THE SESSION IS OVER. READ ABOUT HOW THE MEMBERS OF TEA PROTECTED STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS.
TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
PUBLIC SCHOOL 15
ADVOCATE
years!
TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
TEA LEGISLATIVE REPORT | MAY 5, 2015 | VOL. 1, ISSUE 8
VOUCHERS DEFEATED
Bipartisan coalition against privatization stops vouchers in House
Strong anti-voucher fighter Rep. Karen Camper (D-Memphis)
For a third straight year TEA has led a successful fight against private school vouchers. With strong support from educators, a bipartisan group of legislators, parents and other public education advocates statewide we were able to protect our public schools from a dangerous voucher proposal again this year.
state organization’s checkbook.
Another decisive defeat for deep-pocketed privatizers proves the voices of constituents back home are more powerful than an out-of-
“TEA saw a huge increase in members from one end of the state to the other engaging in the fight against private school vouchers,” said TEA President
It is easy to brush aside the threat of private school vouchers if you teach outside one of the districts targeted in the proposal, but this is a real threat to all public schools in Tennessee. As we have seen with other unproven reform schemes, what starts in one district can quickly spread across the state.
Barbara Gray. “Together, with strong, clear and frequent communication with legislators, we defeated this threat for a third year.” Representatives Karen Camper and David Alexander were instrumental leaders in this fight to defeat a plan that at full implementation would have served a minimum of 20,000 students – which meant an estimated cost of $130 million. “That’s $130 million not being VOUCHERS DEFEATED go to page 3
Anti-privatization champion Rep. David Alexander (R-Winchester)
$127 MILLION RECURRING ADDITIONAL FUNDS
IEP bill passes on 4% increase for teacher pay, 10% for insurance final day, measure focuses on autism and intellectual impairments As we celebrate a major victory—calling for and getting a 4-percent state pay increase for Tennessee teachers—it’s important to remember that, according to current law, even though the raise has been passed in state budget, it does not guarantee that local school systems will use this
$97.6 million
for teacher compensation.
money to fund teacher raises.
“TEA called for a much-needed raise for public school teachers and fought to ensure that it stays in the budget,” said TEA President Barbara Gray. “Now we are calling on all school systems across the state to pass on this raise to their teachers.” Gray cited the example of Williamson County Schools, whose budget for the 2015-16 school year includes a 5 percent pay increase for all teachers, as well as a plan to open new schools
RAISES AND INSURANCE COSTS NOW A LOCAL ISSUE go to page 4
TEA members made the difference! When members of the Greene County Education Association drove to Nashville during their spring break to visit with Rep. David Hawk and other lawmakers as part of this year’s TEA Civication, they didn’t know what impact those conversations would have.
As it turns out, that conversation had enormous impact because hearing from the teachers helped solidify Hawk’s vote against vouchers— and allowed TEA to defeat the dangerous and unproven schemes of the out-of-state special interests.
Hawk helped pass some critical TEA legislation last year, making sure TVAAS didn’t influence observation scores, and the Greene County folks thanked him for it.
“Every time a teacher gives a first-person account of their day-to-day life and work, it has a tremendous and positive impact on the battles MEMBERS MADE THE DIFFERENCE go to page 3
Work to protect students with special needs continues in rulemaking process As proposed, it was an unmitigated disaster. Any family with a child having an IEP – 120,000-plus students statewide – qualified for a debit card linked to a bank account filled with state and local school dollars. It was a recipe for funding homeschooling. It was a path to rampant fraud as seen in Florida. It incentivized bad behavior and would put thousands of special needs students in academic and personal jeopardy. Demands for IEPs would explode as word got out about the debit cards and could taint the often difficult work involved in setting up learning plans. There was no guarantee that hard won gains for students would remain. What barely passed the House was a smaller, tighter bill that delays implementation so that the special education community can help develop rules and regulations to protect children, require informed decisions by parents, and cut down on the possibility of fraud. IEP FIGHT CONTINUES go to page 6
TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
THE STRONGEST VOICE FOR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS ADVOCATE 1 PUBLIC SCHOOL
TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
The Privatization Industry is here. Only TEA can fight it! Out-of-state special interests push bills to destroy public education, we must be ready for a long fight Out-of-state special interests bent on destroying Tennessee public education have been flooding Tennessee legislative campaigns with cash in recent years. American Federation for Children, Students First, Stand for Children, The Beacon Center and others push vouchers, radical charter expansion, cuts in funding, and the elimination of tenure and other teacher protections. These groups and others spent more than $1 million in races for the Tennessee General Assembly in 2014.
