The American education is system is not in crisis, it is not broken nor is it in need of overhaul. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In the past 40 years, the following facts are true in the United States:
 
 *   Our national drop-out rate has been dramatically reduced (10%).
 *   Our national graduation rate has improved significantly (90%).
 *   Our failure rate (D’s and F’s) has significantly declined.
 *   Our college attendance rate is higher than ever before.
 *   Our ACT/SAT scores are at their highest point ever.
 *   Our students read higher than ever before (as measured by the NAEP test).
 *   Our students understand math better than ever before (as measured by the NAEP test)
 *   Our students are mastering more rigorous and diverse curricula than ever before.
 *   When comparing similar groups, our students score near or at the top of the world.
 
We have done all of this with:
Bigger classes and smaller funds.
Fewer teachers and more students.
More poverty, drugs, divorce and learning disabilities.
 
Does this sound like a failed system to you?
Does this sound like a system in need of intervention?
Does this sound like a crisis to you?
 
Are there students who are struggling? Yes.
Are there schools that are not meeting the needs of their students? Yes.
Can we do more? YES!
 
But before we seek to do more, can we at least acknowledge that the rhetoric we hear is not in fact the reality we see? Can we take a breath to say, “Job well done!” And “How can we help?”
 
We are so busy listening to everyone tell us what we do wrong that somewhere along the way we forgot to remind them what we do right.  It’s not our system that is failed and broken, it just how we make our teachers and school communities feel.
 
Keep in mind, that in addition to the aforementioned successes, we transport, feed, clothe, exercise, and counsel our nation’s youth. We teach math, history and science. We address the moral questions of drugs and alcohol with the same adeptness we do Maya Angelou and Mozart. We are encouraged to create a community while challenging the individual.  We provide clubs, activities, athletics and arts.  We will listen with a compassionate ear and administer justice with fairness. And, we do it for less than you pay to participate in club soccer.  We expect and want schools to be everything on a budget of next to nothing.
 
To all the “reformers” who believe that we are failing, might I suggest the following:

• Legislating higher standards does not necessarily translate to greater learning, just as more laws does not translate to less crime.

• Higher standards will result in greater failure. With increased rigor, comes increased failure. It is educational Darwinism.

• Schools are a microcosm of their communities, both in success and in failure. You can not “fix” a school without simultaneously fixing the surrounding communities. Any attempts to do so will result in short-term, and limited success.

• Money does not solve all problems, but limited funds mean limited options. Big problems require a big financial commitment.

• Private/charter schools are not the “magical” solution. They present options and choice, which are good, but they also present obstacles that limit opportunities for students who we know to be under-performing academically.

• Teacher incentives on student achievement are as ineffective as it is insulting. It encourages our best and brightest teachers to only work with the best and brightest students, which is counter-intuitive to what we know to be effective.

• At the very core of this process is a teacher and a student. False or inflammatory rhetoric that detracts or degrades either of these groups is counter-productive.

• Growth and achievement are not the same thing. Not all children will achieve all things in all curricula, but every child can grow in all things and in all curricula.

 
It is easy to wax poetic about the better days gone by, but when it comes to education, it is simply not true. Our best days are right now. Our best teachers are you. And, America’s brightest future is still ahead.
 
That is what I believe, and I stand behind it.


 - reprinted with permission from Scott Lang's newsletter.  Scott Lang is an inspirational speaker and an award winning band director.  You can read more about him at his website: www.scottlang.net

A bill has been introduced in the TN legislature that would allow city councils/commissions to remove funds for lobbying from school district budgets. (HB 2293/SB 2525). This would set a dangerous precedent because it would allow a municipal-level, elected body to dictate how another municipal-level, elected body uses its money. If some councils/commissions decide to exercise this veto authority, they would effectively silence our voices in the halls of the legislature because these lobbyists represent our elected school boards who, in turn, represent us--the voters.  And once our voices have been silenced, the lobbyists from wealthy groups intent on destroying public education will have free reign in the halls of Legislative Plaza.

If you are wondering why a school district/board might need lobbyists, look no further than what is happening with StudentsFirst (SF), a group founded by Michelle Rhee who also happens to be the ex-wife of Tennessee’s Education Commissioner, Kevin Huffman. The Sacramento.-based organization backs charter schools and vouchers and is funded by donations from extremely wealthy individuals, corporations, and foundations—including the Gates and Waltons. SF currently has an office in Nashville, along with 8 lobbyists. 

