Category Archives: Bill Lee

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A Policy of Privatization

New education commissioner ready to implement agenda that undermines state’s public schools

Gov. Bill Lee’s new Education Commissioner, Lizette Gonzalez Reynolds, has been on the job since July 1st and says her priority will be implementing a raft of policies supported by Gov. Lee and passed by the General Assembly.

Chalkbeat has more:

Three weeks into her job as Tennessee’s education chief, Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds says her charge from Gov. Bill Lee is to implement existing major policy changes — from how reading is taught to the continued rollout of private school vouchers — not to craft new initiatives.

Privatizing the state’s public schools has long been a goal of Lee’s, and it seems he’s now chosen a chief implementer of that policy.

SHOCKING!

Of course, privatization also comes in the form of handing public dollars over to unaccountable charter school operators – like Hillsdale College.

Exceptionally Bad

Then, there’s the state’s dangerous new school funding formula, TISA:

The Truth about TISA

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Cash Rains Down on Tennessee While Schools Left to Starve

State set for surplus in excess of $2 billion

While Gov. Bill Lee “dreams” of being able to pay starting teachers $50,000 eventually and while the state’s schools languish in the bottom 10 in the nation in overall funding, the state continues to rake in extra cash.

Lots and lots of extra cash.

The numbers this year show a surplus exceeding $2 billion.

Tennessee also had a surplus of more than $2 billion LAST YEAR.

In fact, we keep having extra revenue and policymakers keep NOT investing it in schools.

What should we do with the money?

House Speaker Cameron Sexton thinks we should use our surplus to replace $2 billion in federal education funding.

To be clear, doing so would not change the total dollar amount going to schools – we’d still be in the bottom 10 in the nation in school funding.

Of course, we could use the money to raise teacher pay, invest in infrastructure, and support early literacy.

Why Not Make Teacher Starting Pay $60,000?

The state could also afford to make school meals free for all kids.

Alas, instead of actually taking the yearly surpluses and investing more in schools, Tennessee policymakers seem content to leave us at the bottom:

When it comes to school funding, Tennessee lags far behind our neighbors in Kentucky.

Tennessee Education Association President Beth Brown points out the significance of this disparity in a recent email to educators. In it, she notes:

“It’s not about how the funds are divided, it’s about how many state dollars are put into education,” said TEA President Beth Brown. “To get to the Kentucky level of school funding, Tennessee needs $3 billion added to the state education budget.”

Our state’s schools have a range of needs and our state has a pile of cash. Seems like an easy fix – just use the cash to fund the schools.

So far, though, policymakers and Gov. Lee seem reluctant to do that.

Instead, our education policy is focused on funneling public funds to private schools and extreme charter networks.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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TEA to Lee: We’ll See You in Court

Tennessee Education Association challenges Gov. Lee’s attempt at union busting

The Tennessee Education Association is challenging a new state law that prevents local school districts from allowing teachers to have their association dues automatically deducted from their paychecks.

The move by the Lee Administration was tied to a teacher pay raise and widely seen as an effort to weaken the oldest and largest organization advocating for teachers in the state.

In recent years, TEA has been the source of the strongest opposition to Lee’s agenda of using public money to fund private schools.

Here’s more from Chalkbeat:

Tennessee’s largest professional teachers organization is challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that prohibits school districts from making payroll deductions for employees’ professional association dues.

The Tennessee Education Association filed its lawsuit Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court on behalf of its local education associations and 41,000 members statewide. The complaint names Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, which pushed for the change, and the state education department as defendants. Several local education associations have joined the suit.

Photo by Money Knack, www.moneyknack.com on Unsplash

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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An ATM for an Extreme Agenda

Hillsdale charters gain access to Tennessee tax dollars

Over at The Education Report, I write about how Hillsdale’s charter network has gained access to local tax dollars in Rutherford County – and how this opens the door for them to treat local taxpayers as an ATM in support of their Christian Nationalist agenda.

Ultimately, local taxpayers could end up footing a $350 million bill to support Hillsdale in Tennessee.

Here are some highlights:

Hersch explains that even when there is broad public opposition to Hillsdale’s charters (as has been the case in the Tennessee districts where Hillsdale has applied to operate), the school has found a way to foist its charters on districts.

In Tennessee, that means that even the four rejected Hillsdale charters – in Madison, Maury, Montgomery, & Robertson counties – could end up being approved by Gov. Bill Lee’s handpicked State Charter Commission.

A recent analysis of the potential fiscal impact of Hillsdale charters in Tennessee shows that if all five Hillsdale charters ultimately get approved, local taxpayers could be stuck with a tab of an additional $35 million a year.

If the school ultimately reaches Gov. Bill Lee’s promise of a network of 50 charters in Tennessee, that’s a total local taxpayer bill of $350 million a year.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Lee Brings School Privatization to Chattanooga

Vouchers will be available for Hamilton County students in the 2023-24 school year

Gov. Bill Lee today signed a law expanding his school voucher scheme to Chattanooga.

More from NewsBreak:

Students in these districts (Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga) may receive a voucher in an amount equivalent to the state-generated funding provided to their home district for the student. Under the state’s new school funding formula (TISA), each student generates a specific dollar amount based on a range of factors. The vouchers should range from about $8,000 to around $15,000 depending on where a student lives, family income, and a series of other factors included in the TISA calculation.

