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 student, urged the board to broaden the district’s family-life curriculum and increase student representation in decision-making. “Every student deserves to feel valued for who they are, not reduced to a label or stereotype,” he said, calling for curriculum that includes consent, healthy relationships and fuller coverage of LGBTQ topics.

Other speakers pressed different concerns. Garfield Scott, identifying himself as a community member and a Montgomery County Democratic Party trustee, called for Aaron Mayberry to step down from the school board and argued Mayberry’s state-level positions on diversity and on restricting immigrant students’ school access made him an unsuitable representative for all students.

By contrast, several speakers defended Mayberry and the policy goals he supports. Kevin McPherson described positive experiences that led him to back charter schools and school-choice options; he said he does not believe Mayberry should resign and noted it is not illegal to hold multiple offices. Alex Castano (also recorded in the transcript as Alexander Koster/Alex Castano) said he and other supporters see Mayberry as “honest, transparent, faith-driven” and said the complaint against Mayberry was politically motivated. A speaker who identified himself as Alex Castano said the Tennessee Ethics Commission had dismissed the complaint and called it “a colossal waste of time,” attributing that characterization to the commission; that statement was reported by a public commenter and is presented here as that individual’s claim.

Monica Meeks, who said she volunteered as a TCAP proctor and identified as a veteran, urged attention to the lived experiences of students and said diversity, equity and inclusion efforts address structural barriers that affect opportunity.

The public-comment period also included an earlier safety concern from Andrea Brown, a parent of a virtual-school student who asked the district to coordinate with law enforcement when activities occur on state highways; she said Central Services’ parking-lot exit is hazardous during morning traffic.

Board members did not take formal action on the policy questions raised during public comment. Several board members later urged civility and respect during public remarks and said they value hearing a range of voices. The meeting’s public-comment segment concluded before the board moved to consent items and the budget vote.