There are other similar lobbying groups in TN, (who don't have you or your children's best interests at heart) including the following: 

• Tennessee Federation for Children: Supports charter schools and vouchers. 5 lobbyists. 
• TN Charter Center: Supports proliferation of charter schools. Employs 8 lobbyists. 
• Stand for Children: Supports charter schools and vouchers. Employs 2 lobbyists. 
• Beacon Center of TN: Supports vouchers. Employs 2 lobbyists. 
• Pearson, Inc.: Publishes Common Core materials and tests. Employs 1 lobbyist.
• K12 Inc.: Runs K12 for-profit virtual charter school.  Employs 5 lobbyists. 

(Go to this link https://apps.tn.gov/ilobbysearch-app/search.htm to find documentation of these lobbyists.) 

Why do local school boards need lobbyists?
School board members in TN are part-time positions and these representatives do not have the time to follow all of the bills that are going through the legislature. They need the help of lobbyists to help them keep track of bills that directly affect their schools and constituents. And just in case you are keeping score, here are the lobbyists school boards/districts use in our state:

• Coalition of Large School Systems: Represents Shelby, Nashville, Hamilton, and Knox County school systems. Employs 2 lobbyists
• Tennessee School Board Association: Represents all school boards who pay dues to it. Employs 1 lobbyist.
• Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents: Represents interests of school board directors who pay dues to it. Employs 3 lobbyists. 

Final score: 
StudentsFirst & Company = 31 lobbyists!!!
School boards/districts = 6 at the most. 

As you might suspect, StudentsFirst, Stand for Children, TN Charter Center, and other groups reportedly support these bills. They apparently have no problem suppressing the voices of our elected officials and, subsequently, our voices in the legislative process—especially when the views expressed by these officials run counter to their agendas.  

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  This law does not apply to Charter Schools.  They can hire as many lobbyists as they want to support them.  

(Note: All Momma Bears are volunteers.  We are concerned parents who do this solely because we care deeply about public education.) 

Dear Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville & Representative Mark White from Memphis,

We are asking that you please, pretty please, include these:

• Educator Respect and Accountability Act of 2014 (HB 2263 / SB 2047) 
• Repeal Common Core bill (HB 2332 / SB 2405)

on the House Education sub-committee and committee schedules very soon.  Teachers and parents are eager to see these become Law this year.  

As Chairmen of these committees, you have the responsibility of scheduling when Bills are heard and voted upon.  Surely you wouldn't do anything underhanded like delaying those bills until the end of the Legislative Session so the Governor can veto them after all the Legislators have all gone home and cannot over-ride it, now would you, Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville and Representative Mark White from Memphis???  That would not only be selfish, but it would be an abuse of power by committee chairs.  

We know Governor Haslam isn't happy with these bills, but his job isn't tied to volatile test scores of children using a secret mathematical equation that nobody can explain (His job, like yours, is tied to the ballots cast by us voters, which everyone clearly understands).  And his own children aren't forced to do unproven, untested, developmentally inappropriate standards (Because private schools are wisely not adopting Common Core).  

Representative Brooks from Knoxville, even though you may not agree with the bill to support and respect our children's teachers, 77 of 99  Representatives agree with it strongly enough that they have signed on to the Bill as co-sponsors.  So, it shouldn't take long at all to pass it through your House Education Committee and on to the House Floor so our Representatives can vote on it.  Surely you can squeeze it on your House Education Committee Agenda in the next few weeks, can't you?

Representative White from Memphis, even though your own children aren't affected by Common Core, ours are.  Tennessee parents want this bill heard in a timely manner because a year in our children's lives is too long to wait while we elect new leaders to get rid of Common Core.  Surely you can include this bill in your sub-committee agenda on the March 4th agenda as was originally planned?

We know you're stuck in a difficult situation by the Governor.  In times like these, it is especially important to remember who it is that you have been elected to serve.
 
