Rutherford County School Board elects Shelia Bratton as new chair

Rutherford County School Board members voted Shelia Bratton to be the new board chair Tuesday evening, replacing former chair Tammy Sharp.Sharp withdrew from serving another one-year term due to a medical diagnosis that she wishes to focus her full attention on.“I just wanted to thank everyone for the emails, the texts, and the phone calls in support of my well-being and my new diagnosis. I even had some people here tonight. Thank you, thank you everyone, and it was an honor for me to serve the last year and aside Dr. Sullivan and we’re gonna keep going. We’re gonna go from here,” said Sharp.Board members nominated Bratton and fellow board member Katie Darby to become the new chair but 5 of 7 members voted Bratton in.The new board chair didn’t make a public statement but could be seen saying “thank you” to her supporters. One of them made a passionate plea for leadership changes prior to the vote.Board member Frances Rosales spoke out against the treatment she says she’s received from supporters of other school board members and leaders, including cyberbullying. Rosales said a new leader is needed to unite the board.“I have been personally maligned, attacked, and cyberbullied by supporters of people of some school board members and leadership,” said Rosales. “The reason I ran for seat on the school board is because I genuinely believe that education opens doors to opportunities. I firmly believe that every child, regardless of their social economic background, deserves a quality education. It’s not about me. It’s time to find new leadership who has the capability to maintain harmony within the board, is willing to work collaboratively, and will work and advocate for the collective will of the board, regardless of what that may be, because we owe it to our students and employees to find solutions to the problems we face.”Board member Clair Maxwell will serve as the new vice chair, gaining the majority vote over former vice chair Caleb Tidwell.