TAKE ACTION: Contact your elected and appointed officials:
"What can I do to help?" That is the biggest question that we hear. Our response: "Contact your elected officials!" Parents voices desperately need to be heard. Some people are too scared (and we publish their voices anonymously), and some are intimidated. TN Parents wrote this to help:
Most of our elected officials DO listen to citizens. Unfortunately, they also hear from paid lobbyists from mega-corporations who push for laws that profit their bosses. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT for citizens to contact them. There are so many issues that they need to hear from REAL PARENTS about: Stop Common Core, stop giving our public schools and tax dollars to charter chains, stop excessive testing of our children, stop allowing our children's personal data to be collected and shared without parental consent, etc. Most legislators don't have children in public schools, so they don't realize what is truly happening within our public schools.
January 14, 2014 is when Legislative Session starts for TN's Senators & Representatives (that is when they all go to Nashville for a few months to vote on new laws). They need to hear from parents now. Please take some time to contact them. Emailing them is easy, phone calls are great, too. We have compiled their email addresses and phone numbers for you. Click HERE to download the contact info spreadsheet. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
January 14, 2014 is when Legislative Session starts for TN's Senators & Representatives (that is when they all go to Nashville for a few months to vote on new laws). They need to hear from parents now. Please take some time to contact them. Emailing them is easy, phone calls are great, too. We have compiled their email addresses and phone numbers for you. Click HERE to download the contact info spreadsheet. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Make your message short and sweet
- Say where you are from
- Be passionate, but not crazy or extreme
- Tell why you are against it, how it affects your children
- No threats, just show your concerns
- Ask them to propose and/or support laws that fix the problem
Technically challenged? Copy and paste this listing of the Education Subcommittee for the legislature into your email address box. These are our most important representatives making specific legislative decisions about education.
HOUSE EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE PHONE & EMAIL:
Harry Brooks 615-741-6879 [email protected]
John DeBerry 615-741-2239 [email protected]
John Forgety 615-741-1725 [email protected]
Roger Kane 615-741-4110 [email protected]
Harold Love 615-741-3831 [email protected]
Debra Moody 615-741-3774 [email protected]
Joe Pitts 615-741-4575 [email protected]
Dawn White 615-741-6849 [email protected]
You can also go here to find your state legislators: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/
***Contacting elected officials really does work!!! See:
"A year ago, I was frustrated over the school situation here. I sat down and emailed some people who could fix the problem. I’d never emailed them before, and I figured I’d never hear anything back from it other than a “thank you for contacting this important person blah blah blah” kind of blanket reply. I was shocked to get real, personal responses back from some of them! One Representative from east TN replied and said that my email changed his vote! I couldn't believe that a little old Mom like myself could make a difference. Ever since then, I've been advocating for children in my school and state. My voice DOES make a difference!" ~ A parent from Shelby County, TN
| action_list_tn_parents.xlsx |
Please call and/or email legislators as soon as possible and let them know that you support the following bills:
Testing Opt-Out (HB1841/SB2221): “This bill permits parents to opt their children out of participation in high-stakes testing.”
Funding for State-Mandated Tests (HB1826/SB1986): This bill requires that the state pay for any future state-mandated tests. This is important because many districts and schools are having problems finding the funds to pay for Common Core/PARCC testing.
1-year Waiver of PARCC High-Stakes for Teachers (HB2043/SB2122): This bill, “…prohibits use of results from the first year of student assessments based on common core standards to be used for teacher evaluations or for promotion, retention, termination, compensation, tenure or other teacher employment decisions.”
1-year Waiver of PARCC High-Stakes for Districts (HB 1975/SB 2102): This bill prohibits the use of scores on the PARCC/Common Core testing to evaluate districts during the 2014-2015 school year.
Reimbursement for Common Core Tests (HB 2290/SB 2057): This bill requires the state of TN to reimburse school districts for any costs related to purchasing and implementing Common Core testing (PARCC) and standards.
