What is a teacher? Tennessee lawmakers call for specific definition, cite ambiguity with pay raises
Throughout Hamilton County's contentious debate this year over public education funding and whether or not Hamilton County Schools or its teachers deserve more funding, one question has continuously been asked by elected officials, state lawmakers and taxpayers — who exactly is a teacher?
And who gets a raise when "teachers" are promised one?
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and state Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, have long called for one official definition of what a "teacher" is that school districts and the state can stick to, and they have again been raising the issue with Hamilton County's school leaders and lawmakers.
"For a couple years, Mike and I have been trying to define what a teacher is. Everyone likes to use them as an excuse to do whatever they want to do. All we want to do is pick a definition and stick with it," Gardenhire said during a recent meeting at the Times Free Press with reporters and editors. "In our view, and for most people in Hamilton County, it's a person in a classroom in front of students working in the discipline they were trained in."
Now, when money is allocated for "teacher pay raises" at the state or local level, the people who spend all day in classrooms with students aren't the only ones who receive that raise.
The state's Basic Education Program (BEP) funding formula — how the state calculates how much money to give to Tennessee's 146 school districts — groups teachers with all "instructional staff."
Regular classroom teachers, special education teachers, vocational education, music or art teachers, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, librarians, principals, assistant principals, and even supervisors such as instructional coaches, teacher supervisors and staff who complete special education assessments for students all fall into the same category.
This way of allocating funding has led to controversy when governors, such as former Gov. Bill Haslam and CONTINUE READING: What is a teacher? Tennessee lawmakers call for specific definition, cite ambiguity with pay raises | Chattanooga Times Free Press
