Author Archives: Andy Spears

Posted on by

Lack of Funding for Schools Leads to Lack of Faith in Lee’s Leadership

Pastors call out Gov. Lee for failing moral test of investing in children

The Southern Christian Coalition is calling out Gov. Bill Lee for his Administration’s failure to properly fund Tennessee public schools.

On news that the state now ranks 47th nationally in per student investment – and last among our Southeastern neighbors, Rev. Chris Warren -a Cumberland Presbyterian minister from Murfreesboro – said:

“Scripture reminds us often to care for both children and the vulnerable in our midst. By prioritizing voucher schemes instead of fully funding our public schools, it’s clear that Governor Lee and the Supermajority Legislature have neglected this scripture’s call. Instead, they have prioritized underfunding public education while funneling millions to vouchers. This benefits powerful outside interest groups while our children suffer.”

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Hungry Kids, Poorly-Funded Schools

A National Voucher Scheme

Posted on by

EdCo Summer Workshop 2025

The Educators’ Cooperative (Nashville) is hosting a summer workshop for teachers – details from an email:

EdCo provides:

  1. Access to a network of 200+ dedicated teachers who are eager to collaborate
  2. A community that supports on challenging days AND celebrates rewarding ones
  3. Customized professional learning for individual teachers based on specific needs

Completing Summer Workshop is how they join EdCo and gain access to our mutual aid network of cross-sector support, expertise, and resources. Plus, full scholarships are awarded to all accepted applicants.

Want to learn more about Summer Workshop? Watch this video to see teacher testimonials from last year’s.

More details here.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Lee’s Legacy: Underfunded Schools, Hungry Kids

Ohio Data Casts Doubt on Vouchers

Posted on by

Lee Teaches Hungry Kids a Lesson

Sure, it means short-term hunger – but at least TN is free from “federal interference”

Gov. Bill Lee is among a cohort of GOP governors trying to wean their governments off of “dependence” on the federal government. No Medicaid expansion, for example.

Nevermind that Tennesseans have paid into the federal treasury – Lee doesn’t want the money.

One might think that if there was an easy and affordable way to help feed kids over the summer, a state leader would take it. But, a number of Republican governors are not – including Tennessee’s Lee.

The Wall Street Journal digs deeper into a story I wrote about back in February.

When the federal government offered to cover the cost of feeding Tennessee’s poor children last summer, state officials accepted the cash.

Some $84 million in federal money flowed into Tennessee. The families of 700,000 kids were given $120 per child to buy food during the summer months when school is out.

Washington made the same offer for the coming summer. This time, Tennessee said no.

The WSJ story notes that Republican-led states are conflicted over accepting the Summer EBT funds – 14 are taking the money, 13 (like Tennessee) are not.

Instead of ensuring all kids have access to food this summer, Lee is starting his own program – one that leaves the fast majority of kids in need without access to food.

Tennessee can spend $1 billion to give wealthy families coupons for private schools. The state can spend hundreds of millions to build a stadium for a privately-owned football team.

But we sure can’t accept money from the federal government to ensure hungry families get a boost.

Seems that someone (Bill Lee) has some pretty mixed up priorities.

question marks on paper crafts
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Lee Leads TN to Bottom in School Funding

School Vouchers Kill Local Schools

Posted on by

Bill Lee Winning Race to the Bottom

A new report shows that Tennessee has hit a new low – now the lowest among our Southeastern neighbors in school funding.

While Tennessee historically ranks in the bottom 10 nationally – usually in the 44-45 range – we’d usually end up with funding above some of our Southern neighbors.

Thanks to Bill Lee, not anymore.

Tennessee ranks dead last among neighboring states when it comes to investment in schools after six years of Lee’s “leadership.”

Instead of seeking to right the ship and push Tennessee forward, Lee has now convinced his legislative allies to embrace a billion-dollar school voucher scheme.

If you think it’s bad now, it will very likely get worse.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

A National Voucher Scheme

What the End of the Dept. of Ed Means

Posted on by

NPEF Launches “Teach Nashville” Teacher Recruitment Website

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) launched a website focused on recruiting people to teach in Nashville’s public schools.

From a promotional emal:

At NPEF, we believe teachers are the best positioned to move the needle for students and advance the positive outcomes we all want for kids. That is why we created the Teach Nashville website to support Metro Nashville Public Schools’ recruitment efforts by acting as a one-stop-shop for information on becoming a teacher in our district.
 
The online resource contains a variety of information that new and aspiring teachers need to solidify their decision to work in our district. On the Teach Nashville site, prospective MNPS educators can hear directly from teachers in our district about their experiences, find out what makes MNPS unique, learn about the teacher licensure process, explore different Nashville neighborhoods, find information about salary and benefits, and more.

Image provided by NPEF

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Donald Trump Has a Voucher Scam

Evidence from Ohio: Vouchers Hurt Kids

Posted on by

Cour Stepping Down from NPEF Leadership

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) will soon be seeking a new President and CEO. Katie Cour, who has led the advocacy nonprofit for more than six years, is moving on to a new opportunity.

