Central Labor Council of Nashville Middle Tennessee Endorses Candidates

The Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee has released a list of endorsements for the August 4, 2016 Metro Nashville elections. On the ballot will be school board races, property assessor and State Legislative primaries.  The CLC in conjunction with the Tennessee AFL-CIO are diligently working on State indorsements which will be released in the near future.

It is particularly important to note early voting begins July 15^th though July 30^th.The Nashville Middle Tennessee will conduct a mailing, phone bank and robo calls for endorsed candidates and some targeted door to door interaction as part of their efforts to mobilize the Union voter turnout. It is particularly important to note early voting begins July 15^th though July 30, 2016.

Below is a brief summary of each endorsed candidate and the rationale for their endorsement.

2016 CLC Endorsements for Metro School Board

District 1 – Janette Carter

Janette Carter worked in Metro Nashville Public Schools as a teacher, coach and an assistant principal for more than 20 years.  Following that, Janette accepted a position with The Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center as the Executive Principal in 2007 serving for seven years before retiring in June 2014.  Mrs. Carter has a demonstrated commitment to the public school system and to the importance of collective bargaining and fairly compensating public school employees.

District 3 – Jill Speering

Elected in 2012, Mrs. Speering has shown the courage needed to stand up to the privatization movement in public schools.  “It seems like a business model,” she said. “And what do business models do? They cut costs. The kids that are going to cost the most don’t really fit their business model — high-needs kids, low-performing kids — they don’t fit the business model as well as the high-achieving children.” – Jill Speering In a contentious atmosphere, Speering has stood up to special interests.  Mrs. Speering advocated for the USW 9426 School Bus Drivers to get a better pay plan.

District 3 – Will Pinkston

Will Pinkston is a product of Metro Nashville Public Schools (Overton High School Class of ’89) and he is an MNPS parent. Before joining the school board, Will served as a senior advisor to former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and helped develop education policies that made Tennessee the fastest-improving state in the history of the Nation’s Report Card.  Will Pinkston did not receive the CLC endorsement in 2012, but he has a vocal against excessive charter school expansion since being elected.  He advocated for the USW 9426 School Bus Drivers to get a better pay plan.

District 9 – Amy Frogge

Mrs. Frogge has been a very strong opponent of excessive Charter School expansion.  In 2014, Frogge made accusations on profiteering, corporate interference, the intentional weeding out of poor-performing students, so-called “no excuse” models that limit student creativity, racial isolation of charters and the disruption their creation have on neighborhoods. On her website, she lists FUNDING FOR LOCAL SCHOOL and SUPPORTING TEACHERS as two of her priorities.  Mrs. Frogge advocated for USW 9426 School Bus Drivers to get a better pay plan.

The Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee represents more than 16,000 working families in Nashville & Middle TN, represented by more than 40 affiliated local unions and community organizations. We are united for dignity, respect, and fairness on the job and in our community.