Sincerely,
Tennessee Parents 

SENATE BILL 2405 
By Beavers 
HOUSE BILL 2332 
By Womick 
 
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, 
Chapter 1; Title 49, Chapter 10; Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to common core state standards. 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: 
 SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-302, is amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated subsection: 
 On July 1, 2014, the state board and the department of education shall discontinue the use of the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Beginning on July 1, 2014, the standards for English language arts and mathematics adopted by the state board that were in use prior to the adoption of the common core state standards shall become the standards for use by LEAs and schools 
until the state board develops and adopts new Tennessee specific standards for English language arts and mathematics. 
 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. 

Michelle Rhee seems to have her hands firmly around Tennessee Education policy as this legislative session begins. Rhee’s group, StudentsFirst, contributed more than $200,000 (or was it more?) in state legislative races in 2012 and they’re getting what they paid for. In short, Rhee’s top policy priorities are now the top priorities of the legislature and Governor Haslam. Here’s a rundown of these policies — all very much en vogue among the education reform elite. None particularly useful in moving Tennessee schools forward.

Vouchers
Or, as some like to call them, “Opportunity Scholarships.” After the Governor’s Task Force on Vouchers came up short of clear recommendations for a voucher scheme, Governor Haslam appeared to cool to the idea. He noted instead that legislators may bring forth a plan and he’d work with that. Then, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush came to town in early January and immediately following the Governor’s public event with Bush, Haslam announced he’d be introducing his own version of a voucher scheme. Never mind that the four largest school districts — the ones most likely to be impacted by a voucher plan — have all expressed opposition. And never mind that many private schools have indicated that they won’t accept the vouchers. Haslam has seen the light as shown to him by Bush and Rhee and he’ll now be moving to divert state education dollars to private schools. This in a state that ranks near the bottom in per pupil spending on public education.

Charters
Tennessee already has among the most liberal charter school laws in the country. Any student in any district that has charter schools may attend a charter school. The local school boards do, however, have control over authorizing a charter to operate in their district and control over closing charters if they are failing. All seemed to be going well with charters opening and growing in Memphis and Nashville. And then there was Great Hearts vs. Metro Nashville. While the Metro Nashville School Board approved several new charters in 2012 and has been fairly aggressive about recruiting charter operators to town, the Board rejected the charter application of Arizona-based Great Hearts Academy. They did so over concerns about diversity and legitimate questions over whether the school would truly meet the community’s needs. The State Board of Education over-ruled the Metro Board and directed them to reconsider. A new school board was elected. And the new board ALSO rejected Great Hearts. So, the state department of education, headed-up by Rhee’s ex-husband, Kevin Huffman, hit Metro with a $3.4 million penalty — withholding BEP funds the district was counting on. Now, Great Hearts is lobbying for a state charter authorizer — a state board that would be unelected and unaccountable — to be created. This charter authorizer would allow charter operators to bypass local school boards and be authorized to operate a charter in a district whether or not the locally elected school board wanted it.

Parent Trigger
The “parent trigger” concept is the idea that if a school is failing and 50% +1 of the parents in that school vote to do so, the parents can convert the school to a charter. Those parents may then “run” the school and hire/fire faculty and obtain other budgetary controls. This may sound like a reasonable proposition. However, in practice, it is a disaster. A school in Indiana recently “pulled the trigger” and the parents were stunned to discover the lack of available resources. The parents presented a list of demands including iPads for all students. The Board replied that in order for that demand to be met, a number of faculty would have to be let go. Parent trigger can also be used by sketchy charter operators to gain a foothold into a school. Rhee is of course behind this measure as well.

Each of these efforts appeals to policymakers because none require any new investment in Tennessee schools. The idea is that we already have money out there, and that if we just did these “new, cool things” we’d have better schools. They allow politicians to claim to be pro-education without making the hard decisions that would lead to meaningful new investments in our schools. Moreover, each of these policies has potentially disastrous effects on an already struggling school system. Stay tuned as the 2013 legislative session advances and these policies gain traction.

This was originally printed last year by Andy Spears in the online Tennessee Education Report. (VOUCHERS, CHARTERS, AND TRIGGERS — OH MY! A PREVIEW OF EDUCATION LEGISLATION IN THE 2013 TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, January 28, 2013) Click HERE to read other informative articles by this knowledgeable Tennessean.

Great... Another "report card" to trick our elected officials into passing laws.  Will they fall for it?  This report card is from StudentsFirst (that California organization that we've warned you about several times already).  Of course, they gave TN a low grade.  

