Monthly Archives: January 2026

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Manchester Teacher Earns $25,000 Award

NewsChannel5 reports on a Manchester teacher who won a Milken Foundation Award, which includes a trip to Washington, DC and $25,000.

However, it was something else pretty great. Among the guests were past recipients of the Milken Educator Award. It’s part of the Milken Family Foundation and recognizes outstanding teachers. Winners get a trip to Washington DC for an awards program and $25,000.

Dr. Joshua Barnett of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching had the name.

“Who is it? Are we ready to find out?” he asked the student body as they cheered. “Students, do we want to know who the best teacher is? The Milken Educator Award goes to Holly Logan!”

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Lee Leaves Kids Hungry

Federal School Vouchers are Bad News

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Schools as ICE Agents

Tennessee Republican lawmakers, eager to prove their allegiance to Trump, have filed a raft of bills on immigration. And, they say they are considering a measure requiring schools to collect immigration information.

NewsChannel9 reports:

Lawmakers confirmed they are considering a proposal involving the collection or verification of immigration status data for K-12 students, but said details are still being worked out. Leaders said they are waiting on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, particularly regarding potential impacts on federal funding.

It remains unclear how data would be stored or whether it would be shared beyond education agencies.

Some school districts are already speaking out in opposition to the effort:

Knox County Sends a Message
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The GOP Goal: End Public Schools

Jack Johnson, Bill Lee, and DEI

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Feeding Vouchers

A lawsuit over school vouchers in Ohio points to disparities in state funds received, with public schools coming out on the losing end.

The coalition representing public school districts says the voucher program violates the state constitution’s equal protection provisions by providing more funds for some students receiving vouchers than their public school peers.

In the 2023-2024 school year, students in Richmond Heights Local School District received $1,530 in state funding. Students in Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District received $2,600. That’s far less than what EdChoice students in grades K-8 received, $6,166, and high school students got, $8,408.

The districts argue this disparity is unjustified and discriminatory, and that public school students should not have to leave public education to receive equal treatment.

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Bill Lee Takes Down Summer Food Assistance Program

Education Stories to Watch in 2026

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Cold Water

House GOP Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison pours cold water on the idea of expanding Gov. Bill Lee’s private school coupon scheme:

https://twitter.com/thetnholler/status/2011449101163065765?s=46
Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Vouchers Causing School Closures in Arizona

Gov. Bill Lee Takes on Hungry Kids – and Wins . . . Again!

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Another Music City Miracle?

TC Weber reports on a charter application by a former Tennessee Titan:

A familiar name from the Music City Miracle is now making a different kind of play.

Kevin Dyson—former Titans receiver, longtime educator, and recent principal at Centennial High School—is seeking to open a charter school focused on student athletes.

Music City Academy aims to launch in 2027, offering robust athletics alongside academics and career exploration beyond playing the game.

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Federal School Vouchers are Coming

Aggressive Privatization of TN Schools

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Voucher Numbers

TC Weber takes a look at the state’s voucher numbers:

This week, the Tennessee Comptroller released a 163-page analysis of the second program. Reviews are mixed—and appropriately so.

The report shows:

  • Program growth from 452 students to nearly 3,700
  • Participation still far below the 15,000 seats authorized
  • Of 98,000 eligible students, only 7,019 applied (7.2%)

Several findings deserve closer scrutiny:

  • 24–36% of ESA recipients never used their vouchers
  • It’s unclear where unused funds went
  • The majority of ESA students did not attend public school the prior year

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Alarming AI Research

An End to Public Schools

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Concentrated Losses

Nashville blogger TC Weber adds additional insight into his look at student attrition in MNPS.

Two key notes:

Here’s what that comparison shows:

  • August 2025: 81,066 students
  • January 2026: 78,943 students

That’s a net loss of 2,123 students in just five months.

Which schools are losing students?

When we look at schools that remained open and consistently coded, the largest enrollment losses are concentrated in familiar places:

  • Antioch High School: –184
  • McGavock High School: –184
  • John Overton High School: –124
  • Cane Ridge High School: –118
  • Glencliff High School: –94
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What’s Happening in Pittsburgh?

Gov. Lee and Hungry Kids

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Will Pittsburgh Adopt an ASD Model?

You remember Tennessee’s Achievement School District (ASD)? You know, the abject failure of a policy implemented by former Gov. Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman?

The state took over “low-performing” schools under the direction of a state-appointed superintendent.

And, the results were – not great.

A $1 Billion Failure

Now, some in Pittsburgh are suggesting a state takeover of schools there. The appointment of a school board unaccountable to voters.

In the face of dissatisfaction with current elected officials, some in Pittsburgh are calling for a state takeover of the city’s public schools:

There is, therefore, only one choice: Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor must appeal to Gov. Josh Shapiro to support legislation placing the district’s finances under state supervision, and disbanding the elected board in favor of appointed experts.

The writer continues:

PPS is broken beyond repair. Only an outside force can transform it. Happily, there is a mechanism to apply such a force.

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Vouchers Decimate Arizona Public Schools

Bill Lee Loves to Keep Kids Hungry

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Arizona and Voucher Danger

Runaway school vouchers lead to school closures.

In every state.

Every time.

The evidence out of Arizona is clear:

8 more community schools close: Our hearts break for the Kyrene and Scottsdale communities, as their school boards have voted to shutter neighborhood schools. Kyrene voted to close 6 schools, and Scottsdale Unified voted to shut down 2 schools at the end of this school year. These votes come after months of emotional community input and difficult conversations about budget constraints. This brings the total number of schools shut down since universal ESA voucher expansion to 28, with at least 4 more closures expected in Amphi.

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Bill Lee 2, Hungry Kids 0

Alarming AI News

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Bill Lee’s Hunger Game

Will Bill Lee make sure Tennessee kids get summer food assistance OR will he continue to be a lackey for Trump?

Easy: Lee chose Trump over kids. For the second year in a row.

Following last year’s “liberation” from federal assistance in feeding hungry kids during the summer, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee will also forego funding for food assistance in 2026.

Tennessee Lookout reports on this year’s decision:

Despite the urging of county mayors, child advocates, clergy and educators, Gov. Bill Lee has declined to secure millions of dollars in federal funding to provide food to low-income kids by the government’s Jan. 1 deadline.

Lee joins a group of a dozen GOP governors who are refusing summer EBT benefits at the behest of Trump, who wants states to be less “dependent” on the federal government.

And, apparently, Lee is willing to score political points even if it means hundreds of thousands of kids face food insecurity.

Which, by the way, what kind of sick political game creates incentives for actively promoting childhood hunger?

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Be Alarmed About AI in Schools

Bill Lee Once Signed a Pro-DEI Bill