Feb. 8—Ben Torres had one question for the Cumberland County Board of Education.

“Why are you on the board?”

The Tennessee School Boards Association assistant executive director and general counsel facilitating Wednesday’s all-day retreat kicked off the meeting by seeking each board member’s response.

“It’s certainly not light work. It’s always extra; you’re doing it on top of what you’re doing for your day jobs,” Torres said. “So why are you here?”

He also posed a similar question to Director of Schools William Stepp.

“The teachers came to me, and they wanted me to be a voice for the teachers,” said Anita Hale, 4th District.

Hale is a retired teacher who spent more than 30 years in the classroom.

“I had expressed a desire earlier when I was teaching that I might like to run for the board,” she said. “They remembered it, so here I sit.”

Board Chairman Teresa Boston, 8th District, first ran for school board eight years ago.

“I’ve always had an interest in education,” she said. “I’ve always had an interest going into the classrooms. Those kids inspire me. What can you do for them? The best possible place that you can be is on the Board of Education.”

Elizabeth Stull, 1st District, said she ran to protect children, teachers and staff. She said she wants to work for those who don’t feel comfortable speaking out.

“With COVID, parents were being left out of a lot of different conversations or decisions that were being made,” she said.

Sheri Nichols, 3rd District, describes herself as a fixer. She said she wants to help grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and have become unaccustomed to maneuvering the school system.

“People in the community asked me to,” she cited as her reason for seeking her school board post. “I wanted to make sure the parents had a voice.”

She’s also concerned with safety. She sang the praises of law enforcement and school officials working to keep students safe, as well as school administrators, personnel and teachers.

“They’re the most educated, kind, wonderful people I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “And this whole building is full of them.”

Nick Davis, 5th District, grew up in Cumberland County and is a product of Cumberland County Schools.

“I really love the community,” he said. “Learning more about what it is that the education system, the Board of Education, the schools can offer, the more you realize how impactful the decisions you make actually are. I really wanted to do my best to best understand what it is to be on the board, what it is to work with the director of schools, what it is to work with other board members in hopes that we can expedite the processes that allow our decisions to make an impact. Without the impact, everything else is just noise.”

The school board, to retired educator Chris King, seemed the next logical step.

“Education and learning’s been my life,” said King, who represents the 6th District. “So when I retired, the job of being on the board interested me. If there’s something I’ve done and can give back, that’s what I’m here for.”

Shannon Stout, 9th District, attended school board meetings for about a year and a half before she decided to seek office.

“I really believe in public education and the importance of it and that each child has an opportunity to learn and grow and be equipped with what they need to go out and become good citizens and productive people in the world,” she said.

She said she had been asked by members of her community to run for school board.

“I wanted to do something to give back to the community and help the children, help our staff,” Stout added.

Before becoming director of schools, Stepp had been involved in education for 25 years. He said he was used as a school leader to help schools get better quickly.

“My parents lived here all the way up to about four or five years ago,” he said. “I went to school here, so I just thought I’d come back and serve the greater good. I left at 18 and came back at 50.”

Torres said the question helps board members understand each other and the decisions they make. He pointed out that though the school board has been divided for months, Torres noted that reasons cited for seeking office are similar.

“You want to help the community,” he said. “You want to help the students. You care about the people in the community. You care about the teachers, student safety. You want to make an impact. You just want to leave it better than when you showed up.”

He added, “Everybody’s here for the students.”

Two board members — Robert Safdie and Becky Hamby — were unable to attend Wednesday’s board retreat. Safdie, who represents the 2nd District, was out of state. Hamby, 7th District representative, was out of town due to the death of a family member.