Rutherford County Board of Education, Zone 4
August 6, 2026 · Rutherford County School District, Tennessee · School district · general
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 20 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 199,454 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(724,876 ÷ 199,454) ÷ ln(724,876 ÷ 1,173) = 20.08, comparing unified school districts in TN (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
School Board Member is responsible for:
- Setting policy for the school district
- Approving the district budget and spending
- Hiring and reviewing the superintendent
- Deciding school boundaries, calendars, and curriculum choices within state rules
Affected Areas: Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction, Public Safety and Crime Control, Public Education Quality, Data Privacy, Civil Rights, Public Infrastructure
Candidates
Brian Hall
Democratic · declared
Brian Hall of Smyrna is the Democratic nominee for Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 4 in the partisan August 6, 2026 general election, challenging Republican incumbent Katie Darby. He has not previously held elected office.
Dayna Nichols
Independent · declared
Dayna Nichols is an independent candidate for Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 4 in the partisan August 6, 2026 general election. A career educator, she is the principal of Rockvale Elementary School and plans to retire at the end of the school year. She has not previously held elected office.
Katie Darby
Republican · Incumbent · declared
Katie Darby is the Republican incumbent for Rutherford County Board of Education Zone 4, seeking re-election in the partisan August 6, 2026 general election. A parent advocate first elected to the board in August 2022, she won her May 2026 Republican primary and faces Democrat Brian Hall and independent Dayna Nichols.
Election sources
Source: wgnsradio.com
Source: mainstreetmediatn.com