Williamson County School Board Chair Nancy Garrett recently announced a slew of endorsements for her re-election bid.
More from a story originally published at NewsBreak:
District 12 School Board candidate Nancy Garrett announced today that her campaign has the support of more than 100 public education leaders as the incumbent board member seeks re-election in August.
In a statement, Garrett said:
“I’m honored to have the support of these school leaders who are the backbone of our community. These citizens have worked together to build the positive national reputation of WCS schools in the arts, athletics, and academics.”
These endorsements include current and former parent volunteers from many school support organizations, former and retired local teachers, and former WCS and FSSD school board members and administrators.
Garrett, the incumbent District 12 representative for the Williamson County Board of Education, has also been elected by her fellow Board Members to serve as Board Chair since 2020. Prior to that, she served two terms as Vice Chair. A Williamson County Schools graduate, and daughter of a WCS teacher, she was appointed to the Board in November of 2016, and elected to the Board in 2018. She was a PTO leader every year of her son’s school career and has had 15 family members graduate from WCS.
Among the endorses is Lauren Sullivan, a former PTO President at Oakview Elementary, who said:
“Nancy Garrett loves her community and its citizens. She has a passion for our schools and children. I trust her to keep our students and teachers at the forefront of her decision-making process, and I enthusiastically endorse her for the District 12 school board seat.”
Kent McNish, a former Franklin Special School District (FSSD) Board Member said of Garrett:
“The voters of FSSD elected me to the Board of Education five times between 1994 and 2012. I was privileged to know and work with Nancy Garrett. She has a strong commitment to the children of the WCS. Her record of service is outstanding. I hope the voters of the 12th District will return her for another term. A good Board member brings no bias to the work of a school board–only what is in the best interest of children. She supports principals, teachers, and she supports families. I am proud to support Nancy Garrett for another term on the Williamson County Board of Education.”
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has never been a fan of or advocate for Tennessee’s public school teachers. Now, he confirms that in a revealing moment reported on by NewsChannel5’s Phil Williams.
In it, a key education advisor to Lee disparages teachers repeatedly while Lee sits in silence and nods in agreement.
Responses to Lee’s public confirmation of his disregard for teachers were swift, including this from his home county of Williamson:
The Democratic Party in Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s home county is calling on the governor to repudiate remarks made by a top education advisor. The Williamson County Democratic Party is also noting its stance in support of teachers in Williamson County and across Tennessee.
In an emailed statement, the group notes that it “stands in solidarity with public school teachers across Tennessee, especially those in Williamson County. Yesterday, Governor Bill Lee, a graduate of Franklin High School in Williamson County, nodded his head in agreement while an advisor of his was openly mocking public school teachers at an event for charter school teachers.”
Jenn Foley, chair of the Williamson County Democrats, said:
“We will not stay silent when our public school teachers have had two of the hardest years in recent history during the Covid pandemic. They have risked their lives to teach our children, and we must boldly stand up and support them now and every day. I have three kids in our wonderful public schools, and I know firsthand how hard they work for our families. We cannot allow our leadership to decimate our public schools.”
Courtenay Rogers, vice chair of the party and candidate for Williamson County Commission said:
“Families move to Williamson County because of the great quality of life and the excellent public education we provide our children. Our schools are one of the main reasons businesses choose to relocate to our community as well, and we need to be focused on increasing funding and improving teacher salaries and benefits, not calling our teachers dumb.”
JC Bowman, head of Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET) said in a tweet:
"Larry Arnn’s comments are reprehensible and irresponsible. What was even more hurtful than Arnn’s comments is that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee sat there while educators, Colleges of Education, and public education were disparaged. Bill Lee’s silence spoke volumes." pic.twitter.com/OONrt6v9Oa
Newly elected Tennessee Education Association President Tanya Coats said:
“Tennessee educators worked tirelessly through the past three school years to keep their students engaged, safe and healthy during a global pandemic. Many did so at the expense of their own health and wellbeing. To now witness their governor stand silently alongside out-of-state privatizers as they are cruelly and unfairly attacked feels like a punch to the gut. There is no excuse.
