Q&A with WCS Board candidate Melissa Wyatt

The News has reached out to all Williamson County School Board candidates for this election. These are their complete answers. To read all of the Q&A responses visit the landing page here.

Name: Melissa Wyatt

District: 7

Personal: I have lived in Williamson County for 23 years. My husband and I have three teenagers.

Share your education experience: I grew up in Texas and attended public schools. I graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in Finance and worked for SunTrust (now Truist) Bank for six years before having children.

Career: While my kids were young, I had my own wedding & event planning business. I stopped that business when we started the adoption process for our third child.

Volunteer work: I am a Sustaining Member of The Junior League of Nashville. I jumped into volunteering in my kids’ schools. At Lipscomb Elementary, I served as Room Mom, Staff Appreciation Co-Chair for two years, and coordinated the Spirit Wear & Spirit Store. I was also a Girl Scout Troop Leader throughout my daughter’s elementary years. While my kids attended Brentwood Middle School, I Co-Chaired Staff Hospitality for two years. Now, my oldest two children attend Brentwood High School and I am one of three Class Parents for the Class of 2027- a liaison position between parents and PTO. Within our community, I am on the Board for the Friends of the Brentwood Library and served as the Book Sale Chair for the last 10 sales, raising a total of over $175,000. Those Book Sales support the amazing programming at our John P. Holt Brentwood Library. I am a member at Brentwood United Methodist Church and over the past 15 years, I have served in many volunteer roles. I have coordinated our service project (mission) for VBS, served as a Crew Leader, Sunday School teacher, Confirmation Leader, and Discipleship Group Leader.

Why did you decide to run in this election?

I feel like serving District 7 on our Williamson County School Board aligns with where I am already spending my time in our community. My years of volunteer roles in Brentwood speak to my strong commitment to our community. People who have worked with me will tell you that I am a collaborative and considerate leader.

What do you think most qualifies you to serve on the board of education?

I have spent a lot of time volunteering in our schools over the past 12 years. I enjoy serving in roles where I am encouraging teachers. I am already engaging with a lot of members of our community through my volunteer work at our schools, at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, and Brentwood United Methodist Church. I have spent time over the past few months meeting with Sheila Cleveland, the outgoing School Board member for District 7, Jason Golden, WCS Superintendent, and teachers.

What is the most important issue facing the Williamson County board today?

Teacher Retention and Recruitment - In addition to offering a competitive salary, I would like to see us think more creatively about teacher retention. What other benefits could we offer our teachers? During my campaign, I’ve had conversations where people have suggested we bring back job-sharing, consider offering child care, and Shipt memberships...I would like to be part of conversations exploring those options. Considering teacher recruitment, I would like WCS to encourage our high school students who show an interest in the field of education. One of the WCS Strategic Commitments is “preparing students for life after WCS”, so we could match interested high schoolers with a teacher mentor to discuss career-paths for educators and insights from the teacher’s experiences.

Safety - I believe all students should feel safe at school. I agree with the district’s thoughtful decision, made in collaboration with law enforcement, not to arm teachers. Also, we need to continue educating students, WCS team members, and families about bullying and harassment. I support equipping our teachers and staff through professional development for these complex issues.

Technology - I think we need to reconsider how we use technology in the classroom and the impact it has on our students’ learning and mental health. Technology certainly has a place in schools, but we need a more balanced approach.

What do you plan to bring to the table for your district's parents and children?

I will be responsive and engaging with the families in District 7. I want to hear about their experiences and work together to make their public school experience the best it can be. I enjoy learning and am not afraid to ask hard questions.

This is the first time your districts are voting in a partisan school board election. Why are you running as an independent candidate?

I am running as an Independent candidate so we can keep the focus on our students, and not on partisan politics. I will push back against extremism from both sides.

What role does politics have in the education system?

I don’t want politics to play a role in our education system. I am concerned by the energy of extremists in our community. I want to keep the focus on our students.

We've just hit a new fiscal year so the board is under a new budget and the superintendent's contract has been renewed. With that in mind please answer the following questions as if you're sitting on the board a year from now.

What kind of questions would you have when reviewing the budget?

When reviewing our budget a year from now, I want to consider how competitive our teachers’ salaries are and what else we’ve done to keep teachers in WCS. I want to understand how we use our spaces - renovations and new construction - when considering our enrollment and projections. I want to encourage WCS to engage with our business leaders and thinkers to make sure investing in public education is a continued priority.

What changes do you think can be made to benefit the schools in your district?

I keep coming back to: our efforts to retain our teachers, talking about technology use, and keeping our schools safe. Each of these three areas is layered and I see a lot of opportunity to benefit our schools.

What do you need to see from the superintendent's annual review to renew again and/or what would make you not renew?

I want to see continued commitment to excellence and communication.

What's a final statement you'd like to leave for the community?

I am ready to serve District 7. Many constituents in District 7 already know me because of the time I’ve committed to our community over the years. I’ve had 20 events in our district over the past few months in an effort to meet people and understand their concerns for our schools. One person recently said to me “well, you sound really optimistic”...and I am! Many things are working in our schools and I am here to broadcast and celebrate those. Also, I am ready to have hard, constructive conversations about what needs to change. I hope my time spent meeting people in District 7 is the beginning of a four-year conversation. Let's work together to keep our schools outstanding.