Sumner School Board passes resolution opposing school vouchers
The Sumner County School Board is asking its legislative delegation to oppose efforts to privatize Tennessee’s public schools by way of a voucher scheme.
The Sumner County Board of Education met in a special-called session last week to vote on a resolution against Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act.
Sumner County Board of Education officials approved the resolution in a 9-1 vote. Sumner County Board of Education Chairman Tim Brewer abstained from the vote.
It’s unclear whether some version of an expanded voucher plan will move forward this legislative session.
Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee rejected an attempt to use funds allocated for vouchers ($144 million) to instead fund an increase in teacher pay. That funding would amount to a roughly 5% raise for all teachers.
Shellie Young Tucker seeking District 2 school board seat
In Sumner County, Shellie Young Tucker is seeking a seat on the School Board after serving four years on the County Commission from 2018-2022.
“My desire is to cultivate an educational environment that nurtures the growth and empowerment of every student. I’ll be your listening ear and fierce advocate.”
While on the County Commission, she was a consistent supporter of school funding in the district.
The Sumner County School Board last week unanimously voted to keep the book “Ways to Make Sunshine” in school libraries. The book had been challenged as part of a new process that allows parents and community members to ask that books in school libraries be reviewed for possible removal.
After receiving a challenge to the book “Ways to Make Sunshine,” the board referred the book to a review committee.
That committee recommended keeping the book in the system’s school libraries.
Local education advocacy group Sumner For Good had encouraged the School Board to keep the book and celebrated the vote that will allow it to stay in libraries.
The group said of the vote:
“The Sumner County School Board voted to uphold the review committee’s choice and keep the beautiful story “Ways to Make Sunshine” by Renee Watson in our schools. This is another win for our kids, teachers, librarians, and staff.”
Once again, a Sumner County School Board meeting will involve a review of a library book – and the possible removal of that book. The district has been down this road before:
Here’s more from NewsBreak on the current controversy:
The Sumner County School Board will meet in a study session on Tuesday, January 10th at 6PM. The meeting will include a discussion of whether or not the book “Ways to Make Sunshine” should be removed from the school system’s libraries.
The review process comes as a result of a challenge to the book subject to Tennessee’s new law allowing members of the community to suggest to the School Board that a book currently circulating in the school system’s libraries violates “community standards.”
After receiving a challenge to the book “Ways to Make Sunshine,” the board referred the book to a review committee.
That committee has recommended keeping the book in the system’s school libraries.
For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport
While the Sumner County Commission issued a resolution calling for two books to be removed from school libraries, the Sumner County School Board voted (7-3) on Tuesday to keep “A Place Inside of Me” in schools.
The Sumner County School Board last night voted in favor of keeping “A Place Inside of Me” on the bookshelves in the school system’s library. The move comes following a complaint that the book violates a new state law around objectionable content. Seven members (out of 11) voted in favor of keeping the book.
The School Board’s action came just one night after the Sumner County Commission passed a resolution calling for the book to be removed from school libraries.
That resolution said the book contained objectionable content, including “hatred of police, overthrow of the government, destruction of the nuclear family, and communism.”
Commission passes resolution calling for removal of two books from all school libraries
Using a new Tennessee state law about “appropriate” texts in school libraries, the Sumner County Commission this week passed a resolution calling for the removal of Zetta Elliott’s A Place Inside of Me and Laurence Yep’s Dragonwings.
The Sumner County Commission passed a resolution at its meeting last night (11/14/22) that states that two books currently circulating in libraries in Sumner County Schools violate state law and should be removed from all libraries in the county. The move comes as the Sumner County School Board is prepared to hold a hearing on the books at a meeting this week.
The resolution states “text found in the books has examples of racism, underage drinking, foul language, violence, drugs, prostitution, alcohol, hatred of police, overthrow of the government, destruction of the nuclear family, and communism.”
