Meet your candidates: Rebecca Shrem for School Board District 5

In advance of the upcoming local elections, the Gazette sat down with candidates seeking office across Cheatham County to hear directly about their priorities, platforms and visions for the community. 

Each candidate discussed what sets them apart and how they compare to their opponents in contested races. Early voting for the county primaries is scheduled to take place April 15-30 leading up to Election Day on May 5, giving residents ample opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box. See the full early voting schedule here.

Rebecca Shrem is running as a democrat for School Board District 5 – which oversees Pegram Fine Arts Elementary School. The position is currently held by Robert Epps, who is not seeking re-election. 

Shrem is running against Republican Ginger Rose Vann. Since there is one seat for this position, both parties will move their candidates to the general election ballot on Aug. 6. Only Pegram residents will see this seat on their ballot.

Early voting will take place at Pegram City Hall. Kingston Springs residents will vote on election day at Harpeth High School. Pegram residents will vote on election day at Pegram City Hall.

Below, get acquainted with Shrem, 31, who moved to Pegram in 2022 and delve into her perspectives on crucial issues through our comprehensive Q&A session.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

KSG: Can you introduce yourself and explain why you’re running for the District 5 School Board seat?

Shrem: I grew up in Franklin and then I went to UT Knoxville for undergrad and my master's degree – I have a degree in biochemistry. While I was there, I had a really big focus on education, research and teaching. I taught every single semester while I was in grad school, including over the summers.

One of the main things I noticed is that as time went on, the students were coming in with higher GPAs, but they were performing worse and worse in the classes – they were really [lacking] basic skills. We had to use Excel and do basic math and they were really struggling. Most of the students at UT are coming from Tennessee public schools, so that's where my interest has come from. I don't think the schools were necessarily preparing the students for future success. 

My husband, Josh, teaches in metro schools right now, and even though we live almost equal distance to Harpeth High School and Lawson High School – it can be the exact same commute for him – if he was to work at Lawson, he'd be making almost $20,000 more a year. It's a big issue that the teachers are already underpaid, and then we live in Cheatham County and we can't afford for him to work here. It's easy to get to metro schools and get paid 20% more for the same work. 

KSG: What do you think should be the top priorities for improving student outcomes in Cheetham County Schools?

Shrem: Being able to bring in quality educators. I think teacher retention is a big one, too. I've noticed that a lot with Josh and his students – his kids do a lot better if it's consistent in the same teachers 

I do think we need to focus more on general preparation – focusing less on … teaching to the exams and not for the best student outcomes.I did a lot of education research while I was at UT, especially with active learning and how to actually implement it effectively. Trying to make sure we're using science based curriculum, and keeping up with the latest evidence that is actually beneficial for the students. 

I'm also very opposed to generative AI, especially for students, because research has been coming out on that lately, and that is irreparable damage to their brains that I think that would be something that we need to definitely keep the schools away from, because it is going to pop and our students are going to be worse off.

KSG: How will you ensure parents and community members feel heard while also supporting educators and administrators?

Shrem: I don't have kids, so why do I care about the school board? Well, the kids are the future, even if they're not my direct descendants, they're going to be my doctors, my lawyers, my mechanics. We still need to make sure it's an educated population. You don't necessarily need to be a parent to care. Because I don't have children, because I'm not a parent, I'm not in the weeds of it, and have that personal bias

I'm a scientist, I would take the evidence based approach. I would listen to the parents and their concerns, but I don't think that overrides the statistics.

KSG: How do you feel about the School Board's decision to lease the land near Harpeth Middle School for a new Kingston Springs library?

Shrem: I think that would be great. I feel like our library is miles behind the Nashville Library System. People don't realize what the library can be. It is having community space, essentially, and especially with it being so close to the middle school, and they were talking about integrating aftercare and programs. That's what our tax dollars need to be going towards. 

KSG: If you were elected, what do you think success would look like at the end of your four years for the school board?

Shrem: I definitely think competitive teacher pay and being able to retain competitive teachers. I think having curriculum in the schools that is evidence based, and is actually shown to help the students.

KSG: Why do you think voters in District 5 should choose you to represent them on the School Board?

Shrem: I know I'm younger, I know I'm newer to the district, but I did grow up in Tennessee schools, and I did teach Tennessee students. I went to Franklin High School … It was a well funded, well resourced school, that was never a limiting factor, and I want that same success of resources to be available to these students. 

I have the time, I have the energy, I have the drive for it, and I really do want students to succeed.