An email sent by NPEF explains:

Today we are sharing the bittersweet news that Katie Cour, our president and CEO, will be stepping away from NPEF after over six years with the organization. We are extremely grateful to Katie for the transformative work she has helped us achieve and the strong partnerships she has built. 

During her tenure, Katie has been a strategic thinker, leader, and collaborator dedicated to addressing critical challenges in public education, and she has helped spark important conversations about improving outcomes for students. As NPEF’s president and CEO, she has shaped initiatives such as Teacherpreneur, a partnership with Metro Schools and the Mayor’s Office to improve teacher pay, NPEF’s documentary “By Design: The Shaping of Nashville’s Public Schools,” and the launch of the Nashville Child and Youth Collaborative alongside other local nonprofits.

Cour’s last day is July 3, 2025. The group will conduct a national search for its next leader.

Katie Cour, center – image provided by NPEF

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Trump Aims to Scam America with School Vouchers

Texas Goes Big on Billion Dollar Voucher Scheme

Posted on by

“For Now, Our Children are Able to Attend Public School”

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition issued a statement from Executive Director, Lisa Sherman Luna, following the defeat of legislation sponsored by William Lamberth and Bo Watson that would have excluded some children in the state from the ability to access public schools.

“This victory is a hard-fought win that has come from months of work from our team, organizers, campaign partners, faith leaders, educators, business owners and more – Tennessans who understand the importance of fighting for the safety and protection of our children and families, no matter where they live. For now, our children are able to attend public school and receive an education, but this past year taught us how quickly our rights can be stripped from us by the same lawmakers who were elected to look out for everyone in our state, not just a select few. 

The Trump administration’s immigration policies are emboldening extremism here in Tennessee, but we are determined to show both our state leaders and the administration that they cannot enact this egregious agenda without a fight.

Our battle is ongoing: The state now has its first-ever Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer – a former ICE agent – and it is now a felony for local lawmakers to vote in favor of policies protecting immigrant families. Despite the challenges that these new rules will bring, we are more prepared than ever to continue telling the stories and fighting for the rights of our communities.” 

exterior of school building in daytime
Photo by Mary Taylor on Pexels.com

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Trump’s Voucher Scheme

What Dismantling the Department of Education Means

Posted on by

America’s Privatizer-in-Chief

Trump seeks to voucherize American education

Yes, getting rid of or partially dismantling or otherwise destroying the core functions of the U.S. Department of Education is bad.

Also bad: A national school voucher scam. But, of course, that’s just what Donald Trump wants:

Josh Cowen, in his newsletter for Public Funds for Public Schools, highlighted the voucher threat:

Finally, we’re all still waiting to see what happens with the so-called Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA)—aka the tax shelter for the wealthy that’s also a federal voucher scheme intended to ram vouchers into every state—even those that don’t want it. Those of us with our ear to the ground have heard conflicting things: maybe it will make it into the federal reconciliation process (where it would need only a simple GOP majority to pass) or maybe it’ll come up for a vote later in the year. One thing we know is that Betsy DeVos’s group is continuing to make this a top priority, so it’s something to keep monitoring closely.


MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Vouchers vs. Local Schools

Elon Musk Takes on School Lunches and Food Banks

Posted on by

North Dakota Lawmakers Kill Expensive Voucher Bill

Legislators in North Dakota soundly rejected an attempt to provide private school discount coupons – school vouchers – to families already using private schools.

The North Dakota Monitor reports:

The North Dakota House overwhelmingly rejected an Education Savings Account bill Thursday night, a day after the governor vetoed a similar bill.

House members voted 78-14 against Senate Bill 2400, which sought to provide private school vouchers plus Education Savings Accounts for public school and homeschooled students.

bitcoins and u s dollar bills
Photo by David McBee on Pexels.com

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Vouchers Kill Local Public Schools

Ohio Data Says Vouchers are Very Bad

Posted on by

Pastors Condemn Harmful 2025 Legislative Session

A group of Tennessee pastors affiliated with the Southern Christian Coalition condemned Tennessee lawmakers for what the group said was a “harmful” legislative session.

“As a Christian pastor, I believe all children are made in the image of God and deserve the freedom to learn, be themselves, and thrive—regardless of where they’re born or their family’s income,” said Rev. Dr. C. Don Jones, Pastor of Andersonville and Heiskell United Methodist Churches in East Tennessee. “Yet this 2025 legislative session has harmed vulnerable children across our state. While we’re thankful some of the worst bills didn’t pass, significant damage was still done. The January Special Session’s voucher program diverted public education funds to private schools, hurting children in public schools. Lawmakers also continued restricting TANF funds meant to help families in poverty, and Governor Lee rejected federal money intended to feed hungry children during summer months. When will these attacks on our children stop?”

More on Lee’s rejection of federal funds to feed hungry kids

Lee rejected $75 million in federal funds that would have supported a program to add funds to EBT cards for families whose kids receive free/reduced lunch during the school year.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Yes! Money Matters for Schools

Trump, Christian Nationalism, and Schools