THIS WEEK'S TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

 TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

THIS WEEK'S TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

EDUCATION POLITICS AND POLICY IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

An Open Door to Grift and Corruption

by Andy Spears / 1d

Members of the Tennessee Public Education Coalition spoke out in opposition to Gov. Bill Lee’s education agenda which includes sending public money to private schools by way of school vouchers and charters. In an OpEd, the group said: We have a clear choice in Tennessee. We can choose to adequately fund our public schools, pay our teachers a fair wage, and support our neighborhood schools — or we

MAR 08

Bill’s Besties

by Andy Spears / 3d

NewsChannel5’s Phil Williams has been following the money to find out who is behind efforts to privatize Tennessee’s public schools. It’s no suprise that Lee’s longtime friend Betsy DeVos is among the key backers of privatization. Bill and Betsy: A Tennessee School Voucher Story As Williams notes, among the big spenders on school privatization efforts when it comes to lobbying the General Assembl

MAR 07

Of Vouchers and School Takeovers

by Andy Spears / 4d

Nashville education blogger TC Weber has a couple of pieces out that break down Gov. Lee’s proposed school funding reform. The bottom line: Be afraid, be very afraid. I mean, if you like using public money to fund private schools OR if you’re a fan of the state taking over districts, this funding scheme is for you. Here are a couple hits from TC’s analysis: While we are on the subject of the fund

MAR 05

Frequent Flyer?

by Andy Spears / 6d

Gov. Bill Lee has come under fire for a controversial plan to invite Hillsdale College in Michigan to run 50 or more charter schools in Tennessee. Exceptionally Bad Now, WKRN in Nashville reports that taxpayers funded a trip by Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn to a conference at Hillsdale. With the governor’s new education spending plan, that could mean public dollars going to Hillsdale, a pr

MAR 03

Who Knew?

by Andy Spears / 8d

Tennessee Textbook Commissioner and potential House of Representatives candidate Laurie-Cardoza Moore testified before House subcommittee yesterday that she believed the commission on which she serves should have expanded authority to be able to regulate books that appear on school library shelves. Here’s video of her remarks and a montage of clips about her background: HEADS UP TN — lost in the

MAR 01

Privatizers of a Feather

by Andy Spears / 10d

Flock together. And there it is. All the groups trying to dismantle K-12 public education in TN are finally locking arms publicly with the Koch Bros. They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. This dispels the myth of so-called “good” charter schools. They’re all part of the same sordid cabal. pic.twitter.com/e71ITaAX5Q — Will Pinkston (@WillPinkston) March 1, 2022 More on SCORE: Bill Frist and

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHY QUIBBLE?

“I was naive and thought we could express our feelings to each other- not suppress them and keep holding them back. Well, it was what I felt, and why should I be untrue to myself? I came to believe the importance that if you feel something strong enough then you should say it.”
― George Harrison, I, Me, Mine

 

On Monday, I listened to Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee give his State Of The State Speech. Then the next day I read the transcript because surely I didn’t hear what I thought I did. Surely I had missed the context of his words. But alas, I actually did and I did not.

With your indulgence, I’d like to share a recap along with a few excerpts. I invite you to join me on a trip to a parallel universe.

The speech starts off benign enough, with a general thank you to the expected. One line though, and its choice of words, set the tone for more to come. In thanking his advisors he refers to them thus,

They are battle-tested and I am proud of their work and their friendship.

Battle-tested? In a state that is a Republican super-majority, what battles of merit have CONTINUE READING: WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

Bill Lee’s Not So Special Session – Tennessee Education Report

Bill Lee’s Not So Special Session – Tennessee Education Report

BILL LEE’S NOT SO SPECIAL SESSION

So, Gov. Bill Lee has decided to call a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to address education issues he’s largely ignored during his time as governor. While Lee has eagerly pursued a privatization agenda, he’s left teachers and public schools behind. Now, he wants to make it seem like he’s doing something. This is, after all, the same Governor who led Tennessee to the “best in the world” status in transmission rate of COVID-19.

Chalkbeat reports on the topics to be discussed during the session:

He’ll ask the legislature to address state testing challenges next spring during the pandemic, as well as funding for teacher pay and schools for the following academic year. Also on the agenda will be initiatives to address learning loss and a comprehensive literacy package to improve students’ reading proficiency.

Reading this is actually pretty amusing, considering the very problems or challenges Lee is seeking to address were created by a man named Bill Lee who happens to be the Governor. Maybe “Special Session Bill Lee” should go have a talk with “Regular Session Bill Lee” and see what they can work out? CONTINUE READING: Bill Lee’s Not So Special Session – Tennessee Education Report