On Wednesday October 4, 2023 Knox County School Board Agenda is the 2023-2024 School Board Committee Assignments, here or below.

For the first time in maybe her 7 years on the board, School Board Member Jennifer Owen is being replaced by one year and this years Vice Chairman Steve Triplett as the TSBA legislative representative for the Knox County Board. Owen who has spent a lot of time during the legislative session in Nashville and watching all the education bills. One would ask, what will she do?

In 2024, the second district seat that she serves is up for election, so likely run for re-election. But, without the ties of a being the board representative, she is free to register as a volunteer lobbyist and is not beholden to advocate to only what the boards positions are.

So what might appear to be punitive treatment to Owen, (the board is split 5-4 on ideology most of the time) might be very freeing for her actually. Triplett has big shoes to fill, to maintain the level of information provided to the board about bills before the legislature.