Gov. Haslam invested in K12 education company at one time
Sold stock at a loss, has been critical of education company
Gov. Bill Haslam discusses his prior investment in K12 Inc.: In a meeting with The Tennessean editorial board, Gov. Bill Haslam said he did not know he had been invested in the online education company.
Gov. Bill Haslam owned a block of shares in K12 Inc., the education company behind a troubled online school in Tennessee, but sold the investment before taking office or weighing in on two bills that affected the company directly.
Haslam invested at least $10,000 in K12 Inc. in July 2008, when he was mayor of Knoxville, but had sold off all of his shares by July 2009, when he was running for governor. The investment was reported in a filing with the Tennessee Ethics Commission, as required under state law.
Haslam said he did not know about the investment before The Tennessean inquired about it last week. The governor said the investment, one of about 350 listed in a disclosure that he signed in January 2009, had been made by an investment manager.
“The honest answer is I wasn’t aware that I ever did,” he said at a meeting with The Tennessean’s editorial board. “I, a long time ago, found that there were people who know how to manage my investments a lot better than I do, so I haven’t made investment decisions in a long time.”
Haslam declined to provide details about the amount he invested in the company, how