CORY
MARTIN
Williamson County School Board, District 8
Williamson County School Board, District 8
I am a Williamson County dad who has called this community home for more than 20 years. My wife grew up in Williamson County and graduated from Brentwood High. We chose to make Williamson County our home in large part because of the excellent public schools that our two daughters now attend. So when this board makes decisions, they directly affect our family and our future.
Since our oldest daughter started kindergarten, I have volunteered weekly at her school. I have followed the work of the school board closely; I have attended meetings for years and shared updates on local education policy through my Substack to help keep our community informed and engaged.
By profession, I am a software developer, and I bring that same analytical, problem-solving mindset to understanding policy and holding institutions accountable. I believe decisions should be thoughtful, transparent, and grounded in real information.
I have served on several boards, including a nonprofit, our HOA, and church leadership, and I understand how decisions get made and how important collaboration and accountability are to good governance.
I am running for school board in District 8 because this seat should be held by someone with real skin in the game; a parent, neighbor, and community member who is invested in keeping Williamson County schools strong for the future.
I am running because great public schools are worth protecting. Public schools bring people together. There are no tests to pass, no connections required, and no price of admission. They are places where children from every background learn alongside each other and practice the hard work of being part of a community. That is worth fighting for.
I will work tirelessly to keep Williamson County public schools strong, ensuring that we recruit and retain the best teachers, protect our public school funding, provide transparency, and bring genuine political independence to a board that has too often lost sight of its purpose.
As a Williamson County dad with two daughters in our public schools, every decision this board makes affects my family. I have attended meetings, followed the issues, and talked with parents and educators. I know we can do better, and I understand what is at stake if we do not.
I am not backed by a party, a PAC, or a political agenda. I am backed by twenty years of living here and two daughters sitting in these classrooms everyday. I am backed by my neighbors who want less partisan politics in our schools and by educators who want someone to listen. I believe parents deserve transparency, teachers deserve support, and students deserve a board that keeps their needs at the center of every decision.
Recruiting and retaining the best teachers and staff for Williamson County schools.
My top priority is recruiting and retaining the best teachers and staff for Williamson County schools, so we can continue to be amongst the top school districts in the state
Recruitment and retention are not just compensation problems, they are culture problems. Teachers leave when they feel disrespected, overruled, and politically pressured. A board that treats educators as the experts they are, that fights for their funding, respects their professional recommendations, and keeps partisan interference out of the classroom, is a board that keeps great teachers in our district.
The recent science textbook adoption process is a clear example. Many WCS educators spent months evaluating curriculum options, only to have the board override their unanimous recommendation. As one Williamson County educator said, “If anyone on the board ever questions why teaching positions are so difficult to fill, please look directly at this science textbook adoption cycle to get your answer.” (For more on this story, click here.)
That is not a policy disagreement. It is a culture problem.
The teachers who built this district's excellent reputation did not just show up, they were recruited, supported, and respected. We risk that legacy when we override their professional judgment and make them feel like outsiders in their own schools.
As an independent with no party to answer to, I will fight to create a culture that values, supports, and respects our educators. That is how we recruit and retain the best teachers and staff for Williamson County.
Accountable to the community, not to a party or outside interests.
I am running as an independent because the voters of District 8 deserve leadership that is accountable to the community, not to a party or outside interests. I am passionate about public education and committed to transparency in every decision, ensuring families, businesses, and schools all thrive together.
A school board should not be a political battleground. It should be a group of informed, engaged community members making decisions in the best interest of students.
Being independent allows me to focus on practical, forward-looking solutions, from responsible funding to innovative approaches that prepare our community for the future, without partisan politics getting in the way.
Strong public schools depend on stable funding and clear accountability.
Strong public schools depend on stable funding and clear accountability for how taxpayer dollars are used. When public money is invested in our schools, the community deserves to know how it supports student learning and long-term success.
You will often hear voucher programs described as “school choice,” but parents have always had choices. Families can choose private school or homeschool today; that has never gone away. What voucher programs actually do is redirect taxpayer dollars from public schools to private institutions.
If public dollars are being spent, we should be able to measure what we are getting in return. Private schools receiving voucher funds are not required to use the same standardized assessments as public schools, which means there is no common way to evaluate results. Parental satisfaction alone is not a substitute for transparency and accountability.
Public money should support public schools. The schools in Williamson County are the best in the state and a huge draw for families moving here. That translates to more support for local businesses, rising property values, and a healthy, growing community. Investing in strong, well-funded schools is the best way to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education and that Williamson County continues to thrive.
Preparing students for an AI-driven workforce with forward-thinking policy.
Williamson County schools are among the best in the state, and keeping them that way requires a board that is not just protecting what we have built, but anticipating what comes next. As a working software developer, I use artificial intelligence tools every single day. If I didn’t know how to use them effectively, I wouldn’t last long in my field.
Our current AI policy is focused almost entirely on guardrails: approval requirements, data privacy, academic integrity. Those guardrails are incredibly important, but guardrails are not a strategy.
Our students are going to enter a workforce where AI literacy is a baseline expectation, not an elective skill. Computer science students in Williamson County need to learn prompt engineering and AI literacy as core competencies, not as an afterthought.
I want to work with our Computer Science teachers to develop a policy that protects students where protection is needed and empowers them where empowerment is overdue. Williamson County schools earned their reputation by staying ahead of the curve. The board should do the same. Having a forward-thinking technical expert at the table is not a luxury, it is exactly what our district needs to ensure our graduates are ready for the world they are stepping into.
Fighting for resources students need to succeed.
Our schools deserve board members who show up, understand the consequences of their votes, and fight for the resources students need to succeed. Funding is not just about approving a budget, it is about making sure classrooms are equipped, teachers are supported, and programs thrive. I will work collaboratively with other board members who have consistently supported responsible budgets, ensuring that decisions are timely, accountable, and focused on what really matters: supporting students, empowering teachers, and keeping our district strong for the future.