SORRY KIDS, TAKING YOUR SCHOOL FUNDS. THERE ARE STOCKHOLDERS I GOTTA FEED ....
These are the same groups you see in the national news who are bankrolling the legal battles to end tenure, close public schools and hand the education of our nation’s children over to forprofit organizations. TEA is doing everything we can to fight this menace—spending $200,000 and draining a fair amount of our TEA Fund PAC in the last election. It is critical that we increase our PAC funds to support the legislators who are fighting to protect public education in Tennessee. The good news – last primary we were successful in defeating antieducation legislators and defending those lawmakers who stood with us to defeat vouchers, help protect teacher licenses, and stand by us on other critical issues. The bad news – these
out-of-state groups will be back with even more campaign cash, and TEA is the only a source of funds and votes for legislators who stand with public schools. These organizations are not used to losing. Tennessee is the only state to successfully beat back private school voucher proposals three years in a row. They will be putting their full efforts into unseating our friends
in the legislature and replacing them with candidates who support privatization. We need to get ready for the battle in 2016.
The fight we face against the organizations listed here will be waged at all levels, not just in the statehouse.
These same deep-pocketed organizations have also begun meddling in local elections. Educators in Williamson County witnessed a huge influx of cash from Americans for Prosperity into its school board races last election.
TEA is ready for the battle, but we need your voice, your vote and your financial support for the TEA Fund PAC to continue winning the fight to protect our students and our profession.
S L O O H C S C I L B U P
! K C A T T A R E D N U ARE
HELP DEFEND THEM BY MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE TEA FUND
You are already doing your For members attending the part to defend schools by TEA RA, please hear the call to being a member. If you can, donate funds to the TEA Fund please help in the fight just coming in your packets. If you a little bit more by making a would like to donate from small donation per month to home, please send a check to: the TEA Fund. TEA Fund, 801 2nd Ave N., Nashville, TN 37201
Donate securely online! Go to: teateachers.org 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).
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Postmaster: Send address changes to TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATE,
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
PUBLIC SCHOOL
ADVOCATE
801 Second Avenue North, TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Nashville, TN 37201-1099.
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)691-0070 DISTRICT 8 Kevin King (615)504-0425 DISTRICT 9 Theresa L. Wagner (270)776-1467 DISTRICT 10 Becky Jackman (931)551-8949 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)689-1450 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 (901)406-9188 TN RETIRED Linda McCrary (615)888-7026 * 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
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 COORDINATORS: Forestine Cole, Gera Summerford & Cynthia Wood.
UniServ Staff contact information can be found on page 6.
Attack on payroll deduction and PAC thwarted, expect privatizers to continue to target TEA Consider it a strange and dangerous compliment that privatization groups keep pushing bills that attack TEA. There were measures proposed during the session that would eliminate payroll dues deduction and limit or halt the ability of TEA members to contribute to the TEA Fund for Children and Public Education, the political fund to help pro-education legislators (please see the ad on page 2). One bill went even so far as prohibiting the TEA lobbyist from participating in any type of political activity, including organizing polling, setting up direct mail or recruiting candidates. “Privatization groups push this kind of legislation for one reason and one reason only, to weaken or destroy the Tennessee Education Association,” said Jim Wrye, TEA chief lobbyist and political specialist. “We were effective last year in electing pro-education lawmakers and defeating legislators who do not support public education. We stand in the way of an incredible assault on public schools, like we see in other states. That is why the special interests come after us, and that is why we need to stay strong.”
