Public commenters clash over vouchers, DEI and an ethics complaint involving board member Aaron Mayberry

Public comment at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Board of Education meeting centered on competing views about proposed education funding changes, diversity-equity-inclusion policies and an ethics complaint involving board member and state representative Aaron Mayberry.

Teacher Maxwell Jasper Bearden, who said he teaches students with moderate to severe disabilities, urged the board to oppose broad voucher-style funding shifts and described potential harms to students with high needs. “When I think of the gargantuan figure, $146,000,000 proposed to support a voucher plan… it feels like a slap to the face,” Bearden said, arguing that vouchers would divert resources from Title I schools and students who rely on school-provided services.

Nicholas Wojciech, who identified himself as a Kenwood…