Our public school educators and teacher prep programs are the foundation of our state’s great public schools. Our governor would do well to remember that the continued success of our state is intrinsically tied to the success of our system of strong public schools, not charter schools.”
Lee’s silence and complicity in the denigration of teachers should come as no surprise. He’s repeatedly demonstrated his priority is on privatizing public schools. He’s also consistently shown his lack of respect for and appreciation of teachers.
Bill Lee ran a campaign predicated on the idea that our public schools were failing and the solution was/is charters and vouchers. He’s made good on that commitment as Governor. At this point, no one should be surprised that Bill Lee is nodding along as Tennessee’s public school educators are under attack.
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Knox County School Board candidate Kat Bike issued a statement today calling out a deceptive campaign tactic known as “push polling” which she suggests is spreading misleading information about her to voters.
Here’s the campaign’s statement:
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The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) announced the election of new leadership this week. Here’s more from a press release:
Hundreds of educators attending the 89th Tennessee Education Association Representative Assembly elected new association leaders. Veteran Knox County educator Tanya T. Coats was elected TEA President. Johnson City middle school teacher Joe W. Crabtree was elected TEA Vice President.
“The strength of TEA is rooted in our member-leaders who use their passion for education to further the association’s work to ensure every student receives a high-quality public education and every educator has the support and resources needed to do their jobs effectively,” said TEA Executive Director Terrance Gibson. “I am confident President Coats will carry on the great work of the association on behalf of TEA’s tens of thousands of members and all Tennessee students.”
Coats takes office July 1, after serving as TEA Vice President and President of the Knox County Education Association. She brings decades of experience as a public school educator and long-time association member. Coats will be on-leave from her position as New Teacher Liaison with Knox County Schools during her tenure as president.
“It is an honor and a privilege to step into this role representing thousands of educators across the state,” said Tanya Coats. “I am committed to being a vocal, tireless advocate for educators, students and public education. I look forward to partnering with other public education advocates in advancing the great work of our public schools and the Tennessee Education Association.”
Crabtree is a proven leader as a local association president and TEA board member. His experience in the classroom and within the association makes him a solid partner for Coats. During his tenure as TEA Vice President, Crabtree will continue in his position teaching social studies at Liberty Bell Middle School in Johnson City.
Tanya Coats, TEA PresidentJoe Crabtree, TEA Vice President
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Tennessee continues to experience record revenue surpluses while also continuing a trend of badly underfunding public schools. Based on projections, it seems the state invested around one fourth of this year’s surplus toward public education as part of the TISA school funding overhaul.
That’s nice, sure. But TISA is deeply flawed AND the state is underfunding schools by around $2 billion a year. Gov. Lee’s plan barely makes up half of that shortfall.
The Sycamore Institute has an update today on the current state of Tennessee’s revenue picture. In an email, they note:
With two months left to count, Tennessee collected about $3.7 billion (28%) more tax revenue than lawmakers initially budgeted for this point in the fiscal year.
That’s remarkable. Perhaps even more remarkable is the lack of commitment to use these funds to dramatically improve school funding in a state that ranks among the lowest in the nation in school funding. In fact, even after TISA, projections suggest Tennessee will still be in the bottom 10 nationally when it comes to K-12 school funding.
Of course, this lack of commitment to school funding is nothing new:
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) announced the addition of three new board members today. Here’s more from the press release:
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors, including Michelle Gaskin Brown, manager at Amazon; Kate Chinn, former vice president at AllianceBernstein; and Dr. L. Gregory Jones, president of Belmont University. Additionally, Meg Harris, the current board vice-chair and vice president of people at Ancestry, will take over as the foundation’s board chair on July 1, 2022. Harris succeeds Tony Heard, a partner at InfoWorks.
Readers may recall that NPEF first warned about the dangers of Bill Lee’s new school funding formula (TISA) and then ended up backing the plan that, by their own admission, would mean less funding for Nashville’s schools.
TISA is a timely and needed update to school funding. Here's why NPEF supports TISA while continuing to push for improvements: https://t.co/8PjU9nXqdk
It’s interesting that NPEF noted that the BEP created an “unattainable burden” for districts like Nashville and then supported a funding scheme that actually leaves Nashville worse off than before the BEP.
