Despite significant concerns regarding a no-bid contract awarded to a vendor who will administer the state’s voucher program, legislative leaders have no plans to take action to stop ClassWallet or the Department of Education from circumventing the legislative process. That’s according to a report from the Associated Press.
Late last year, the education agency selected ClassWallet to help administer the applications and funds once the state’s voucher program begins in the summer. However, due to the department using a noncompetitive grant process to select ClassWallet, the agreement never was submitted to the Legislature for review.
This sparked alarm among some lawmakers unhappy the education agency’s decision to select ClassWallet skirted legislative scrutiny, as well as uneasiness the contract resulted in a higher dollar amount than was budgeted the year before.
After calls for further investigation were made by Democratic lawmakers, McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton asked Lee to provide proof the department acted legally.
“When we asked the governor’s office for how they were able to use this as a grant, they were able to provide some legal authority that they believe gave them that power,” McNally, a Republican, told reporters Thursday. “We still have reservations about that.”
But when asked about revisiting the education department’s decision surrounding ClassWallet, McNally said no.
To be clear: The legislature mandates various accountability measures for teachers and schools — TVAAS, Priority Schools Lists, School Improvement Plans, etc. — but, when the Department of Education fails to follow the legislative process designed to foster accountability, they get a free pass.
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We should have learned from past history that rules are made for other people not for Penny Schwinn. The smack she got from our legislators was nothing more than a dog and pony show for the public. This woman is dangerous but as usual we will wait until the damage is done before we get rid of her. TX pushed their liability off on TN. She is also putting the gears in action to remove what little local control the LEAs have and to implement her pet programs of indoctrination and privatization. I would not be surprised if her next attack is against our elected school boards. She is bringing the agenda of her buddies in Texas to Tennessee. Her/the whole child is a movement to mold the values, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and dispositions of our children to fit the globalist agenda. With $250 MILLION now slotted for a Mental Health Trust Fund the greedies will all want a piece of that pie. I predict we will see a huge uptick in TN children with mental health issues. We really should evaluate the mental health of the evaluators before we allow them near our children.
Education is NOT about getting a job Mr. Governor. Education is not to train our children (your human capital) to fill the needs of of the Chamber of Commerce and its cronies.
We are and have been sliding down a slippery slope for years and under Penny Schwinn it is not going to get better, Governor Lee and the people in his administration from TFA, Broad Superintendent Academy, American Federation for Children and StudentFirst we will continue to ride that slippery slope and will make out nicely. Our children will be the victims of this agenda.
My advice is to do whatever you can to get your children out of the system. If you don’t have children in the system do whatever you can to help a fellow member of your community to get their child out. We all need to come together and do whatever we can to create an alternative system outside the eyes of the government.