Latest news with #BetsyHenderson
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knox County Schools board chair Betsy Henderson announces run for mayor
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Knox County Schools Board of Education Chair Betsy Henderson has announced that she will be running for Knox County Mayor in 2026. Henderson confirmed to 6 News that she took the formal step on Friday to appoint Zane Duncan as the treasurer for her campaign. She added that there will be a more formal announcement about her campaign to be the next of Knox County in the coming weeks. Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority board member following Blackburn and Hagerty's criticism 'Over the past few months, I have been so encouraged by the heartfelt conversations I've had with people throughout Knox County. It is clear that we find ourselves at a crossroads,' Henderson wrote. 'We have the opportunity to keep our county a place where families thrive, where conservative Christian values guide us, and where personal freedom, responsibility, and hard work are celebrated. A place where our policies empower parents to make the best decisions for their children, where taxes stay low, and where local businesses flourish without the burden of government overreach.' Earlier this month, Henderson told 6 News she was considering joining the race for mayor, adding that she was being encouraged to run by leaders from across the county. Substitute teacher in Sevier County accused of statutory rape, sexual exploitation Henderson has served on the Knox County Schools Board of Education since December of 2020 and as chair of that board since September 2023. Her current term is slated to end in August 2026. So far, it appears Henderson will be running for the position of County Mayor against Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay, who announced his plans to run in 2026 over a year ago. Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond also announced in April of 2024 that he planned to run for mayor, however, in November, he withdrew from the race to seek re-election instead. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Betsy Henderson says she's 'actively' considering run for Knox County mayor
Betsy Henderson, chair of Knox County's Board of Education, is "actively exploring a run for mayor." "I care deeply about our community and will do everything I can to protect and preserve the Knox County we love," Henderson told Knox News in a text. "As I talk to people around Knox County, one thing is abundantly clear: our country needs leaders who will fight to protect families and our way of life." Henderson was elected to the school board in 2020 to replace Terry Hill, who had been elected to the Knox County Commission. Henderson, a Republican, was reelected to her seat in 2022 and became chair in 2023. Henderson has prioritized literacy and special education as a school board member. In 2023, she backed an effort by the parents of special education students to reform the district's approaches to meeting their needs, and supported the creation of a student success accountability officer to make sure the district complies with laws and board policies related to students with disabilities. The Republican primary currently has just one certain candidate, Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay. He represents the whole county as an at-large commissioner and declared his intention to run in January 2024. The primary takes place in spring 2026 and the general election is August 2026. No Democrat has declared for the race. The deadline for candidates to enter the race is Feb. 19, 2026. Henderson made news in January when she spoke in favor of private school vouchers at a Tennessee House education committee meeting, saying "We cannot allow another year to pass without giving every family this freedom." After that appearance, Hill took the rare step of publicly rebuking another public official, especially one from the same political party, telling Henderson her statement in support of school vouchers was a "gross misuse of a position of power." Hill, a constituent of Henderson's and former school board chair herself, leveled the criticism in response to a post Henderson made to her public Facebook page defending her decision. Henderson, an East Tennessee native, worked in Washington for U.S. Reps. John Duncan and Connie Mack before moving to Hardin Valley. Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg. CORRECTION: An earlier version inaccurately reported that Betsy Henderson supported hiring contract workers to fill 63 vacant special education positions. Henderson voted against the proposal after it was amended to prevent Knox County Schools from sharing job applications it received with the private company, linking to the company's hiring page from the KCS website and helping the company recruit with social media posts on KCS accounts. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: KCS chair Betsy Henderson 'actively' considering run for county mayor
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knox County School Board chair defends support for school vouchers after backlash
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knox County School Board chair Betsy Henderson is responding to backlash after she went to Nashville to voice her support for school vouchers before lawmakers passed the legislation. She says she spoke as a private citizen, however, some have criticized the move, saying it is hard for an elected official to blur the line between being a public figure and a private citizen. Jury hands Megan Boswell life sentence after guilty verdict During an interview for Tennessee This Week, Henderson defended her actions. 'I did go in my personal capacity, I made that abundantly clear. And before I went, I do have an email here, I did email the law director to make sure I was doing everything properly. And he did email back, saying 'Yes, you did everything properly.' They followed up and watched my testimony, said everything was great, and so, I was just happy to be there. I will always fight for principles. I will always stand up for issues I believe in. This is something that I ran on twice and won twice,' said Henderson. Lawmakers propose constitutional amendments for gun rights, property tax ban, right to refuse medical treatment She went on to say that she is not the only school board member to share support for school vouchers. 'We did have three other board members either go to Nashville or speak publicly at a rally in their capacity as a board member, and I fully support that. I fully respect their right to do that as a board member,' said Henderson. She continued, 'So, I don't believe in this double standard that I'm seeing on social media, that I'm doing something wrong when three other board members did the same thing. And I don't see the outrage against them. It's just that people are opposed to the issue and those are the people that are coming after me.' South Knoxville business owners feel let down by bridge repair timeline On January 31, the Senate and House of Representatives passed Gov. Bill Lee's statewide expansion of school vouchers, otherwise known as the 'Tennessee Education Freedom Act of 2025.' Lee signed the bill into law on Feb. 12. It provides around $7,000 in 'scholarships' in public taxpayer money for parents in Tennessee to use at private schools if they so choose. Watch Tennessee This Week on WATE Channel 6 on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and find past episodes on YouTube and Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