Chattanooga Activists Oppose Voucher Expansion

Research has consistently shown that vouchers do not improve student outcomes:

The Verdict on Vouchers

In addition to vouchers, Lee is attempting to privatize the state’s public schools through a network of charter schools affiliated with extremist Hillsdale College.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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New Boss, Same Game

Tennessee’s new Education Commissioner will continue privatization push

There’s a new Commissioner of Education coming to Tennessee and Volunteer State residents will likely be unable to discern any policy differences when compared with outgoing Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

Jeb Bush – known for privatizing Florida public schools by way of both charters and vouchers – was quick to congratulate Lizzette Reynolds on her appointment as Tennessee’s next Education Commissioner.

Reynolds works for Bush’s pro-privatization issue advocacy group, ExcelinEd.

While Gov. Bill Lee credited outgoing Commissioner Schwinn with leading the way for the state’s school voucher program, it seems likely Reynolds will continue pushing various methods of school privatization.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Hillsdale Continues Push for TN Tax Dollars

Why Does TN Act Like a “Broke Dad?”

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Schwinn Out at Department of Education

Pro-voucher Commissioner leaving role at end of school year

Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Scwhinn, who openly advocated for shifting public money to private schools via a school voucher scheme dubbed Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) is leaving her role at the end of the school year.

More from NewsBreak:

Current Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn announced her resignation today, effective in just a few weeks when the school year ends for most districts around the state.

Lee commended Schwinn for her service to Tennessee:

“During her years of dedicated service, Penny has played a key role in our administration’s work to ensure educational opportunity for Tennessee students and secure the next generation of teachers, while navigating historic learning challenges,” said Lee. “I have tremendous gratitude for her leadership and wish her much success in her next chapter.”

Lee credited Schwinn with what he called significant education reform, including ushering in the state’s school voucher program.

Schwinn will be replaced by Lizzette Reynolds, a former top official at the Texas Education Agency.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Hillsdale Heist Week in Tennessee

School Vouchers Headed to Chattanooga

Rutherford County and Christian Nationalist Charter Schools

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Rutherford School Board Approves Hillsdale Charter School

Gov. Bill Lee recruited Hillsdale College of Michigan to open a network of charter schools in the state – a plan he announced last year in his State of the State Address.

Exceptionally Bad

Last year, Hillsdale applied to open “American Classical Academy” in three districts – Jackson-Madison, Clarksville-Montgomery, and Rutherford County.

All three rejected Hillsdale and the charters then appealed to the State Charter Commission. Eventually, though, they withdrew those appeals.

Instead, they would submit new applications in five districts – Maury, Montgomery, Madison, Robertson, and Rutherford.

School boards in Maury, Montgomery, and Robertson counties rejected Hillsdale’s new applications.

However, last night, the Rutherford County School Board voted 5-2 to approve a Hillsdale charter that would open in 2024.

More from the Daily News Journal:

The elected school board voted 5-2, to approve the ACA charter school application that would establish a free public charter school in the county. Board members Coy Young and Shelia Bratton voted in opposition. The school would start by 2024-25 serving 340 students in grades K-5 and phase in grades until reaching 690 students through 12th grade by 2029-30.

An analysis of the fiscal impact of the Hillsdale charter on Rutherford County reveals that at full capacity, the new school would drain some $7 million a year from local tax revenue.

Fixed costs account for at least 40 percent of some school districts’ budgets. Nationwide, Moody’s Investors Service found that a growing number of school districts face “financial stress” due to fixed costs. In Nashville, an independent study found that charter schools would, “with nearly 100 percent certainty, have a negative fiscal impact” on the local school district’s budget.

In 2024, when the school opens, it is expected to carry a fixed cost to the district of more than $3 million.

crop man getting dollars from wallet
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Privatization Efforts Deferred – But Not Denied

Efforts to privatize Tennessee’s public schools were deferred today in a key House Committee.

The privatization push includes potential expansion of school vouchers into Knoxville and the other would open the doors for charter schools to operate in districts without first being subject to local review.

More from The Education Report:

This bill (HB433), as currently written, would expand the state’s school voucher program (known as Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs) to Chattanooga. Currently, the voucher scheme only applies to students in Memphis and Nashville.

It’s bad enough that some policymakers are ready to expand this privatization program to another Tennessee school district. However, what’s even more alarming is that Education Administration Committee Chair Mark White has filed an amendment to expand the program even further – this time into Knoxville.

As you might recall, I wrote about an amendment to the charter legislation that would:

  1. Create a scheme for allowing charter schools that serve homeschooled students
  2. Allow for the creation of residential/boarding schools that are charter schools

These new charters would also be able to bypass local school boards and apply directly to Bill Lee’s State Charter Commission for approval.

That would mean zero local input and zero local accountability – even though millions of local tax dollars would be spent supporting these charter schools.

It’s important to look at these pieces of legislation for what they are: A clear agenda.

Gov. Lee and his legislative allies want to privatize our public schools.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Senate Advances Voucher Expansion

Despite Gov. Bill Lee’s original promise that school vouchers would be confined to Memphis and Nashville for the first five years of the program, the Tennessee State Senate advanced a proposal that would expand the voucher program into Hamilton County and pave the way for further expansion of school vouchers.

The Chattanooga Times-Free Press reports:

The Tennessee Senate has approved legislation expanding the state’s education voucher program into Hamilton County, which would allow low-income families to use public tax dollars to send their children to private schools willing to accept the annual $8,100 vouchers.

Nineteen Republicans voted in favor of Senate Bill 12, and six Democrats voted no. Another eight Republicans either voted present or didn’t take part in Thursday’s vote. The measure now goes to the Republican-controlled House.

The move comes amid an aggressive privatization movement which is also seeing Hillsdale College push to open up to 50 charter schools in the state.

Charters All Around

For more on Tennessee education politics and policy, follow @TNEdReport

A Decade of Education News