Monthly Archives: April 2024

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Comedy of Errors

Lizzette Reynolds’ tenure as Commissioner of Education marked with many mistakes

Tennessee’s Education Commissioner is having a rough go.

From not having the required teaching credentials when she started the job to getting caught claiming a tuition waiver she didn’t qualify for to some seriously disastrous legislative hearings, Reynolds is struggling.

Fox 17 reports on the latest:

What signal does it send that the governor is willing to hire somebody who is completely unqualified, who would misrepresent something on a state application and seek a tuition waiver from a state university just to get on the job training. This is all completely humiliating,” Representative Clemmons emphasized.

MORE TENNESSEE NEWS

Chattanooga Group Opposes School Vouchers

Huge TANF Surplus: How Will State Use It?

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Lakeland Makes Money Moves

District boosts teacher pay, new starting pay is $50,000/year

The Lakeland School District is investing in teachers.

This week, the district announced plans to move starting teacher pay to $50,000 and adjust the pay scale for all teachers accordingly.

Effectively, the plan moves every teacher up four spots on the pay scale.

This will mean raises of between $3000-$5000 for all teachers in the system.

Teacher pay matters. Investing in the people who have direct contact with students is a direct investment in student success.

When teachers get paid more, students do better. In one study, a 10% increase in teacher pay was estimated to produce a 5 to 10% increase in student performance. Teacher pay also has long-term benefits for students. A 10% increase in per-pupil spending for each of the 12 years of education results in students completing more education, having 7% higher wages, and having a reduced rate of adult poverty. These benefits are even greater for families who are in poverty.

More Tennessee News

TSU Takeover

A Push for Pre-K for All

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They Don’t Trust Vouchers

Ed Trust speaks out against Bill Lee’s voucher scheme

The Education Trust of Tennessee is out with a statement opposing Gov. Lee’s school voucher scheme.

While there are key differences between the voucher expansion bills sponsored by Rep. Lamberth and Senator Johnson respectively (HB1183/SB503), The Education Trust—Tennessee stands in opposition to both versions. Our concerns with universal vouchers include, but are not limited to, their negative fiscal impact on public schools, the lack of civil rights protections for students, the lack transparency and accountability on their effectiveness, and the well-documented negative impact of vouchers on student achievement.

They also sent a letter to Members of the General Assembly detailing their opposition.

Speaking of vouchers and their impact on student achievement:

The Verdict on Vouchers

Voucher studies of statewide programs in Ohio, Louisiana, and Indiana all suggest that not only do vouchers not improve student achievement, they in fact cause student performance to decline.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

MORE TENNESSEE NEWS

TSU Takeover

School Board Candidates Oppose Vouchers

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The Long Goodbye

Will the ASD finally close its doors?

Peter Greene offers hope in his latest piece that Tennessee’s failed Achievement School District may finally close.

For over a decade, Tennessee has been home to an ambitious plan for turning around low-achieving schools. Now Chalkbeat reports that state leaders are ready to shut down this failed experiment.

MORE on the ASD:

Failed: Another ASD Story
Lee Continues Predictable Privatization Push
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TN Lawmakers Could Cancel School Lunch Debt

But that’s not on the agenda

Tweet from TN Holler

As lawmakers continue maneuvering to secure passage of legislation that would transfer hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools, they also continue ignoring a glaring need.

School lunch debt.

According to a recent article in Salon, students in K-12 public schools in Tennessee owe a total of more than $50 million in school lunch debt.

“. . . according to 2024 statistics from the Education Data Center, on a state-level, Tennessee has $51,610,062 in student lunch debt and about 285,770 food insecure students.”

If we have $144 million for school vouchers, we have $50 million to cancel school lunch debt.

The total projected cost of the voucher program at full implementation is in excess of $700 million a year.

You know what else would cost just over $700 million a year?

Providing free breakfast and lunch to all Tennessee K-12 students every day.

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Lee, Lawmakers Abuse Power in TSU Takeover

Bill Lee’s Corporate Tax Giveaway: $2 Billion

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Board Room Makeover

Bill Lee replaces entire TSU Board of Trustees

Gov. Bill Lee has completed his planned takeover of the Tennessee’s only state-supported HBCU, Tennessee State University.

His new Board of Trustees appointees include:

  • Trevia Chatman, President, Bank of America Memphis
  • Jeffery Norfleet, Provost and Vice President for Administration, Shorter College
  • Marquita Qualls, Founder and Principal, Entropia Consulting
  • Terica Smith, Deputy Mayor and Director of Human Resources, Madison County
  • Charles Traughber, General Counsel, Division of Real Estate, Retail, and Financial Services at Bridgestone Americas
  • Dwayne Tucker, CEO of LEAD Public Schools
  • Kevin Williams, President and CEO of GAA Manufacturing
  • Dakasha Winton, Senior Vice President and Chief Government Relations Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

MORE TENNESSEE NEWS

Fighting for Truth in Education

Anti-Corruption Legislation