school board. And please let me share the four key pillars of my campaign. First, I want to build on our schools’ tradition of excellence, focusing on real issues and opportunities for continuous improvement (not tearing down or resetting anything). Next, I will bring a collaborative mindset to the Board, meaning I will listen first – to Will Co parents, teachers, administrators, and fellow board members, seeking to understand first, then find common ground, so that we can accomplish things together towards our shared goals and objectives. Third, I want to ensure a supporting environment for our students – ALL of our students should feel safe and enjoy a shared sense of belonging to our school community. And lastly, I am very intentionally running as an independent candidate as I do not believe the introduction of partisan politics into our school boards is serving the best interests of our students or their teachers. Please visit my website (https://www.tonycaudill4d11.