State Board of Education: Tonya Chestnut says education is her passion

Alabama State Board of Education member Tonya Chestnut listens to a presentation during the board's regular meeting on February 9, 2023. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

This is one in a series of profiles of Alabama State Board of Education candidates. Read the profiles to date here.

Tonya Chestnut said that education and children are her passion.

“And being a voice for children and just education as a whole,” she said.

The Democratic incumbent said she still has a lot to offer the board as she seeks a second term representing State Board of Education District 5. Chestnut is the only Democrat in the primary but will face a Republican challenger in the general election.

Tonya Chestunut

Age: 62

Party: Democratic

Occupation: part-time realtor and consultant, retired educator

Education: B.S., Early Childhood education, Jacksonville State University, 1982; M.Ed., Early Childhood Education, Alabama State University, 1985; Ed.S, Instructional Leadership, Auburn University Montgomery, 1997; EdD, Concordia University, 2020.

Offices held/sought: Alabama State Board of Education, 2021-present.

District 5 includes much of the Black Belt and most of Montgomery County. 

Chestnut said that her three priorities are recruiting and retaining teachers; literacy; and creating safe learning environments.

Chestnut said that it can be hard to attract teachers to rural communities, so she would like to look into incentives. For retention, she said she wants to make sure that people have the support they need.

Chestnut said she wants students to have literacy support beyond early grades and literacy for choosing career and college choices.

“We are in a state where what’s offered from school district to school district is not the same,” she said. “It puts the students that are in more rural communities at a disadvantage, because they are not afforded the same opportunities.”

For school safety, Chestnut said that she wants safeguards in place. She said they should also be considering cyber-bullying, as well as what happens on campuses.

She said a lot of challenges spill onto campuses from the community.

“So bridging that gap between the community and the school, making sure that everybody’s on the same page and ensuring that our children are in a safe place,” she said.

Chestnut later added that she would like school resource officers in every school.

The Alabama Legislature is currently considering a bill that would provide up to $7,000 for households with school-age students to pay for education-related expenses. It has passed the House.

Chestnut said parents have the right to make the best decisions for their children but if public funds are being used, private schools should have the same accountability and requirements as public schools. 

Alabama has historically scored relatively low on the NAEP, or “The Nation’s Report Card,” but its scores have risen relative to other states in the latest cycle. To improve NAEP scores, Chestnut said that she wanted to make sure that students have the necessary support. But she said that the NAEP is one assessment and not all students start at school on the same level.

“We’ve got to make sure that we are intentional in providing the necessary support, so that all children can be successful, and I’m not sure that we have accomplished that at this point,” she said.

This story was updated to include an EDS and specify that Chestnut retired from education.

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