Before you panic, thinking that our state is a failure and the sky is falling so we must do whatever they say to get our grade up...  Remember that it is only their incredibly biased opinion.  

This is not a report card on how well schools are doing, it is a report card on how well our elected officials are following StudentFirst's agenda.

It isn't a REAL report card.  It is the opinions from a corporately-funded organization that wants us to fail so their donors can profit.  

A line almost got crossed last year (and would have if petty politics hadn't gotten in the way and the clock hadn't wound down... thank goodness!).  Yes, the Charter Authorizer Bill almost passed during last year's Legislative session.  It will undoubtedly come up for vote again this year.

What will the Charter Authorizer mean for school districts?
Locally elected school boards won't have the authority or power to control which charter schools are right for their communities.  An appointed state board will make that decision regardless of what the elected local boards vote, even if the state board has never set foot within the district before.  Then, that district's education dollars will be funneled to the new charter schools and their existing public schools will be starved even more.  Students with involved parents and high test scores will be recruited by the charter schools, depriving existing public schools of involved parents and their high-achieving students.  Public schools in that community will suffer.

Don't believe that would happen in TN?
States with chartering authorities have almost three and a half times more charter schools than states that only allow local board approval (click HERE to see that report).  Other states across the country who already passed this same law are struggling to deal with the effects of the rapid increase of charters.  The law comes from a secretive organization called "ALEC" which stands for the American Legislative Exchange Commission.  ALEC is funded by major corporations that draft model laws to benefit their corporate donors.  ALEC hands the model laws to legislators (some of whom were given campaign contributions by the same ALEC donors) to sponsor and get approved in their states.  ALEC has a radical agenda of privatization, profitization, vouchers, charters, and the elimination of local school boards.  (ClickHERE to see the TN legislators who are affiliated with ALEC.  Yes, you'll see the sponsors of this charter authorizer legislation on the list)

Don't think the TN BOE would force charters in your districts?
Check out what happened just last year to Nashville...  Their locally elected school board rejected Great Hearts Charter chain from Arizona 4 times due to major concerns that it would segregate their communities by charging students fees ($1200-$1500 each), not provide transportation to low income students, require students to pay $350 to purchase textbooks, etc. (Click HERE for details).  Their board researched the chain's other schools in Arizona and realized that it would not meet the needs of their diverse community.  However, the Governor and a few other politicians really, really, really wanted Great Hearts charter school chain in affluent areas of Nashville.  The appointed TNBOE deliberated for only 18 minutes and then demanded that the locally elected board approve the Great Hearts charters in their district.  Metro Nashville Board did not comply.  To punish the Metro Nashville school board for their decision, Kevin Huffman (TN's Commissioner of Education who was appointed by the Governor) fined a heavy penalty of $3.4 million on their already starving school district. All Nashville charter schools were exempted from the fine, so not a penny of the $3.4 million could come from any of the existing charter schools in their district.  Ultimately, the public school students in that district bore the brunt of that punishment, sending a loud warning message to other school boards across TN not to defy the TNBOE, Huffman, or the Governor's wishes.
"Great Hearts now says it will not apply to the Nashville board again. Instead, it will wait until the state legislature creates an ALEC-style law creating a charter-friendly state board that won’t ask annoying questions about the lack of diversity in most of the Great Hearts charters," reports Diane Ravitch. (Click HERE to read the article)


We teach our children that bullying is wrong, and that democracy is a freedom that American soldiers have fought and died to protect...  Tennessee parents see the grave injustice imposed by our government officials and we are both sad and angry that this was allowed to happen.       

The State is definitely crossing a line into taking away local control.  Giving authority to an appointed board make MAJOR decisions for our communities... this is wrong.   
 

So what can YOU do about it???

If you are a legislator, vote NO for the Charter Authorizer bills (HB0702 & SB0830).


If you are an elected school board member, take 15 minutes to send a brief, polite email about why you don't support the Charter Authorizer legislation in TN. (We'll even post the email addresses at the bottom of this email for you).
***Bonus points: include how proud you are of your community's public schools and how much your budgets have been cut the past few years.  