The Sumner County School Board previously held a meeting on A Place Inside of Me. At that meeting, there were 5 votes to keep the book, but six are needed. Two members of the Board were absent.
The board will meet tonight (11/15) to hear discussion on the book and vote again.
A local advocacy group says the County Commission’s action was intended to influence tonight’s vote:
Local advocacy group Sumner For Good is urging citizens to show up in support of the books. The group specifically called out the Commission’s vote as a “strong arm” tactic designed to change votes on the School Board.
For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport
It turns out, all those legislative attempts to have books removed from school libraries are bearing fruit. That is, a policy that allows community members to challenge school library books and creates a process for removing those books is in full effect.
Sadly, one of the first books in question is one that makes certain white people uncomfortable.
Or, in other words, the law the General Assembly passed is doing EXACTLY what a majority at the General Assembly wanted.
Here’s more from a public meeting in Sumner County over a request to ban Zetta Elliott’s “A Place Inside of Me”
To be clear: 5 members of the Sumner School Board voted to keep the book, 1 voted to remove it, and 2 abstained – 6 votes were required for a final decision, so the matter will be back before the Board in November.
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.
For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport
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At a budget workshop last night, the Sumner County School Board heard a proposal from Director of Schools Dr. Del Phillips that would result in significant pay raises for the system’s teachers and support staff.
The move comes as Sumner County is attempting to be competitive in the Middle Tennessee market. It marks the second time in the past four years that the district’s teachers have seen a raise of at least $4000 to their base pay.
This year’s proposed raises, to be voted on by the School Board next week (May 17th) and the County Commission in June, include:
Step raises for all teachers plus a $4000 increase to the base for each step. Step raises range from 1-2% of pay.
Step raises (2%) plus $1 an hour for all hourly employees.
An average increase of $7/hour for bus drivers and an increase in bus driver starting pay from $12.12 an hour to $18/hour.
An increase in pay for substitute teachers from $51 to $75/day for non-degreed subs, from $75 to $100 for degreed subs, and from $100 to $125 for certified subs.
Sumner’s proposed pay increase comes a year after Metro Nashville significantly increased teacher pay and just months after Williamson County implemented a mid-year pay raise.
After closing for an entire week due to COVID-19, the Sumner County School Board is poised to vote on a resolution asking Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly to grant additional flexibility to school districts in dealing with the pandemic.
The move in Sumner County even as parents in districts across the state are suing Lee over his executive order allowing students/parents to opt-out of local mask mandates.
Sumner County does not have a mask mandate in effect in the district. However, they are asking for the ability to move to hybrid or remote learning options should COVID outbreaks create a burden on the system in terms of student/faculty/staff absences.
Here’s more on the proposed resolution from the Hendersonville Standard:
After closing the district’s 49 schools last week due to COVID-19, the Sumner County Board of Education will likely vote on Tuesday to ask state legislators to reinstate some of the flexibility they had during the previous school year with hybrid and remote learning.
Director of Schools Dr. Del Phillips presented a resolution to school board members during a study session on Sept. 7.
The resolution urges the Tennessee General Assembly and the state Board of Education to reinstate some flexibility for local school boards to transition districts to hybrid or remote learning for a short, specified period of time in order to combat any future variants or surges of COVID-19.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth, who represents a part of Sumner County in the General Assembly, said he was open to legislative consideration of the resolution. It’s worth noting, though, that Lamberth is also supportive of Lee’s mask opt-out.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) says he’s open to considering the school board’s resolution should it pass next week.
However, he says Gov. Lee and state Republicans have made their preference for in-person learning very clear.
“Our preference is that they do everything they can to keep kids in school,” he said.
Given the current status of the lawsuit against Lee’s order in Shelby County and the advice of medical professionals regarding mitigating the spread of COVID-19, it seems that doing “everything possible” in order to ensure children are in school would include a mask mandate.
Such mandates are in effect in Davidson, Wilson, Rutherford, and Williamson counties in middle Tennessee.
For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport
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