Repeal Common Core (HB 2332/SB 2405) This bill would Repeal Common Core Standards in TN
Postpone Common Core (HB 1825 /SB 1985) requires the state board of education and the department of education to postpone any further implementation of Common Core State Standards beyond those standards implemented as of June 30, 2013, until further implementation is approved by the general assembly.
Testing Opt-Out (HB1841/SB2221): “This bill permits parents to opt their children out of participation in high-stakes testing.”
Funding for State-Mandated Tests (HB1826/SB1986): This bill requires that the state pay for any future state-mandated tests. This is important because many districts and schools are having problems finding the funds to pay for Common Core/PARCC testing.
1-year Waiver of PARCC High-Stakes for Teachers (HB2043/SB2122): This bill, “…prohibits use of results from the first year of student assessments based on common core standards to be used for teacher evaluations or for promotion, retention, termination, compensation, tenure or other teacher employment decisions.”
1-year Waiver of PARCC High-Stakes for Districts (HB 1975/SB 2102): This bill prohibits the use of scores on the PARCC/Common Core testing to evaluate districts during the 2014-2015 school year.
Reimbursement for Common Core Tests (HB 2290/SB 2057): This bill requires the state of TN to reimburse school districts for any costs related to purchasing and implementing Common Core testing (PARCC) and standards.
Repeal Common Core (HB 2332/SB 2405) This bill would Repeal Common Core Standards in TN
Postpone Common Core (HB 1825 /SB 1985) requires the state board of education and the department of education to postpone any further implementation of Common Core State Standards beyond those standards implemented as of June 30, 2013, until further implementation is approved by the general assembly.
SIGN + SHARE THIS PETITION:
We, the people of Tennessee, demand that you immediately remove Kevin Huffman from the position of authority over our children's education in our State. We do not want a corporate-driven, profit-seeking, reform-minded appointed person representing us in office any longer. Through his actions, Kevin Huffman has hurt the students and teachers of TN. His actions have benefited greedy corporate interests. We are not fooled, nor will we remain silent on these injustices:
~ Kevin Huffman underhandedly passed drastic cuts to new teachers and those earning advanced degrees in TN. We realize the extremely important role that teachers play in children's lives, and we further demand that teachers in TN from this point forward be valued, respected, and paid fairly. This is crucial to recruiting and retaining excellent teachers in our State.
~ Kevin Huffman is paid the highest salary of any TN Commissioner of Education. ($200,000 per year, which is 11% more than his predecessor). He has virtually no experience in the classroom except for 2 years as a Teach For America instructor. He has no education degree and no certification to be an educator. He is a lawyer and an executive. He is unqualified to represent public education.
~ Kevin Huffman sought to ignore and bypass our locally elected school boards by allowing Charter Schools to be approved by his State Board of Education. We do not want our public schools given to charter operators! Our public schools belong to the communities they serve. Do not hand over that right to charter school operators.
~ We do not want TN students taught by non-certified, inexperienced teachers (such as Teach for America, Education Pioneers, and The New Teacher Project). If a person wishes to be a teacher, they should do so the correct way: earn a college degree & teaching certification from an accredited college or university. There are no short-cuts or bypassing when it comes to our children’s education. Every student should be in a classroom with a degreed, certified, experienced, and fairly paid teacher.
~ Smaller class sizes benefit students and their educational growth. Students learn best when teachers can give individual attention. This is not possible with crowded classrooms and teachers who are stretched thin. Education in Tennessee must be funded adequately. Every child should be in a school with strong academics, individualized attention, and rich music & art programs.
~The "problem" of education in the USA is not the problem we are led to believe it to be. Data has been manipulated to show a crisis, and politicians & corporations are demanding educational reform to fix it, when, in truth, it only benefits their pocketbooks & campaigns, and it is harming our public education system. The truth is that American students are out-performing other nations when compared to students socio-economically. The very real problem in America is poverty, and these reforms will not address nor help the real issue of children growing up in poverty in Tennessee.