Betty Bean in Knox TN Todayreports on the campaign of Kat Bike for Knox County School Board:
District 4 school board candidate Katherine “Kat” Bike has maybe one-tenth the campaign kitty that her opponent has amassed, but she’s banking on fighting the money gap with what appears to be a bottomless reservoir of energy.
Bike is the parent of two Knox County Schools students.
The Network for Public Education – a nationwide coalition of groups fighting to defend public schools – issued a statement today in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling allowing public funds to be used for private, religious schools.
Here is that statement in full:
The ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in Carson v. Makin forces taxpayers to fund religious education in states with school choice programs, a radical departure from American values and traditions. With this decision, the Court eradicated the separation between church and state when it comes to public funding for education, opening the door to future decisions that would further mandate the public funding of religious education. Prior to the ruling, states could fund religious education but were not obliged to do so. As Justice Breyer noted in his dissent, “What happens once “may” becomes “must”? Does that transformation mean that a school district that pays for public schools must pay equivalent funds to parents who wish to send their children to religious schools?”
The implications of the Court’s wrong-headed decision are enormous and will certainly be seized upon by radical school privatization advocates. Privatizers have focused on capturing state legislatures and securing judicial appointments to ensure their small minority can bend public policy against high-quality and popular public schools, and today’s ruling further undermines the ability of Americans to protect public education funding.
Students, families, and taxpayers have regularly been saved from problematic, unaccountable, and fraudulent voucher programs through lawsuits citing state constitutional provisions that prohibit direct government aid to educational institutions affiliated with religious organizations. The U.S. Supreme Court has demolished those protections and this will lead to additional voucher programs that will siphon taxpayer dollars from public schools.
Although this case focused on a voucher program, the ruling also opens the door to allow religious institutions to overtly run charter schools, which also have their own long history of fraud, low-quality staff, poor academic performance, and general mismanagement. Given that charters are run by private boards, similar to the boards that run private schools, this precedent paves the way for later decisions for religious charters.
Perhaps most disturbing, some religious schools have a long history of engaging in reprehensible discrimination in both admissions and hiring and in many cases failing to provide adequate and science-based academic instruction. This decision will embolden the creation of more schools, that receive taxpayer funding, to engage in discriminatory practices in the name of religion.
Commenting on the decision, NPE President, Diane Ravitch, stated, “Maine and Vermont should only include the option of public schools in their town tuitioning programs, thus limiting public funding to public schools. Other states that subsidize any private schools should stop doing so. The path on which SCOTUS has embarked will end in publicly funded schools for every religion, of which there are scores. It threatens the principle of the common school, supported by the public and open to all children.”
Carson v. Makin highlights the depth of the current assault on our public schools by a highly motivated and organized radical minority. Even with today’s devastating ruling, their assault will continue to push for even more until all public schools are closed, and every student is left behind.
We will continue our advocacy efforts on behalf of democratically governed public schools opened to all. Public funds are for public schools.
This case has clear implications for Tennessee and Gov. Bill Lee’s plans to privatize public schools:
Sumner County Director of Schools Del Phillips announced this week his plans to retire at the end of the upcoming school year.
From the district’s announcement:
Dr. Del R. Phillips, III announced his intention to retire as Sumner County’s Director of Schools, effective June 30, 2023. Sumner County is the 8th largest school system in Tennessee, and Dr. Phillips’ 12-year tenure makes him one of the longest serving directors in district history. Under Dr. Phillips’ leadership, Sumner County emerged as a leader in academic achievement, financial management, school safety, student well-being, as well as strategic planning to meet the current and future growth of Sumner County. Dr. Phillips led Sumner County Schools to expand opportunities for student learning as the district ranks #1 in Tennessee for the number of STEM schools and career and technical education pathways.
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This story about the Williamson County School Board race first appeared on NewsBreak:
Eric Welch today announced a slew of endorsements in his campaign for re-election to the District 10 School Board seat in Williamson County.
