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← Back to Fayette County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-05-05

Contest for School Board District 3

None None
primary - Partisan - School Board District 3
Elect 2 candidates

About this office

Members of the Fayette County Schools Board of Education govern the Fayette County public school district. Fayette has three school board districts. Board members hire and evaluate the superintendent, adopt district policies, approve the school budget, set district goals, and oversee compliance with federal and state education law. Members are required to complete seven hours of annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association School Board Academy.

Compensation: stipend set by the county commission; state law requires a minimum of $4/day under T.C.A. ยง 49-2-202.

Term length: 4 years.

This role calls for

  • Policy judgment on district-wide matters โ€” curriculum direction, personnel policy, facilities, and student services โ€” within Tennessee education law.
  • Budget literacy for the Fayette County Schools operating and capital budgets.
  • Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent.
  • Constituent relations with parents, teachers, and community members across the district.
  • Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual training through the TSBA Board Academy.

Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.

Campaigns

Republican Primary 2 candidates
Warner E. Speakman

Warner E. Speakman
๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘Ž ๐Ÿคก ๐Ÿ˜ก ๐Ÿคท
Chairman of the Fayette County Schools Board of Education representing District 3; affiliated with FCPS since 2011. Military veteran; journeyman electrician (IBEW Local 58, Detroit) with an Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree; later worked with TVA Engineering Design in electronics and communications. Long-time contractor and 30-year design-firm partner. Has filed School Board Statement of Interest forms for 2024, 2025, and 2026. In October 2025 was named a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by four Black FCPS employees alleging racial discrimination and retaliation; 2025 community demonstrators called for his resignation alongside then-interim superintendent Eddie Keel.
Joe Chiarella

Joe Chiarella
๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘Ž ๐Ÿคก ๐Ÿ˜ก ๐Ÿคท
No substantive public biographical information was located in local news, Ballotpedia, or the FCPS board directory. Current District 3 seats are held by Melanie McGuire, Hal Rounds, and Warner Speakman โ€” he appears to be a first-time challenger. Bio does not indicate prior school-governance experience, education-sector career, school-district budget literacy, or formal education. He has not filed a Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest.