Advocate February 12 2015 single pages

TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

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TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

TEA LEGISLATIVE REPORT | FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | VOL. 1, ISSUE 2

4% RAISE IN THE BUDGET TEA ready to fight to make

For most neighbors, the state contributes more than half of all K-12 funding.

Tennessee lags far behind states like Alabama and Kentucky for investment in students.

sure state raise passes

Just two months after TEA called for a six percent state raise for teachers, Gov. Bill Haslam announced he would propose a four percent increase in the budget. The total earmarked for raises is approximately $100 million, and would be the largest pay increase in more than a decade.

At four percent, the average Tennessee teacher pay increase would be approximately $2,000 annually, not including step raises.

“The governor’s proposal to putting these funds into teacher salaries is a great first step to HASLAM PROPOSES FOUR go to page 2

TEA backs measure to increase state portion of health insurance TEA works every day to contain health insurance costs for educators. HB116

by Rep. Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville), also filed in the Senate by Sen. Doug Overbey (R- Maryville), would be a big step in that direction. The bill would have the state fund 12 months of insurance for local education employees.

STATE K-12 FUNDING DOESN’T MEASURE UP Investment in children lags behind because of lower state support of schools Each year governors—including Haslam—have said they have “fully funded the BEP,” as shorthand that they’ve done their part on education funding. As it turns out, the state does less to fund Tennessee education than most of our neighbors, and that is a clear reason why Tennessee is near the bottom for investment per child.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau data released last May, less than half of all funding for Tennessee public schools comes from the state. That is a drastic departure from most Southern

Currently local school systems only receive state funding for 10 months of Sen. Doug Overbey (above) and insurance premiums through the Basic Rep. Bob Ramsey sponsored a Education Program, the funding formula bill requiring the state to fund INSURANCE go to page 2

12 months of insurance for local education employees.

TEA proposal would secure due-process rights for ESPs It has become tougher and tougher to be a bus driver. You have to worry about kids being bullied on your bus, but also keep your eyes on the road. You have to be defensive against the increasingly distracted drivers around you. You have to worry about traffic jams and construction detours, all while making sure you get your students to school on time.

The list could go on and on – and not just for bus drivers, but all education support professionals.

ESPs work tirelessly for Tennessee students, yet often go

unrecognized, under-appreciated and even mistreated. TEA has your back and is working to restore your professional dueprocess rights.

TEA’s 2015 legislative agenda includes a proposal that would provide due-process rights for all ESPs. If passed, this would give support professionals that right to a hearing before a neutral official when facing conduct charges or dismissal. The legislation would also grant the right to appeal a dismissal decision to the local ESP RIGHTS go to page 6

states, which provide the majority of funding for their public schools. With funding contributions ranging between 74 and 55 percent, Arkansas, North Carolina and Alabama are way ahead of Tennessee, which covers only 45 percent of our state’s public education budget and is only ahead of Georgia in terms of state contribution to K-12 funding.

In any business, the amount of investment in its people and operations speaks volumes about its current viability, competitiveness and the TEACHER PAY go to page 4

a e k Ta Join hundreds of educators for TEA lobby days on the hill Some politicians love to meddle in public education. Many believe because they were once students themselves, they understand what Tennessee students and teachers need to succeed. As a result, educators must get involved in the political process.

“State legislators are going to debate and vote on legislation that will directly impact your students, your classroom and

your profession,” said Carolyn Crowder, TEA executive director. “It is critical that they hear from you, the real expert in what students need, when making these important decisions.”

TEA is kicking off its second annual Civication next month to bring more educators into the halls and committee rooms of the Tennessee General Assembly. Civication days are held every Tuesday beginning March 10.

“Do you have plans for your Spring Break? Consider bringing your family and CIVICATION go to page 6

THE STRONGEST VOICE FOR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS ADVOCATE 1 PUBLIC SCHOOL

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Haslam proposes 4% raise, TEA to continue fight HASLAM PROPOSES FOUR from page 1

fulfilling his promise to make Tennessee the fastest improving in teacher salaries. Now it is our job to make sure this raise stays in the budget,” said TEA president Barbara Gray.

Last year a two percent teacher raise was cut from the budget when corporate excise taxes—a tax on profits—dropped unexpectedly. TEA has been working to find fixes for the holes in the corporate excise tax and other revenue problems in order to increase investment in schools and improve educator salaries. The Haslam administration is now on the same page.