If you are a Superintendent, take a look at your district's budget and try to figure out how you'll afford to pay for new publicly-funded schools that your community doesn't need without hurting the schools you're already pinching pennies to keep afloat.  Oh, yes, don't forget to include the cost of technology for the state mandated PARCC Common Core tests.  Send a brief, polite email to the legislators below and encourage your school board members and parents to send emails, too.


If you are a parent or teacher, email your Superintendent, local school board members, and the legislators listed below.  You may even wish to forward this email to them. 


Email your legislators:
(You may need to copy/paste these email addresses in small batches of 25 emails at a time to send them through your email service provider)

bill.haslam@tn.gov
sen.mae.beavers@capitol.tn.gov
sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.janice.bowling@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.charlotte.burks@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.stacey.campfield@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.steven.dickerson@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.lowe.finney@capitol.tn.gov
sen.ophelia.ford@capitol.tn.gov
sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.mark.green@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.dolores.gresham@capitol.tn.gov
sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.thelma.harper@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.douglas.henry@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.jack.johnson@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.bill.ketron@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.jim.kyle@capitol.tn.gov
sen.becky.massey@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.randy.mcnally@capitol.tn.gov
sen.frank.niceley@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.mark.norris@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.doug.overbey@capitol.tn.gov
lt.gov.ron.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.steve.southerland@capitol.tn.gov
sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.jim.summerville@capitol.tn.gov 
sen.reginald.tate@capitol.tn.gov
sen.jim.tracy@capitol.tn.gov
sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov
sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov
rep.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov
rep.david.alexander@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joe.armstrong@capitol.tn.gov
rep.harry.brooks@capitol.tn.gov
rep.kevin.brooks@capitol.tn.gov
rep.sheila.butt@capitol.tn.gov
rep.kent.calfee@capitol.tn.gov
rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov
rep.dale.carr@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joe.carr@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mike.carter@capitol.tn.gov
rep.glen.casada@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jim.coley@capitol.tn.gov
rep.barbara.cooper@capitol.tn.gov
rep.charles.curtiss@capitol.tn.gov
rep.vince.dean@capitol.tn.gov
rep.john.deberry@capitol.tn.gov
rep.vance.dennis@capitol.tn.gov
rep.barry.doss@capitol.tn.gov
rep.bill.dunn@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jeremy.durham@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jimmy.eldridge@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joshua.evans@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jeremy.faison@capitol.tn.gov
rep.andrew.farmer@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joanne.favors@capitol.tn.gov
rep.craig.fitzhugh@capitol.tn.gov
rep.richard.floyd@capitol.tn.gov
rep.john.forgety@capitol.tn.gov
rep.brenda.gilmore@capitol.tn.gov
rep.tilman.goins@capitol.tn.gov
rep.curtis.halford@capitol.tn.gov
rep.steve.hall@capitol.tn.gov
rep.ga.hardaway@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mike.harrison@capitol.tn.gov
speaker.beth.harwell@capitol.tn.gov
rep.david.hawk@capitol.tn.gov
rep.ryan.haynes@capitol.tn.gov
rep.matthew.hill@capitol.tn.gov
rep.timothy.hill@capitol.tn.gov
rep.andy.holt@capitol.tn.gov
rep.darren.jernigan@capitol.tn.gov
rep.curtis.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
rep.gloria.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
rep.sherry.jones@capitol.tn.gov
rep.roger.kane@capitol.tn.gov
rep.kelly.keisling@capitol.tn.gov
rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov
rep.ron.lollar@capitol.tn.gov
rep.harold.love@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov
rep.susan.lynn@capitol.tn.gov
rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov
rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jimmy.matlock@capitol.tn.gov
rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov
rep.steve.mcdaniel@capitol.tn.gov
rep.steve.mcmanus@capitol.tn.gov
rep.larry.miller@capitol.tn.gov
rep.bo.mitchell@capitol.tn.gov
rep.debra.moody@capitol.tn.gov
rep.gary.odom@capitol.tn.gov
rep.antonio.parkinson@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joe.pitts@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mark.pody@capitol.tn.gov
rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov
rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov
rep.john.ragan@capitol.tn.gov
rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov
rep.barrett.rich@capitol.tn.gov
rep.dennis.roach@capitol.tn.gov
rep.courtney.rogers@capitol.tn.gov
rep.bill.sanderson@capitol.tn.gov
rep.charles.sargent@capitol.tn.gov
rep.cameron.sexton@capitol.tn.gov
rep.johnny.shaw@capitol.tn.gov
rep.david.shepard@capitol.tn.gov
rep.tony.shipley@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mike.sparks@capitol.tn.gov
rep.billy.spivey@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mike.stewart@capitol.tn.gov
rep.art.swann@capitol.tn.gov
rep.john.tidwell@capitol.tn.gov
rep.curry.todd@capitol.tn.gov
rep.joe.towns@capitol.tn.gov
rep.ron.travis@capitol.tn.gov
rep.johnnie.turner@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mike.turner@capitol.tn.gov
rep.james.vanhuss@capitol.tn.gov
rep.eric.watson@capitol.tn.gov
rep.terri.lynn.weaver@capitol.tn.gov
rep.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov
rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov
rep.kent.williams@capitol.tn.gov
rep.ryan.williams@capitol.tn.gov
rep.john.windle@capitol.tn.gov
rep.tim.wirgau@capitol.tn.gov
rep.rick.womick@capitol.tn.gov


The Charter Authorizer Bill will probably be one of the first Bills to be voted upon when the Legislative Session starts this week on January 14th.  Last year, it passed the House floor and stalled in the Senate before Legislative session ended.  It will likely be brought up for a Senate vote early in the Legislative Session.  That is why it is so important to speak now.

School Board Members, Superintendents, teachers, and parents:  Your emails sent this week to those legislators listed above could be the difference between this intrusive bill passing or failing.  Thank you for using YOUR voice to make a difference!

"A teacher's license is their most valuable possession, worth more than their house, land, or car combined. They spent years in college qualifying for it, spent a career improving it. But most importantly, a license allows a teacher to do what they love - and that is to teach.  You better have an ironclad reason to take that license away.  And there is nothing about a statistical estimate (TVAAS) of what students are supposed to do on tests that remotely sounds fair to killing a teaching career." - TN Rep. Matthew Hill

Tennessee parents applaud Representative Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough) for vowing to create a bill to reverse the state board’s decision and “put once and for all into code that we will not use a statistical estimate to determine whether or not a teacher gets to keep their license.” (Click HERE to read more) 

We also applaud Representative John Forgety (R-Athens) for sponsoring and filing HB1375 to prohibit the TN Department of Education from revoking or non-renewing an individual's license based solely on data from TVAAS, some other comparable measure of student growth, or any other single criterion.  (Click HERE to see the bill and HERE to track the bill)
 

THIS WAS ABSURDLY WRONG:

August 2013:
As if to demonstrate their utter contempt for teachers, the Tennessee State Board of Education changed the licensure rules on a telephone conference call that was open to the public.

The vote was 6-3. Some board members said the change should be delayed because the changes were not well understood by the board.

Not all the board members agreed with voting to adopt a plan that had elements that concerned them, even with the delayed implementation.

Dr. Jean Anne Rogers of Murfreesboro suggested voting the proposal down and studying the issues “piece by piece” rather than implementing something that board members did not fully understand.

“I just have such serious concerns with a couple of the issues,” she said.

A dog was heard barking in the background of the call, although maybe it was a teacher howling in despair about the board’s unending attacks on teachers.

As a result of the changes approved by telephone meeting, teachers’ licenses will be tied to student test scores.

This is a strategy that has not produced better education anywhere but is guaranteed to produce teaching to the test and a narrowing of the curriculum.

It is not clear what will happen to the licenses of teachers and other staff who do not teach tested subjects.

Perhaps Tennessee will invest tens of millions to test everything.

We know who benefits. Not teachers or students. Testing corporations do.

The change in licensing rules was warmly endorsed by the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ group Democrats for Education Reform. Their members take home millions of dollars in income every year, but they don’t see why teachers need to earn more than $40,000 a year unless they raise test scores. Teachers in Tennessee earn less than the secretaries of most board members of DFER.

The above comments were written by Diane Ravitch, whose book, Reign of Error, reached the New York Times Bestseller List in 2013.  Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education.  
 

Tennessee Parents do not like what the TN Board of Education has done and continues to do.  Though they use the buzz-word, "accountability," quite often in regards to our teachers, the appointed State Board of Education and the TN Commissioner of Education are not held accountable to the voters.

