Travis Wright Running for District 8 School Board Seat
By Focus Staff
Travis Wright has announced he is a candidate for the Knox County Board of Education 8th District seat held by Mike McMillan in the Republican primary. Mr. McMillan recently announced he was not seeking reelection.
The 8th District is the largest in terms of land mass in Knox County, encompassing all East and Northeast Knox County.
Asked why he wanted to serve on the Knox County Board of Education, Travis Wright said, “A good education matters and I want all students to have the best opportunities they can get to become productive and happy members of society.
“I think the great majority of parents in the 8th District feel the same way.”
Wright has a 13-year-old son who attends Gibbs Middle School.
Wright says parents have no greater investment of “hearts and minds and financially” than in their children and he believes parents should have a big say in how their children are educated. Wright says parents face many challenges in today’s world that members of the board of education need to always remember. “I think the school board needs to always keep in mind who pays for everything,” Wright says. “Parents are also taxpayers and that’s what keeps the schools running.”
“I think board members need to remember there are a large number of parents who are working very hard to keep their homes warm, food on the table, and their children clothed,” Wright said. “Those people need to always have their voices heard and if I am elected, I will do my very best to represent their views.”
Wright also stresses his belief in parental rights. “Good parents have their hearts and minds completely invested in their children,” Wright explains. “Parents need to be involved in the education of their children. Parents have expectations about what their children watch or read. Things need to be age-appropriate at all times.”
The 44-year-old businessman is a big believer in looking to the future and thinks that’s a very useful quality for someone aspiring to serve on the Knox County Board of Education. “Board members need to look to the future because the future of our children is entirely in front of them,” Wright insists. “We have to think ahead and while we should acknowledge the past, we need to always be thinking about tomorrow.
“My family has always taught me to give back to my community and I intend to do that,” Wright said.
Wright said is ready to be an advocate for the 8th District.
“The communities that comprise the 8th District include Gibbs, Carter, Corryton, Ritta, Skaggston, Sunnyview, Hills, Fort Sumter, Dora Kennedy, Thorngrove, Shannondale, Chilhowee and Ellistown-Arminda. The 8th District needs a representative who will represent the 8th District and all of Knox County on the board of education,” Wright said. “I believe a representative owes his or her best efforts on behalf of those who elected him or her. That’s who I will speak and work for, the people who elected me.”
Travis Wright has been a life-long resident of the 8th District, having been born in Corryton. Wright graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2002 and began his working career at First Tennessee Bank and eventually started his own business, Informed Logic.
Wright coaches two baseball teams; the Base Knox Royals, which Wright started about three years ago for boys 12-13 years old. Wright also is a volunteer baseball coach for boys that attend Gibbs Middle School.
Early voting runs through February 14-27, 2024, and election day is on March 5, 2024. The primaries for local offices such as the Knox County Board of Education and County Commission will be held in conjunction with the presidential preference primaries.
