Tag Archives: Hamilton County Schools

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Vouchers on Verge of Expansion in Tennessee

Just days after it was revealed that Gov. Bill Lee’s privatizer of choice, Christian Nationalist Hillsdale College, will be again attempting to open publicly funded schools in the state, a move is underway to expand the state’s voucher program.

Guess Who’s Back?

This despite Lee’s pledge when the program was approved in 2019 that it would be at least five years before vouchers moved beyond Memphis and Nashville.

Readers might well remember all the scandal surrounding that original voucher vote:

Hot Chicken, Sex, and Vouchers

Now, Chalkbeat reports that Hamilton County state Senator Todd Gardenhire has introduced legislation that would expand the program to schools in Chattanooga.

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican, wants the legislature to expand the eligibility criteria for the education savings account program to include students in districts with at least five of the state’s lowest-performing schools, as identified in the last three “priority school” cycles since 2015.

Under those criteria, Hamilton County Schools, which is based in Chattanooga, would qualify

Make no mistake – the ultimate goal is full privatization of public education in Tennessee. It has been Gov. Lee’s goal all along:

SHOCKING!

In 2018, I wrote:

In spite of years of evidence of where Bill Lee stands when it comes to supporting our public schools (he doesn’t), many school board members and county commissioners across the state supported his successful campaign. These local elected officials often touted his business acumen and support of vocational education as reasons to back him. However, it’s difficult to imagine these same officials just “didn’t know” Bill Lee backs a scheme to divert public money to private schools — a scheme that has failed miserably time and again in other states and localities.

More likely, they just didn’t care. Bill Lee was on the right team and spoke the right, religiously-tinged words and so earned the support of people who will look at you with a straight face and say they love Tennessee public schools.

Much the same can be said of 2022 – Lee spent four years assaulting public education and yet many local officials stood by him because he wears an “R” on his jersey and is affiliated with a familiar brand of Christianity.

Will these same elected officials be surprised when local taxes rise and public education is replaced by Hillsdale’s theocracy-promoting charters?

Or is this the future they’ve been waiting for?

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

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

SCORE Releases Policy Priority Report

Wilson County School Board Removes Two Books from Schools

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Lock Them Up?!

Will Tennessee librarians face criminal liability?

In May, I wrote about legislative attempts to criminalize school librarians if so-called “objectionable” books were found in the stacks of their libraries.

Criminal Librarians?

Apparently, the incoming District Attorney in Chattanooga is willing to consider criminal liability along these lines as she indicates in the video below.

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1557428224426123265?s=20&t=eLmbicmAoymaGgA6Nucd3w

Also, she mentions she’s besties with Moms for Liberty.

What Does Moms for Liberty Want?

Will Moms for Liberty be giving Wamp and the Sheriff a list of books which, if present, should result in prosecution?

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

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Intellectually Lazy

A Chattanooga mom accurately describes the approach of Moms for Liberty at a Hamilton County School Board meeting.

Here’s video:

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1504823121660030980?s=20&t=St0pDBOn7cwOiUv0KczOlA

More on Moms for Liberty:

What Does Moms for Liberty Want?
Moms for McCarthyism Push Cancel Culture Agenda

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

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A Lesson on Books from Hamilton County

Even as a cancel culture group sought to ban books from school libraries in Hamilton County, they ran into serious opposition and, well, facts.

The Tennessee Holler has some key video:

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1451630393048846344?s=20

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Cancel Culture Group Seeking to Ban Books in Hamilton County

Moms for McCarthyism (Moms for Liberty) Seeking to Eliminate Texts that Make them Uncomfortable

The Tennessean’s Meghan Mangrum reports that Cancel Culture “mom” group Moms for Liberty is working in support of an effort by Hamilton County School Board member Rhonda Thurman to ban certain books in Hamilton County Schools.

Thurman, a long-time board member, expressed concerns in an op-ed last week over the use of curse words and references to sex and violence depicted in library books found in Hamilton County schools.

Thurman referenced four books: “More Than We Can Tell” by Brigid Kemmerer, “On the Come Up” by Angie Thomas, “Far from the Tree” by Robin Benway and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and called for them to be removed.

Mangrum notes that groups representing librarians in Tennessee are opposing Thurman’s efforts:

But Tennessee librarians argue students’ “freedom to read and unfettered access to information” is protected by their First Amendment rights.

“Every book is not for every reader but every child should have access to books they may want to read. School librarians strive to know learners and assist them in finding books that fit their needs and interests. Ready access to a wide variety of reading materials increases the chances that learners will become readers and choose to read,” read a statement from the groups released Thursday.

The move in Hamilton County comes as Moms for Liberty is causing chaos in Williamson County and looking to spread its cancel culture vibe to Sumner County.

Moms for McCarthyism Push Cancel Culture Agenda

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

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Bill Lee’s Privatization Agenda

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Teachers Organize for Pay Boost in Hamilton County

Teachers in Hamilton County are seeing a strong outpouring of community support ahead of a planned town hall meeting do discuss teacher compensation, according to a story in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press:

Hundreds of teachers and supporters of public education are continuing to organize ahead of a Sunday town hall aimed at discussing teacher compensation and how to fund public education in Hamilton County.