We wholeheartedly support legislators who support our children's teachers and, thereby, support our children.

Tennessee parents trust teachers.
We do not trust TVAAS.
We do not trust TCAP.
We do not trust the TNBOE.

Why did a Governor return a campaign contribution from StudentsFirst, an out-of-state group who seeks to privatize and profitize schools?  Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said, "We felt like there were some people that could misinterpret that donation, and we wanted to be clear."  That is why Governor Bentley returned the $5,000 donation to StudentsFirst. (Click HERE to read the full article)

NOTE:  For his last election, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam received twice as much as Alabama's Governor did.  (Tennessee parents do not yet know how much Gov. Haslam may or may not have received for his upcoming election this year).


StudentsFirst spent more than $100,000 to help Rep. John DeBerry, D-Memphis defeat a Democratic primary opponent (the most money StudentsFirst spent on any campaign nation-wide!).  Hmmm... DeBerry now has a critical role in the legislature.  He was appointed to the committee that will first act on the legislation StudentsFirst is pushing by House Speaker Beth Harwell, whose PAC received $5,000 from StudentsFirst.  Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey's PAC also got $5,000 from StudentsFirst.

"Tennessee Ethics Commission records show the group had nine lobbyists registered to lobby the General Assembly in 2012 -- including Rhee -- with payments to lobbyists of between $50,000 and $100,000 and related lobbying expenses of $300,000 to $350,000."  (click HERE to read that recent article)

NINE lobbyists?!? Who are paid DOUBLE what most TN teachers earn!  Volunteer parents are organizing across the state and will be present at the capital to lobby as volunteers for free.  We are doing it for our children.


*Tennessee parents commend Alabama's Governor for his very wise decision to return the money to StudentsFirst.  That shows integrity and leadership!  We urge our Tennessee elected officials to do the same.

*If you are a legislator who refuses or returns money from StudentsFirst, please reply and let us know so we can tell our followers.  Thank you!

• How is it legal to funnel tax dollars for education to private schools, especially if they are religious in scope?
  
  
• Would all religious schools be eligible?
  
  
• What if the private schools don't do Common Core or state tests?
  
  
• How can private schools really serve children in poverty if the scholarship does not cover other private school expenses such as food, books, uniforms and extra curricular fees?
  
  
• Do these scholarships give access to any child that would like to try private school, such as English language learners or the disabled?
  
  
• How do equitable scholarships align with private school's selective admission and exclusionary practices?
  
  
• Will private schools group students by ability to remediate students who are behind grade level, perpetuating the isolation from private school peers?
  
  
• How will vouchers really change the limited choices of low-income families who cannot drive their children to school?
  
  
• Does attending a private school really close the achievement gap?
  
  
• Do parents understand that private school is not like public school, held accountable to tax payers?
  
  
• Have private schools really studied the impact vouchers will have on their student populations and potential government oversight?
  
  
• If I am in a rural community with no private schools why should I care about vouchers? And why should my taxes go to pay for urban kids to attend private school?
  
  
• Why are vouchers so important that the Walton Foundation would give $6 million dollars to a lobbying group called Alliance for School Choice to convince Tennessee they need vouchers? What do the Walton's get when they buy in to change our State's laws?
  
  
• Will private schools use standardized test to show they are providing value and prove they are making student progress?
  
  
• As money follows the child and tuition increases, will our tax burden increase to pay for private school services?
  
  

Up to this point, two pro-voucher camps exist.  One that sees vouchers are a way to allow kids in poverty access to private school education through voucher scholarships.  And another sees it as the ultimate school choice to take appointed education tax dollars as a tax credit and use it to close the financial gap that excludes middle class families' access to private education.  On the surface, this is an interesting idea.  But, as we dig deeper the voucher proposal looks troubling and brings more questions than solutions.

If our state is truly providing quality public education, as mandated by our constitution, we do not need these schemes to funnel education dollars away from public schools.  And if our state is not providing an adequate public education system then they should be held accountable to deliver an education system that works for all children.  Not just for those who can choose.

Just say what vouchers really are: affluent welfare engineered to drain our public schools of capable students and engaged families...further isolating the most vulnerable children in our society. Vouchers are a cop-out to avoid truly providing access to quality public education for all children.