~ We do not want our tax dollars spent on excessively testing our students through Standardized Tests mandated by our State. With millions of dollars being spent on these tests in TN, and countless hours wasted as students stressfully take them, teaching staff has been cut and learning time has been slashed in our schools. These tests are unfairly used to evaluate teachers. This is not acceptable. Certified teachers, optimal class sizes, and support staff in every school should be the priorities with our tax dollars, NOT Standardized Tests.
~ We further demand that the position of TN Commissioner of Education be an ELECTED position by the people, and not an appointed one (many other States wisely elect this position instead of having one appointed).
NOTE: Kevin Huffman's child attends Harpeth Hall, an elite private school in Nashville where teachers have advanced degrees and are paid well, class sizes are less than half the size of public schools (8 students : 1 teacher), there are rich music & art programs, students have a state of the art library, and they are not doing Common Core. We want someone with abundant experience as an educator who is truly vested in Tennessee public education to represent us.
~ Kevin Huffman underhandedly passed drastic cuts to new teachers and those earning advanced degrees in TN. We realize the extremely important role that teachers play in children's lives, and we further demand that teachers in TN from this point forward be valued, respected, and paid fairly. This is crucial to recruiting and retaining excellent teachers in our State.
~ Kevin Huffman is paid the highest salary of any TN Commissioner of Education. ($200,000 per year, which is 11% more than his predecessor). He has virtually no experience in the classroom except for 2 years as a Teach For America instructor. He has no education degree and no certification to be an educator. He is a lawyer and an executive. He is unqualified to represent public education.
~ Kevin Huffman sought to ignore and bypass our locally elected school boards by allowing Charter Schools to be approved by his State Board of Education. We do not want our public schools given to charter operators! Our public schools belong to the communities they serve. Do not hand over that right to charter school operators.
~ We do not want TN students taught by non-certified, inexperienced teachers (such as Teach for America, Education Pioneers, and The New Teacher Project). If a person wishes to be a teacher, they should do so the correct way: earn a college degree & teaching certification from an accredited college or university. There are no short-cuts or bypassing when it comes to our children’s education. Every student should be in a classroom with a degreed, certified, experienced, and fairly paid teacher.
~ Smaller class sizes benefit students and their educational growth. Students learn best when teachers can give individual attention. This is not possible with crowded classrooms and teachers who are stretched thin. Education in Tennessee must be funded adequately. Every child should be in a school with strong academics, individualized attention, and rich music & art programs.
~The "problem" of education in the USA is not the problem we are led to believe it to be. Data has been manipulated to show a crisis, and politicians & corporations are demanding educational reform to fix it, when, in truth, it only benefits their pocketbooks & campaigns, and it is harming our public education system. The truth is that American students are out-performing other nations when compared to students socio-economically. The very real problem in America is poverty, and these reforms will not address nor help the real issue of children growing up in poverty in Tennessee.
~ We do not want our tax dollars spent on excessively testing our students through Standardized Tests mandated by our State. With millions of dollars being spent on these tests in TN, and countless hours wasted as students stressfully take them, teaching staff has been cut and learning time has been slashed in our schools. These tests are unfairly used to evaluate teachers. This is not acceptable. Certified teachers, optimal class sizes, and support staff in every school should be the priorities with our tax dollars, NOT Standardized Tests.
~ We further demand that the position of TN Commissioner of Education be an ELECTED position by the people, and not an appointed one (many other States wisely elect this position instead of having one appointed).
NOTE: Kevin Huffman's child attends Harpeth Hall, an elite private school in Nashville where teachers have advanced degrees and are paid well, class sizes are less than half the size of public schools (8 students : 1 teacher), there are rich music & art programs, students have a state of the art library, and they are not doing Common Core. We want someone with abundant experience as an educator who is truly vested in Tennessee public education to represent us.
