Bipartisan

Sumner school board member backs results-oriented candidates

A Republican member of the Sumner County School Board is backing a Republican and a Democrat in the August 1st election for new board members.

Outgoing District 4 board member Sarah Andrews announced via her Facebook page that she’s supporting Republican Meghan Breinig in District 8 and Democrat Holly Cruz in District 9.

Andrews notes in her post that fellow Republican Breinig is “attentive to the issues” and someone who is willing to “do research” on issues that come before the Sumner County Board of Education.

Andrews is also backing Democrat Holly Cruz in the District 9 race, citing Cruz’s “passion for high quality, excellent public schools.” She says that Cruz is a consensus-builder.

Pay Boost Coming for Sumner Schools

Teachers, staff to see raises based on School Board’s budget

While the State of Tennessee continues to move slowly when it comes to investment in teacher compensation, local districts are stepping up.

Sumner County is the latest to announce planned pay raises for its teachers and staff.

Sumner County Schools approved an additional $28,950,000 in its budget to increase pay for all of its employees, according to an email sent to parents and the community. The school board has approved the following raises:

– Increasing classified staff pay to a minimum of $16 per hour.

– Increasing new teacher pay to $47,800, an average raise amount of $3,023 for experienced teachers.

The School Board passed the proposal by a 9-1 vote, with the lone dissenting vote noting he hoped to move starting pay up to $50,000 and ask the County Commission for additional funds for raises.

The proposal will now go through the budget approval process at the Sumner County Commission.

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Sumner Says “No” to Arming Teachers

School districts speak out on law that would allow teachers to carry concealed firearms

Almost as soon as the General Assembly passed legislation that would allow teachers to carry guns at school if they meet certain requirements, a number of school districts began saying they would not be participating.

Sumner County’s Director of Schools released a statement and video explaining why his district will not be arming teachers.

“Our teachers and principals carry tremendous responsibilities in teaching and supporting our students in the classroom. Our teachers and principals already play a critical role in school safety by ensuring that our safety procedures are followed in our school buildings daily. We do not want to add one more task or responsibility to them.”

Other districts also indicated they will not be participating in arming teachers.

Photo from TN Holler noting opposition in Nashville, Memphis

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Sumner Resolved

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 Tennessean reports:

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.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Former County Commissioner Running for Sumner School Board

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.

Challenge Denied

I wrote previously about an effort to remove the book Ways to Make Sunshine from school libraries in Sumner County.

After holding a hearing, the Board voted unanimously to deny the challenge – and to keep the book in school libraries.

Here’s more from NewsBreak:

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.”

books
Photo by Emily on Pexels.com

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

Book Banning on the Agenda

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

Sumner School Board Rejects County Commission’s Book Ban Request

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.

More on the School Board’s vote from NewsBreak:

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.”

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1593042602605309952?s=20&t=8rzYf54O-Cyk0FSg6Zr9sQ
books
Photo by Emily on Pexels.com

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

Sumner County Commission Says Books Cause “Destruction of Nuclear Family”

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.

Here’s more from NewsBreak:

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

Story Time in Sumner County

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.

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1583133356342272000?s=20&t=oeh3YYYFs9Fpg8dSi7zmUg
https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1582832088134619136?s=20&t=oeh3YYYFs9Fpg8dSi7zmUg

MORE on the Tennessee General Assembly’s radical agenda:

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

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