“After presenting our budget last year, there was a sharp decline in revenue collections, and we weren’t able to do some of the things

we initially proposed in the budget,” Haslam told a joint session of the General Assembly on February 9. “Most of the drop was in our business tax collections. We’ve spent a lot of time working internally and with outside experts to analyze what happened.” Haslam wants the General Assembly to create the “Revenue Modernization Act” that would close some loopholes used by multi-state companies and level the playing field for Tennessee-based businesses.

“In order for us to ensure raises actually get passed this go round, every teacher needs to be ready for the fight on revenue. We never want repeated what happened last year,” said Jim Wrye, TEA Director of Government Relations. “And we should not stop at just four percent. If revenue continues to rebound, we should add more funding to

salaries. There is a reason we asked for six percent, and that is the lack of raises most teachers have had in the past two years.”

Last year there was no raise. In 2013-14, most teachers did not receive the 1.5 percent raise passed by the General Assembly due to the gutting of the State Minimum Salary Schedule by the State Board of Education at the request of then commissioner of education Kevin Huffman.

“Increasing salaries in the state budget is our number one priority. Without a state raise, most teachers won’t see an increase. We’ll work on it every day of the session,” said Wrye.

The large figure for teacher salary increases proposed by the governor was a strong first step. There are also critical budget areas TEA

is working on, including health insurance costs, classroom supply money, and pay equity funds that need to be added to the state budget. TEA is the only organization in the statehouse working to find revenue for education funding, and is ready to assist the administration in their goal.

“The increase really shows that the governor is listening to teachers and beginning to understand the economic hardships they have been facing. It is an encouraging start to a new legislative session to see the administration working hard to find a way to support our hardworking educators,” said Gray. “To attract and retain the best teachers, it is crucial that Tennessee stay competitive with neighboring states in teacher pay, something we have been unable to do in recent years.”

Insurance bill would decrease strain on local budgets used to fund public schools in Tennessee. The bill proposes changing the formula to fund a full year of premiums, since it is clear that employees maintain their health insurance year-round. The bill would provide much needed financial relief to struggling school systems, injecting over $63 million in new funding.

Closing this funding gap will create budget flexibility that can be used to shore up lagging teacher compensation,” says TEA Assistant Executive Director Jim Wrye, who serves on the BEP Review Committee. The committee, which meets every year to make recommendations to the state about education funding, has included this proposal in its BEP report to the State Board of Education for the last two years.

“We feel this bill is a common sense change that can be made at the state level that will directly benefit Tennessee schools. For too long this has created an unnecessary strain on local budgets.

TEA stands ready to fight for this issue. It is one more area where the General Assembly can make sure eduction Rep. Ramsey and Sen. Overbey for sponsoring this practical legislation.

INSURANCE from page 1

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, left, visits with auction winners and his former Sullivan Central High School classmate and Sullivan Co. EA President Lloyd Putney.

Ramsey helped auction off the cabin built by Putney’s students.

Meet “The Advocate” Lt. Gov Ramsey helps Sullivan Central HS

Welcome to TEA’s new legislative publication, The Public School Advocate.

What happens at the state level affects every student, teacher and classroom in Tennessee. Most teachers will not get a raise unless one is passed by the General Assembly. Most students will not have access to appropriate technology, new textbooks or other resources unless mandated by the General Assembly.

It is important for public school educators to have a constant focus on the battles happening in the state legislature.

TEA is the largest and strongest voice advocating for public education in Tennessee, but to be most effective it is crucial that every TEA member engage in the fight to protect our students and our public schools.

If you would like additional copies of The Advocate, please contact your UniServ coordinator.

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Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201-1099 Telephone: (615)242-8392, Toll Free: (800)342-8367, (800)342-8262 Fax: (615)259-4581 Website: www.teateachers.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Barbara Gray* (800)342-8367 VICE PRESIDENT: Beth Brown* (931)779-8016 SECRETARY-TREASURER: Carolyn Crowder (615)2428392 DISTRICT 1 Joe Crabtree (423)794-9357 DISTRICT 2 Lauren McCarty (865)385-5220

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ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION AVAILABLE FROM YOUR UNISERV COORDINATOR MANAGING EDITOR: Alexei Smirnov asmirnov@tnea.org ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Jim Wrye EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER: Carolyn Crowder

TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATE (USPS PP 332) is published nine times, biweekly, mid-January through mid-May, by the Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville TN 37201-1099. Pending Periodicals postage paid at Nashville, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATE, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201-1099. Periodical postage paid at Nashville, TN. The subscription price of $2.57 is allocated from annual membership dues of $258.00 for active members; $129.00 for associate, education support and staff members; $16.00 for retired members; and $10.00 for student members. Member of State Education Editors (SEE).

winning bid of $26,500. Ron Ramsey donated his services and wrote a $500 check so that Putney’s class could break even on the materials and start on the next cabin project.

Ramsey, an auctioneer with Ron Ramsey and Associates, put his talent to good use in late January when he helped his former classmate and Sullivan Co. EA President Lloyd “Sport” Putney auction off a cabin built by 100 of his students at Sullivan Central High School.

“In the past we have had buyers already, and this was kind of scary because what if someone didn’t buy it and what if we didn’t get the amount of money we needed,” Putney’s student Ally Anders told a local TV station.

“My brother Allen, Sport and I went to Sullivan Central a long time ago,” said Ramsey, who works part-time as Lt. Governor and attends to family business with his two brothers. “Allen and I were happy to help out our former classmate. We just sold the cabin right there, and I will make a little donation to make the numbers work for the school.”

The Advocate will be published twice a month to keep you informed of the current battles and how you can get involved. This publication will be your guide to the key public education issues you should discuss with your legislators.

We encourage you to share The Advocate with your colleagues and ask them to join you as a public school advocate and TEA member.

Politicians are often required to speak fast, but Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey does it for a living even when he’s not fulfilling his part-time role in the state legislature.

The students in Putney’s class built the 700 square-foot cabin in 15 months and were able to auction it off for $27,000 with the help from the Ramsey brothers.

Putney’s next-door neighbor in Sullivan County submitted the

DISTRICT 3 Michael Carvella (865)212-9774 DISTRICT 4 Anthony Hancock (865)293-9232 DISTRICT 5 Shawanda Perkins (423)385-9569 DISTRICT 6 Scott Price (931)455-7198 DISTRICT 7 Regina Harvey (615)765-3168 DISTRICT 8 Kevin King (615)504-0425 DISTRICT 9 Theresa L. Wagner (270)776-1467 DISTRICT 10 Becky Jackman (931)980-0206 DISTRICT 11 Wendy R. Bowers (731)645-8595 DISTRICT 12 Suzie May (731)779-9329 DISTRICT 13 Nellie Keeton (901)840-9700 DISTRICT 14 Tiffany Reed (901)412-2759 DISTRICT 15 Tom Emens (901)277-0578 ADMINISTRATOR EAST Jessica Holman (865)591-4981 ADMINISTRATOR MIDDLE Julie Hopkins (615)822-5742 ADMINISTRATOR WEST Dennis Kimbrough (901)494.0105 HIGHER EDUCATION Clinton Smith (901)230-4914 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER EAST Pam Thompson

(615)948.7378 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER MIDDLE Kenneth Martin (615)876-1948 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER WEST Sarah Kennedy-Harper (901)416-4582 STATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS Debi Ponder (615)969-4362 NEW TEACHER Carrie Allison (812)205-7689 ESP Stephanie Bea (901)265-4540 TN NEA DIRECTOR Melanie Buchanan (615)305-2214 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diccie Smith (901)482-0627 STEA MEMBER David Johnson (865)828-5324 TN RETIRED Linda McCrary (423)473-9400 * Executive Committee AT LARGE RETIRED DIRECTOR ON NEA BOARD JoAnn Smith (423)283-9037

TEA HEADQUARTERS STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Carolyn Crowder; ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS: Terrance Gibson; Steve McCloud; Jim Wrye; TECHNOLOGY & BUILDING

The students learn construction skills, algebra and math to help them succeed in their future careers.

“The walls, windows and insulation, everything from floor to ceiling is built by my students,” Putney said. “I’m a little disappointed we couldn’t get more for the cabin, but I’m excited that we sold it. That means we can go forward, build another cabin and maybe get a little more interest in it. Maybe the economy will straighten up and we can do a little better on the next one.”

Putney added that he and his students are looking forward to the state competition in Chattanooga this spring.

OPERATIONS MANAGER: Galen Riggs; COMPTROLLER: David Shipley; UNISERV FIELD MANAGER: Karla Carpenter; STAFF ATTORNEYS: John Allen, Virginia A. McCoy; GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR: Drew Sutton; WEB MASTER & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Amanda Chaney; MANAGING EDITOR & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Alexei Smirnov; INSTRUCTIONAL ADVOCACY & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS: Rhonda Thompson; William O’Donnell; COORDINATOR OF ORGANIZING SUPPORT & AFFILIATE RELATIONS: Shannon Bain; ADVOCACY HOTLINE COORDINATOR: Forestine Cole, Gera Summerford & Cynthia Wood.

UniServ Staff contact information can be found on page 6.

Capping the ASD a must As schools are forcibly taken over, TEA says enough is enough Former Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman saw performance at the Tennessee Virtual Academy, operated by K12, Inc., get so bad that he recommended no additional students be allowed to enroll. K12’s students consistently rank at the very bottom in terms of student performance. The school has struggled to show improvement and yet still sucks up millions in taxpayer dollars. This year may finally bring additional accountability to K12, Inc. Governor Haslam has even expressed support for a cap on K12 enrollment.

Why then, is the Achievement School District allowed to continue its aggressive growth?

One of TEA’s legislative priorities this session will be to pass legislation that would slow or cap the reckless expansion of the ASD. By all accounts, the Achievement School District’s schools perform no better than district schools. In fact, in some areas, the ASD schools perform worse than the low-performing district schools they’ve taken over. A charter operator now allowed to operate a Nashville middle school also operates a school placed on “academic notice.”

What’s worse? The Achievement School District is spending millions above the typical per pupil allocation and getting poor results.

So, based on the logic of the administration, shouldn’t the ASD’s growth be capped? Wouldn’t taxpayers be better served by a more cautious, measured approach that forced the ASD to produce proven results before expanding?

Instead, the head of the ASD, Chris Barbic, has promised that his district will engage in more hostile takeovers of district schools. This comes after a particularly contentious takeover of a Nashville middle school.

If legislators are willing to cap enrollment at K12, Inc’s failing Virtual Academy (and they should), they should also seriously examine limiting the growth of the Achievement School District.

Tennessee Department of Education has spent $18 million in Race to the Top funds on Barbic’s Achievement School District and the results have been pretty lousy. In Barbic’s own words, if this type of performance continues, the ASD should be closed down and the schools given back to the district. The data tells us that in most cases, the schools in the ASD would be better off back in the hands of their

districts, anyway.

“The Achievement School District is a perfect example of what happens when you turn schools over to non-educators from the profit-focused charter management world,” said TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder. “Putting students first means supporting the teachers and staff at struggling schools, not closing them down or handing them over for education experiments.

Tennessee’s students deserve better.”

For now, instead of tamping down their expansion, ASD schools are pressing ahead with more

dangerous initiatives (think cherry-picking students).

In early February, Barbic announced that he was seeking permission for ASD schools with extra capacity to recruit up to 25 percent of its population.

Metro Nashville Schools board member Will Pinkston was one of the voices in opposition of Barbic’s proposal.

“It’s wrong and it’s not what was intended,” Pinkston told The Tennessean. “It was never supposed to be this unabated charter authorizer.”

What does TCAP really measure? Not what policymakers think.

By TEA President Barbara Gray

really measure.

The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP, is in its last year. In 2016, it will be replaced with a new assessment aligned to new Tennessee standards.

That assessment will be developed by Measurement, Inc. At a time when we’re moving toward a new assessment, it’s appropriate to ask what standardized tests

We’re told that TCAP allows us to track student progress, to tell how much they’ve learned in a year or over their educational career. We’re told

that TCAP helps us assess, through the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), how much teachers are actually teaching. We’re told that TCAP is an accurate measure of school performance. The results of TCAP are used to assign schools and districts grades on the state report card.

terms of investment in schools relative to the BEP formula. Those same districts also had among the lowest levels of poverty in the state. By contrast, the bottom 10 performers on TCAP were those with the lowest investment in schools relative to the BEP formula. They also had among the highest concentrations of poverty.

TCAP has been presented as an arbiter of who is performing well and who isn’t in terms of our public schools. Based on TCAP results, we’re told we can determine who is getting the job done for our kids.

The TCAP should be renamed the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment of Poverty. It does an incredible job of separating schools based on the haves and the have-nots. It tells us which districts struggle with the challenge of poverty and the ability to invest in their local schools. Those who have the least to invest also have the greatest challenges.

Is TCAP really the magical tool that answers all of Tennessee’s education questions? As we transition to a new test, what can we learn from the TCAP experience?

A study of TCAP data compared with poverty rates of Tennessee school systems reveals that TCAP really only tells us one thing: which counties are poor and which are wealthy.

Based on three year average TCAP scores, the top 10 districts in the state in terms of TCAP performance were also the top 10 districts in

TCAP does reveal one other thing: Tennessee’s school funding formula (the BEP) is grossly inadequate. A new standardized test will likely yield the same results. Every single district in the state invests money in their schools beyond what the BEP formula generates. Those with the most to invest typically get the greatest returns. But no system can operate effectively on the BEP system at current funding levels.

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WHERE TENNESSEE EDUCA TEACHER PAY from page 1

likelihood of future success. An in-depth look into K-12 funding in Tennessee shows our state has fallen behind most of its neighbors in terms of investing in its students and teachers.

With no pay raise in the state’s BEP school funding formula during the last two years, many teachers effectively took a pay cut while facing inflation, skyrocketing insurance costs and rising food prices. Throughout the recession and during recent years of recovery, local governments have been short on cash.

Unable to come up with teacher pay raises on their own and with no relief from the state in the BEP, local school systems were left to sit idly as morale among teachers declined.

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Consider the story of Sherry Hunt, who teaches elementary school in Hancock County. With seven years of teaching experience, Hunt is the primary income earner in her family, as her husband has cancer and can’t work. Her take-home pay is $1,100 per month. Her pay is so low because she pays the majority of the cost of her family plan health insurance.

STATE

Hunt is a college-educated professional with a number of years of experience who works to improve the lives of Tennessee children every single day and her take home pay is $1,100 a month.

FUNDING

Unfortunately, Hunt is not alone among Tennessee teachers. A study by the Appalachian Regional Comprehensive Center found that a Tennessee teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of experience could qualify for up to five state welfare benefit programs depending on the size of her family.

What’s worse, 50 Tennessee counties border other states. And in most of those states, teachers earn higher salaries and receive better benefit packages than they do here in Tennessee.

NOT IN TENNESSEE.

MOST K-12 FUNDING IN THE SOUTH COMES FROM STATE SOURCES. Listed here are the percentages provided by Tennessee’s neighbors in their overall K-12 budgets.

KENTUCKY TENNESSEE

N.C.

ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI

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PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

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ALABAMA

GEORGIA

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Public Education Finances Report published May 22, 2014.

ATION FUNDS COME FROM

“I’m not making enough money,” he said.

“Luckily, I still have savings from last year when I left my $80K job in sales. Teaching would always be my passion, but I’m forced to go back into sales.”

With a teaching degree from Indiana University, this young educator said he had a dream of becoming a career educator in part because public schools made him who he is.

“After my mother died, my teachers and my school saved me,” he said. “My interest in music and social studies brought me to the Indiana University School of Education. I wanted to become a teacher. I never thought I’d turn my back on education, but now I’m forced to do it.”

41%

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FUNDING

14%

FEDERAL FUNDING

Tennessee cannot afford to lose its teachers and its public schools. This legislative session, TEA is asking Governor Haslam and the General Assembly for a 6 percent raise.

That would go a long way toward improving situations like Sherry Hunt’s and other educators. It’s time Tennessee teachers were treated and paid like the professionals they are.

Ultimately, TEA is asking the governor to increase the state’s BEP funding for teacher salaries from $40,000 to $45,000 per BEPgenerated teacher. Based on 2014 salary numbers, that would be a net increase to the average teacher’s salary of 11.3 percent.

“We’re not asking for this to happen all at once, but we are asking for the governor to get serious about investing in our teachers,” Crowder said.

Calling a six-percent raise “fair and critical,” Crowder said it would help education professionals break even with inflation because of stagnation at the state level and will finally put Tennessee on the road to becoming the fastest-improving state in the nation in teacher pay.”

By building the pay increase into the BEP formula, local school systems would receive additional financial support from the state.

Let’s take Hunt’s situation as an example. She lives in Hancock County, which borders both Harlan County in Kentucky and Lee County in Virginia.

A teacher with Hunt’s education and experience in Harlan County would make on average $4,000 a year more than she does. And the state of Kentucky assumes responsibility for teacher insurance, meaning Sherry would pay 25 percent less for her health insurance for a comparable plan. All told, were Hunt to make the drive to Harlan County, she could earn more than $7,000 a year more than she does teaching in Tennessee.

Likewise, in Lee County, Hunt’s salary would be more than $3,000 higher. And her insurance offerings would be a better deal. She’d net nearly $5,000 a year more if she taught in Lee County.

No teacher in any of these three counties is getting rich. But in Kentucky and Virginia, the teachers have both better pay and a stronger benefits package, making the family budget a little more manageable. The structure in both of those states more closely resembles one that treats educators as professionals.

Several of Hunt’s colleagues in Hancock County and countless teachers across the state have thought about moving from the communities they love or getting out of education public education altogether because they are unable to support their families.

TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder put it this way: “The povertization of teaching must stop. Tennessee communities deserve teachers who are treated with professional respect, and that includes professional pay. If we don’t step up to the plate, our teachers will start leaving for a better deal.”

Ultimately, Tennessee’s lackluster teacher pay structure and spotty benefits packages mean too many teachers are looking across the state border for a better future for their families. A collegeeducated professional with experience in her field and a record of solid performance shouldn’t be forced to make ends meet on take-home pay of $1,100 per month.

While TEA expects the governor to hold to his promise of improving teacher pay, it has been working with NEA experts and other stakeholders to help the state put a stop to tax avoidance schemes by corporations.

When the Haslam administration scrapped a modest two-percent pay raise for teachers from the education budget last year, it attributed the decision to a surprise drop in corporate excise tax, which fell short by more than $200 million.

“While corporate profits are actually up in Tennessee, our state’s antiquated tax laws allow attorneys and corporate CEOs to create perfectly legal tax avoidance strategies,” Crowder said.

“In 2013, Governor Haslam pledged to make Tennessee the fastest-improving state in the nation in terms of teacher pay and we hope he’ll live up to his promise this year.”

While experienced teachers generally have more hurdles to overcome before they can leave a school or their profession due to the lack of funding, younger teachers who have not yet started a family and have no house payment are much quicker to address their economic hardships by leaving Tennessee public schools.

One such teacher has told The Advocate that he is actively looking for another job because he could barely make ends meet and was forced to dig into his savings.

The current lack of investment in Tennessee schools coupled with bureaucratic hurdles to transferring his teaching license from Indiana are forcing him out of education, which is his dream profession.

40%

LOCAL

60% STATE

With 60 percent of funding for Tennessee teacher salaries coming from state coffers, Gov. Haslam’s administration and the General Assembly have their work cut out for them in making teacher salaries competitive with those of our neighboring states.

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ESPs deserve respect, professional rights ESP RIGHTS from page 1

board of education.

“We understand the challenges and risks faced by support professionals every day,” said Barbara Gray, TEA president and Arlington Community Schools administrator. “ESPs deserve to be treated as professionals and allowed to do their jobs without fear of unfair retribution. TEA will work closely with legislators this session to make sure that happens.”

Many ESPs work in environments that open them up to unfair accusations with little means to defend their good name. A bus driver, for example, could be falsely accused of allowing bullying to take place on his bus. Under current law, the school could just take the parent’s word for it and fire the bus driver without him ever being able to defend himself.

TEA’s proposal will restore the professionalism and respect our ESPs deserve.

Above: Rep. Dunlap talks with his students at Warren County Middle School.

General Assembly needs common sense in public education debates

Enjoy a Civication and stand up for schools CIVICATION from page 1

colleagues to the capitol to talk to your legislators and enjoy the great entertainment of Nashville,” said Crowder. “TEA’s Civication combines vacation with civic pride in our profession.”

TEA pays mileage for any members who want to come on the Tuesday of Spring Break. There is a complimentary breakfast at TEA Headquarters in downtown Nashville at 8 a.m., free parking, shuttle service to the Capitol at 8:45 a.m., meetings with your legislators, and House and Senate Education Committee meetings to witness the legislative process in action.

Thanks to a generous grant from NEA, if you live more than 50 miles outside of Nashville, TEA has a supply of pre-paid hotel rooms for members for Monday night (limited basis).

“Members have a new opportunity this year to extend their stay in Nashville for a second night to participate in the ‘Build a Movement’ extended stay plan,” said Crowder. “This free training will give you the tools needed to start a movement back home to empower your local through deeper skills in communications, organizing and local capacity building.”

Build a Movement will start from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday after Civication – and then continue on Wednesday from 9:30 to Noon. TEA will vouch lunch up to $10 per person on Tuesday and provide an extra night in a hotel (for

Need information, services?

Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue N., Nashville, TN 37201-1099 (615) 242-8392, (800) 342-8367, FAX (615) 259-4581

UniServ Coordinators

District 1 — Harry Farthing, P.O. Box 298, Elizabethton, TN 37644; phone: (423)262-8035, fax: (866)379-0949; Assns: Carter, Hancock, Hawkins, Rogersville, Johnson, Sullivan, Bristol, Elizabethton, Kingsport. District 2 — Jennifer Gaby, P.O. Box 70, Afton, TN 37616; (423)2340700, fax: (423)234.0708; Assns: Cocke, Newport, Greene, Greeneville, Unicoi, Washington, Hamblen, Johnson City. District 3 — Tina Parlier, P.O. Box 74, Corryton, TN 37721, (865)688-1175, fax: (866)518-

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TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Part of registration below includes indicating whether you will be bringing any of your children with you to the training. If there are children registered – we will provide something for the children during the training from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and 9:30 to Noon on Wednesday. We will also ask the hotel for a late checkout at the hotel for TEA guests so that if a spouse or friend wants to stay with the kids at the hotel or sleep in on Wednesday, that is also an option.

“TEA had huge wins in the last legislative session. To continue that momentum we need to pack the General Assembly this year with even more fired-up educators,” said Crowder. “TEA is reimbursing expenses and providing childcare to make it easy and convenient for educators statewide to attend Civication and ‘Build a Movement.’ We want Civication to be something that doesn’t end when you leave Nashville.

We want you to take everything that your learn and use your experience to engage your friends and colleagues in the fight to protect public education.”

ADVOCATE ADVOCATE

As a career educator in Warren County and newly elected state representative, Rep. Kevin Dunlap will join the other career educators in the General Assembly in being a voice of reason and experience. He understands the true implications of how actions in Nashville impact every classroom across the state.

If you only listen to the rhetoric coming out of Nashville in recent years, you would believe that Tennessee schools are failing. The thing these stories don’t tell you is that our students and teachers are more than a test score. The

false picture created by education reformers doesn’t show you the evening and weekend hours Tennessee educators invest in their students. It doesn’t show you that more than half of our students are struggling with poverty and hunger.

It doesn’t show you the incredible things our students and teachers are accomplishing every day.

The public schools Rep. Dunlap and the other educator legislators have been in are filled with students working hard to overcome the obstacles life has thrown in their way. The classrooms are filled with committed, qualified, hardworking educators who believe in their “kids,” no matter what the test scores claim to tell them.

A goal for the educators serving in the legislature this session is to show their fellow legislators what our great public schools are really like and pass meaningful legislation that will benefit Tennessee students, teachers and public schools.

To register to attend Civication, please visit www.teateachers.org/civication.

Rutherford County EA members meet with State Representative Mike Sparks (right).

3104; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Sevier, Union, Scott, Campbell, Oneida (in Scott Co.).

District 4 — Duran Williams, KCEA, 2411 Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917 Assns: Knox,TSD, District 5— Jason White, P.O. Box 5502, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; (615)521-1333, fax: (865)200-5254; Assns: Anderson, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Blount, Alcoa, Maryville, Lenoir City, Loudon. District 6 — Chris Brooks, P.O. Box 3629, Chattanooga, TN 37404, (615)332-2636; Assns: Bradley, Cleveland, McMinn, Athens, Etowah, Meigs, Monroe, Sweetwater, Polk, Rhea-Dayton, Roane. District 7 — Theresa Turner, HCEA 4655 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411; (423)485-9535, fax: (423)485-9512; Assns: Hamilton. District 8 — Josh Trent; Assns: Clay, Cumberland, Fentress, Jackson, Morgan, Pickett, Putnam, Overton, York Institute, TN Tech. Univ,

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those who live 50 miles or more away) if you register and attend the training. We will give gas cards to those who live less than 50 miles away who sign up for both days to help reimburse them for driving in twice. Continental breakfast will be available on Wednesday.

Every year, the Tennessee General Assembly considers more proposed legislation related to public education than any other topic.

Public education is the single most important issue we face as a state.

For these two reasons, it is critical that the legislature approach the upcoming education debates with common sense as they consider bills that impact our students, our classrooms and our teachers.

