Rev. Matt Steinhauer, one of the Interim Pastors of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Franklin, said, “Our teachers here in Tennessee work hard to provide every child a life and skill-forming quality education, yet Governor Lee is determined to get in the way by denying adequate funding, supporting distractions such as banning books, and now working to pass his harmful voucher scheme that would take funds meant for our public schools and instead give them to private schools.”
The long game, then, is to dismantle public education, hand the profits to privateers, and restrict education resources such that the haves have more and the have-nots have never.
The privatization of Tennessee’s public schools has long been a goal of Gov. Lee:
Elmer Mobley has officially announced his candidacy for Williamson County School Board District 1, representing the Fairview area.
Mobley is a longtime community activist and advocate for public education.
In his announcement, he explains the simple reason he’s running:
“My vision for our schools is simple,” Mobley explained. “Every child, regardless of background or zip code, deserves access to an equitable education that fosters excellence, engagement, and a sense of belonging.”
Aftyn Behn to seek full term in legislature in 2024 elections
A state representative who last year won a special election to fill a Nashville House seat has announced she plans to seek re-election this year.
Rep. Aftyn Behn of the 51st District representing a portion of Nashville will be on the ballot again in the 2024 cycle.
Since her election last year, Behn has proposed repealing the state’s grocery tax.
As an organizer on state policy issues, she has long been an advocate for public schools and has opposed using public money to fund private schools.
As Gov. Bill Lee has promised to move forward with a universal school voucher scheme, Behn will likely have an opportunity to vote to defend public schools in her first session as a lawmaker.
5th district school board member to run for a second term
A current member of the Williamson County School Board has announced she’ll be seeking re-election in 2024.
Jennifer Aprea, who represents the 5th District (Nolensville area) filed her petition to run as an Independent in the upcoming election.
“As a current WCS parent, volunteer, and engaged Board member, I feel strongly that our rapidly growing area deserves continuity in their representation which is why I’m choosing to run for another 4-year term serving their needs,” says Aprea.
New policy punishes schools for poverty, state’s lack of funding
In yet another push to privatize the state’s system of public schools, the Lee Administration this week released its A-F letter grades for schools. Each public school in the state was assigned a grade of A-F based on criteria that heavily emphasizes the results of state testing.
Schools receiving D and F grades may be subject to audits or called before a state committee to discuss corrective action.
Of course, that corrective action is not likely to include an investment of state funds. Tennessee continues to be in the bottom 10 in the country in school funding and underfunds schools by nearly $2 billion annually.
While the policy was passed in 2016, it is going into effect this year – just ahead of Lee’s push for a program of universal school vouchers.
As the scores were released, opponents of the effort spoke out.
“These letter grades don’t help students, and they don’t provide clear and concise information that is useful to parents,” said TEA President Tanya Coats.
“These flawed letter grades will never define a school, their students and families, or their teachers and staff. What these letter grades do show is the consequences of bottom 10 in the nation student funding and a failure by the state to move resources to the students who need them most.”
I wrote several years ago about the correlation between the state’s TCAP testing scores and poverty rates.
The A-F scores tell us which schools may need more help – and they tell us that we’ve not done a great job of adequately funding public education. They also tell us that the state allows poverty to persist – in spite of having billions of dollars in various reserve funds.
Oh, and since the grades are based on the results of state tests, it’s worth noting that Tennessee’s track record of testing is abysmal.
The states have taken different approaches – and the results suggest that Tennessee just might be on the wrong track.
What’s happened in the intervening 10 years? Has Tennessee closed the gap with Kentucky when it comes to economically disadvantaged kids?
Actually, no.
In both 8th-grade math and reading, the gap with Kentucky has expanded. Tennessee trailed Kentucky by 2 points in 8th-grade math in 2013 but now trails by 7. In reading, Kentucky went from being 2 points ahead to being 6 points ahead.
In 4th grade in both math and reading, the gap between the states remained the same (+3 for Kentucky in math, +8 for Kentucky in reading).
Turns out, another decade of pushing for privatization has not helped those Tennessee kids most in need of help.
An Independent (nonpartisan) candidate has filed to run for Williamson County School Board from District 11 (Franklin, Thompson’s Station).
Tony Caudill announced this week that he will run in the election to be held on August 1, 2024.
“Williamson County Schools are among the best public schools in the nation and have played a significant role in attracting families and businesses to our area. I believe the Board should work on opportunities for continuous improvement and focus on the very real issues that accompany rapid population growth, such as staffing, transportation, student safety, and adequate funding, which impact our students and staff members on a daily basis,” says Caudill. “My commitment will always be to strive to do what is best for all of our students, their teachers, and their collective success.”