Welch is the incumbent representative for the 10th District seat on the Williamson County Schools Board of Education. He was first elected in 2010 and has served three previous terms on the school board, including an appointment by the County Commission in 2017 followed by another successful general election campaign in 2018. Eric’s children attended FSSD and graduated from WCS high schools, where he was active in the PTOs and Booster clubs including multiple leadership roles in these parent organizations.
In announcing the endorsements, Welch noted his appreciation for the support of individuals from across the educational spectrum in Williamson County.
“I’m extremely proud and humbled to have the support of so many individuals that have been a part of making Williamson County synonymous with the best schools in Tennessee, and among the very best nationally,” said Welch. “I look forward to continuing to represent and advocate for our kids and families for another term on the Board of Education as the 10th District WCS School Board Representative,” said Welch.
A group of 13 former Williamson County School Board members said in a statement they believe Welch is the right choice to continue serving District 10 on the Board of Education.
“We believe in the high value of great public schools. As members of the Williamson County School Board, we had the distinct honor and privilege to serve our great community with Eric Welch during our individual tenures. Eric is an effective communicator, a careful listener, and an informed, thoughtful decision-makers who interacts with others with the greatest care, respect, and professionalism. He models the highest standards of personal integrity and performance, always. Eric’s previous School Board experience, outstanding character, and tireless commitment to Williamson County Schools and the community at large make him the best choice to continue the tradition of excellence for Williamson County Schools. We are proud to support Eric for the District 10 Williamson County School Board seat.”
Former Board members backing Welch include:
Pat Anderson, District 8 & WCS BOE Chairwoman (2002-14)
D’Wayne Greer, District 1 (2004-12)
Ken Peterson, District 1 (2012-15)
Janice Mills, District 2 (2002-14)
Janine Moore, District 3 (2007-2012)
Anne McGraw, District 4 (2015-18)
Brad Fiscus, District 4 (2018-21)
Terry Leve, J.D., District 6 (2006-12)
Cherie Hammond, District 6 (2012-14)
Dr. Bobby Hullett, District 7 (2012-2018)
Susan Graham, District 7 (2008-12)
Barry Watkins, District 9 (2005-2011)
Vicki Vogt, District 12 (2010-14)
Welch also announced the backing of a number of former PTO leaders, including:
Pat Anderson, PTO President Franklin High School
Michelle Behan, WCS PTO Leadership Council & PTO President Chapmans’ Retreat Elementary, Allendale Elementary, Summit High School
Susan Graham, PTO President Scales Elementary, Brentwood Middle, Brentwood High School
Cherie Hammond, WCS PTO Leadership Council & PTO President Ravenwood High School
Sabrina Kronk, PTO President Franklin High School
Janine Moore, PTO Trinity Elementary, Page Middle, Page High School
Stacy Parish, WCS PTO Leadership Council & PTO President Allendale Elementary & Bethesda Middle
Ken Peterson, PTO President Westwood Elementary School
Debbie Roth, WCS PTO Leadership Council & PTO President Woodland Middle & Ravenwood High School
Shelly Sassen, PTO President Centennial High School
These leaders issued a statement saying:
“We enthusiastically endorse Eric Welch for Re-Election to the Williamson County Schools Board of Education. Eric has a servant’s heart and has been a faithful volunteer in the WCS and Franklin Special School District for nearly two decades. We have witnessed his dedication to and advocacy for Williamson County Schools and all its stakeholders: students, staff, and supporters. He leads by example and that leadership is needed back on our Board of Education.”
Finally, the campaign announced the support of former school system leaders and education organization leaders including:
Dr. Michael Looney, Past WCS Superintendent of Schools and 2016 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year
Dr. Donna Wright, Past WCS Assistant Superintendent for Middle & High School Education and 2020 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year
Denise Goodwin, Past WCS Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education
Tim Gaddis, Past Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Leslie Holman Judd, Past Assistant Superintendent of Finance/CFO
Kevin Fortney, Past Director of Facilities and Construction
Dr. Alicia Spencer Barker
Robin Newman
Tim Stillings
Kevin Townsel, J.D
Matt Magallanes
Dr. Richard Ianelli
Eric Welch
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