Voucher failure in the other states that have vouchers:

Indiana: Voucher & charter school results are worse than public schools.  The "results should undercut the argument that we need charter schools and vouchers so children can “escape” failing public schools." (Click HERE to read more)  

Louisiana:  Nearly half of Louisiana's voucher students attend D or F rated schools (Click HERE to read the facts)  Some have learned how to "game" the system in Louisiana (Click HERE to read about the fraud) 

Wisconsin:  After more than 20 years of vouchers, the voucher schools have performed the same or worse than public schools. (Click HERE to read the article)   "Two thirds of Milwaukee students using the voucher program in the city already attended private schools.  Instead of increasing mobility for low-income students, the program primarily served to perpetuate status quo."  (Click HERE to read another article).  

North Carolina:  A Christian voucher school will not admit students who are gay or who come from gay families.  Is this even legal? (Click HERE to read)

Washington D.C.:  According to an investigation by the U.S. General Accounting Office:  D.C. voucher program is riddled with problems, lacking oversight to ensure participating private schools are physically safe or academically accredited.  (Click HERE to read the report)


Sneaky, sneaky:  Click HERE to read how vouchers get a foothold in states by claiming to be for the poorest students, but the movement continually pushes toward its goal of a universal voucher system, and consequentially strangles what were once strong public school districts.  

Cha-ching:  Click HERE to see how much $$$ is being poured into Tennessee to make our state the next voucher victim state.

Gallup poll:  70% of Americans oppose the use of public funds for religious or private schools.  No voucher program has EVER been endorsed by voters.  (Click HERE to read those important facts)

That is a fair and valid question raised by a group of concerned parents called, "Momma Bears."  They researched and found out some really suspicious info about StudentsFirst and the way it operates.  Here is an excerpt from their article about StudentsFirst:

"As StudentsFirst pretends to support children, StudentsFirst attacks the very teachers and school environments that nurture and educate children.  Through millions of dollars from corporate interests, StudentsFirst influences campaigns and laws that benefit their wealthy supporters."

"In Tennessee, StudentsFirst by far leads the pack of outside funding to influence elections and legislators.  Why is an organization in California spending so much money in Tennessee? or any state?  Because of the huuuuge profit to be reaped with public tax dollars by turning our public schools into profitable charter schools."

"Momma Bears aren't fooled.  This is definitely NOT a grassroots organization.  "Astroturf" is a better description.  There are no healthy roots, only an expensive layer of fake green plastic that doesn't fool anyone."  
Click HERE to read the entire article about StudentsFirst.  Warning:

... you may be surprised at some of the facts they uncovered.
 
...you might be angry that this organization seeks to take control away from our locally elected school boards.  

...you will be sad to see what has become of schools that followed Michelle Rhee & StudentsFirst's agenda.  

Tennessee parents most certainly do NOT want the same fate for our schools.
 

NOTE:  We see that many TN legislators, and even some local school board members, have received large campaign contributions from StudentsFirst.  In fact 9 of the top 15 campaign contributions last year from StudentsFirst went to Tennessee politicians.  According to the news media, StudentsFirst plans to give and spend even more this year in TN.  

While we can't fault politicians for turning down free campaign funding, we wonder HOW MUCH INFLUENCE does StudentsFirst have over the people that WE cast our votes to elect to represent US?  How much weight do StudentsFirst lobbyists carry when they hand legislators their professional, expensive pamphlets containing beautiful graphs of manipulated data?  Are our legislators and school board members misled hearing their "buzz-words" and empty promises?  Are our legislators gullible or flattered enough to vote against OUR children in favor of corporate profits? 

Are we wasting our time sending these TNparent emails to those we elected?  It takes quite a bit of time to collect, collaborate, edit, and send these emails and post them on our website.  We do this because we believe in public education, and we believe in TN.  We intend to make a difference.  Tennessee parents are awake, and we will be closely watching how our legislators vote.   Tennessee parents will remember at election time, and wise leaders would do well to remember that.  Our voices are strong, but our votes are stronger.   
Please hear OUR voices, not their dollars.

Sincerely,
TN parents 

PS - We see that some TN Board of Education members unsubscribed from our emails...  Clearly Richard Rhoda and Dr. Jean Anne Rogers do not want to hear what Tennessee parents have to say.  Rest assured, we get their message loud and clear.