Since a group of Hamilton County Schools teachers, now called Hamilton County United, released an open letter on Oct. 20 calling out five county commissioners for voting against increased funding for public education, hundreds more have signed on.

The move comes as teachers in Hamilton are highlighting both low pay and a significant amount of uncompensated time and out-of-pocket expenses:

“If those averages apply to the entire county, we’ve got about $2.5 million in uncompensated time and expenses that we’ve given,” said Brock.

The teacher pay crisis in Hamilton County comes as districts across Tennessee struggle to attract and retain teachers. Shelby County has explored a significant pay raise and Nashville’s school board recently heard a proposal about boosting pay.

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

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Hamilton County Schools will “rework” Budget after Commission removes Tax Increase

The Hamilton County Commission last night removed a proposed 34 cent property tax increase that would have funded a school budget that included raises for teachers and hiring additional school counselors.

Here’s more on what the proposed budget would have provided to Hamilton County Schools:

The Hamilton County School Board put their stamp of approval on next year’s budget Thursday. That includes $34 million more than the 2019 budget. It would increase teacher pay and add more counselors to schools. It would also boost inclusion time for special needs students.

The move in Hamilton County follows a similar property tax increase rejection in Davidson County (Nashville). The financial strains in both Chattanooga and Nashville are indicative of the failing state school funding formula (BEP). By some estimates, the state underfunds the BEP by at least $500 million each year.

There’s currently a lawsuit pending challenging the adequacy of state funding for schools.

It’s also worth noting that the General Assembly passed a voucher plan this year that will mean less money available to fund school districts across the state.

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

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Teacher Top Ten List

Meghan Mangrum of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press has a Top Ten Wish List for teachers presented by the head of the Hamilton County Education Association at tonight’s school board meeting. Here it is:

10. Quality instructional materials

9. Real and relevant professional development and learning opportunities

8. Fewer whole system changes at once

7. Adequate resource for all

6. More individual planning time

5. A new Commissioner of Education who listens to practitioners

4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T and having a voice

3. Less time testing

2. Safe learning environment for students

1. Adequate funding of public education

 

 

Teachers, what are your thoughts? What items are on your 2019 wish list? Let me know in the comments or via email at andy@tnedreport.com

 

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


 

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The Schoolhouse Heist

Unifi-Ed out of Chattanooga has this to say about legislation related to Signal Mountain creating an independent school district:

Tennessee Senate Bill 1755 was proposed on January 23, 2018 by State Senator Todd Gardenhire. The bill proposes that all property and assets in a municipality that belong to a county school system would be forcibly transferred to the municipality if it forms an independent school district.

There are a variety of consequences of this bill, if it passes, that run counter to the desires expressed by the Hamilton County community through the recent process of the forming the Action Plan for Educational eXcellence (APEX Project).

Reverse Robin Hood Effect

Under this bill, the state would force the transfer of assets from one entity to another without compensation. Taxpayers own their schools, yet this bill would allow for their property to be seized. Historically across the state, and within our own community today, the municipalities that have formed independent districts have been affluent suburbs.

This situation creates a transfer of wealth from lower income neighborhoods to more prosperous communities. It is, in effect, a “reverse Robin Hood” effect — stealing from the poor to give to the wealthy.

READ MORE on this attempt to force the transfer of school district assets without compensation. The basic premise that the entire county’s taxpayers paid for the buildings would seemingly dictate that any creation of an independent district would result in at least some proportional compensation back to the larger district.

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


 

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TC Talks Chattanooga

Nashville-based education blogger TC Weber takes some time to explain a bit more about what’s happening with Chattanooga and the state’s Achievement School District in a recent post.

Here’s how he explains what’s happening since the threat of an ASD expansion team in Hamilton County became more real:

Let’s take a quick trip down to Chattanooga where last night a historic vote took place. The Hamilton County School Board voted 7 -2 to continue the conversation about creating a partnership zone with the Tennessee Department of Education. In case you are not familiar with the Partnership Zone plan, it’s the latest quick fix scheme developed by the TNDOE because people have started to catch on to the dumpster fire that is the Achievement School District. Under the Partnership Zone plan, both the county and the state would work together to improve underperforming schools in the district.

The plan calls for the a creation of an appointed board that would oversee the Partner Zone. This creates a bit of a conundrum. Under current law, schools governing boards can only be elected entities. So this would require a change in legislation. A change that could open a virtual pandora’s box because what’s to stop other districts from switching to an all appointed board, a hybrid, or turn control over to the mayor or other appointed officials?

The term partner is a little bit of a misnomer. The state is making it perfectly clear who wears the pants in this relationship right from the out set. The HCS Board was told that they could choose not to pursue the “Partnership Zone” but if they didn’t State Superintendent Candice McQueen would take all 5 of the priority schools plus two more schools and dump them in the Achievement District. If this is in fact a threat she was prepared to follow through with, it’s a little troubling and a clear sign that she’s willing to play politics with kids. The ASD is an unmitigated failure that should be ended this legislative session not used a stick to ensure district compliance.

As Weber points out, McQueen is using the threat of aggressive state action (takeovers, fines) to attempt to get her way lately. So far, that has not resulted in yielding in Nashville or Memphis. It will be interesting to see how the Partnership Zone plays out in Chattanooga.

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