Bledsoe, Sequatchie,Van Buren, White. District 9 — Jackie Pope, 2326 Valley Grove Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37128;phone: (615)898-1060, fax: (855) 301-8214, Assns: Bedford, Moore, Cannon, DeKalb, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Manchester, Tullahoma, Marion, Warren. District 10 — Jeff Garrett, P.O. Box 1326, Lebanon, TN 37088-1326; (615)6302605, fax (855)320-8755—; Assns: Rutherford, Murfreesboro, Sumner, MTSU, Macon, Smith, Trousdale. District 11 — Antoinette Lee; Assns: FSSD, Williamson. District 12 — Sue Ogg; phone: (615)856-0503 — Assns: Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Fayetteville, Maury, Wayne, Marshall, Perry. District 13 — Mary Campbell, Susan Dalton, Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN 37211; (615)347-6578 (Campbell), fax: (855)299-4968 (Campbell); Assns: Metro Nashville,

TN School For The Blind, Lebanon, Wilson. District 14 — Maria Uffelman, P.O. Box 99, Cumberland City, TN 37050; phone: (931)827-3333, fax: (855)2994925; Assns: Clarksville-Montgomery, Robertson.

District 15 — Cheryl Richardson, P.O. Box 354, Goodlettsville, TN 37070; phone: (615)630-2601, fax: (888)519-4879; Assns: Benton, West Carroll, Central, Clarksburg, Huntingdon, McKenzie, Henry, Paris, Houston, Humphreys, Stewart, Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman. District 16 — Lorrie Butler, P.O. Box 387, Henderson, TN 38340; (731)989-4860, fax: (855)299-4591; Assns: Chester, Hardeman, West TSD, Henderson, Lexington, Jackson-Madison, McNairy, Decatur, Hardin. District 17 — Terri Jones, —Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Dyersburg, Gibson, Humboldt, Milan, Trenton, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Union City, Tipton, Weakley.

District 18 — Zandra Foster, Ashley Evett, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis, TN 38128; (901)3779472, fax: (855)320-8737;—Assns: Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington, Fayette. District 19 — Assns: MemphisShelby County Education Association — Ken Foster, Executive Director; Memphis-Shelby County EA UniServ Directors: Glenda Jones, Tom Marchand, 126 South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)454-0966, fax: (901)454-9979; Assn: Memphis-Shelby County.

www.teateachers.org www.nea.org

TEA MEMBERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF YOUR SPRING BREAK?

a ke

Ta

! l o t i p a C ! e s h r t o t o t a l e s i ! m g n o e C our l catio y r edu hville o t s k l a o f N a T d up O!) in W n T a R t S t day (O

a e r g a y o j En

!

S E L I M R O F S E S R U B TEA REIM FAST AT TEA HQ! K A E R B !

T D A E E G N A GR R R A S G N I T E E CAPITOL M L FOR LONG TRAVEL! E T O H D I A P E !

S PR R E B M E M OPEN TO ALL

Do you have plans for your Spring Break? Consider coming to the capitol to talk to your legislators and enjoy the great entertainment of Nashville! It’s a Civication, combining vacation with civic pride in our profession.

New this year is an option to stay a second night in Nashville to learn how to “Build a Movement” back home. Visit the registration link below for more details about the

extended stay plan.

TEA pays mileage for any members who want to attend Civication during Spring Break. There is complimentary breakfast at TEA Headquarters in downtown Nashville, free parking, shuttle service to the Capitol, and House and Senate Education Committee meetings to see the legislature in action!

If you live more than 50 miles

outside of Nashville, TEA has a supply of pre-paid hotel rooms for members for Monday night (limited basis). Build a Movement participants will get a second hotel night.

Come to Music City, enjoy the city and have a successful and important Civication. Members who took part in Civication last year had a huge impact on the legislative success of TEA!

REGISTER ONLINE: WWW.TEATEACHERS.ORG/CIVICATION PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

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Forget vouchers! Legislators should know public schools are better than private.

TEA recently sent a copy of “The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools” to every legislator in the Tennessee General Assembly.

As millions of dollars pour into the state from private interest groups trying to get a voucher bill passed in our state, it is important that elected officials in Nashville hear - and read - the truth: Public schools outperform private. Period.

Though skeptical at first, the authors of “The Public School Advantage” ultimately concluded after exhaustive research that public schools are more innovative,

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PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

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professional and rigorous than private schools, in large part because of things like what we did in Tennessee by raising graduation standards and other K-12 requirements. The professionalism expected from teachers, administrators, and schools in our public school systems is very high, often more so than private schools.

Tennessee schools have already proven to be the most effective use of tax payer dollars by producing top ten graduation rates with bottom ten funding. Legislators must not strip even more money out of the budgets of our local schools by diverting money to private institutions.