Member participation made all the difference from page 1
we fight every day,” said TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder. “Civication helped us defeat so many bad ideas during this year’s legislative session and we are grateful to all public school employees who took their personal vacation time to join us on the hill.” A few days before the final voucher vote in the Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee, TEA organized calls to all members who were encouraged to speak with their elected officials and ask them to stop vouchers. When legislators returned to their offices on Monday, April 20, they heard close to 1,000 strong anti-voucher messages on their voicemails from voters in home districts across the state. “Personal contact beats canned email, radio and TV advertising,” said Rep. Kevin Dunlap (D-Rock Island), a history and social studies teacher who was elected last year. “When fellow legislators see and hear what goes on in our classrooms, they listen and take note. Conversations with teachers can and do change votes in favor of our public schools and our students.” Civication brought nearly 600 people from every corner of the state to Nashville in the spring. For the first time, members were invited to stay up to two nights if they chose to participate in a “Build a Movement” training. Designed to help members enhance advocacy efforts and improve working conditions at the local level, the training drew enthusiastic members from Memphis to Mountain City. Many members who brought their children opted for the daycare service at the TEA headquarters. Danette Stokes of MemphisShelby Co. EA, a first-time Civication attendee, said bringing her daughter with
Greene County EA Vice President Emily Sherwood (left) and Rhonda Lankford, treasurer and membership chair, meet with Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) during the TEA Civication at the State Capitol. Below, hundreds gather at TEA headquarters for breakfast prior to going to the hill for Civication.
“When we stand together, people hear our voices,” Stokes said. “When we stand together, we get things done.”
her was a no-brainer. “Kennedy got to see her mother actively advocating for her profession and she loved the daycare offered by TEA during our training,” Stokes said. “The ‘Build a Movement’ training was very inspiring.” Stokes’ visit was also instrumental in defeating vouchers. As soon as she returned to Treadwell Elementary School in Shelby County, Stokes shared with her colleagues that she and other Civicationers were able to help delay the voucher vote in the Tennessee General Assembly during the second week of the TEA Civication. Coupled with Greene County school visits and countless other conversations held in statehouse offices, this effort resulted in an unprecedented and historic victory.
Crowder thanked everyone who participated in this year’s Civication and asked educators to consider spending at least a part of their 2016 spring break at the state Capitol. “TEA Civication has proven yet again that teachers, education support professionals and other school employees can defeat millions of out-of-state lobbying dollars designed to take away our public school funding,” Crowder said. “It’s not too soon to plan your 2016 spring break. Bring your friends and family and remember that the gas and hotel room will be on us.”
Wrye expects continued attacks on the association, how we maintain membership, and how we raise campaign monies to thwart the deep pockets of the out-of-state groups. “We need to have every teacher in Tennessee know what is at stake, and know why it is important to be a member,” Wrye said. “Strong membership is the only way we will be able to protect and defend our students, our schools, and our profession.”
Educators overpower privatizers’ checkbooks VOUCHERS DEFEATED from page 1
invested in Tennessee public schools. That’s $130 million not available to provide resources to Tennessee’s public school students. That’s $130 million not being invested in supporting our state’s teachers – teachers who too often earn poverty-level wages,” Gray said. Make no mistake: If this voucher bill passes in the future, teachers will lose their jobs and public schools will close. In fact, the voucher scheme that has been
repeatedly proposed may be the largest diversion of public education dollars to private sources in Tennessee history. “In addition to the significant concerns around funding implications, we also have serious concerns about private schools’ ability to cherry-pick the students they want at their schools,” said Gray. “When you get into the details of this proposal, it is really about choice for private schools, not for our parents. Private schools are free to admit only the best athletes or only the students with strong academic performance, leaving behind the students
who proponents claim will benefit from vouchers.”
Four important voucher opponents in the Senate
Proponents of this privatization scheme claim it will help improve student outcomes. In fact, research on vouchers shows that students receiving vouchers perform no better than their non-voucher peers and that voucher programs tend to perpetuate a pretty negative status quo: In 2010, the Center on Education Policy reviewed 10 years of voucher research and action and found that vouchers had no strong effect on student achievement. The most positive results come from Milwaukee County’s voucher program, but the effects were small and limited to only a few grades. A critical study of the Milwaukee program found that it overwhelmingly helped those already receiving education through private means. 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. The bottom line: Vouchers are a very expensive experiment that doesn’t
Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville)
Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville)
Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains)
Sen. Thelma Harper (D-Nashville)
improve outcomes. It’s a bad deal for taxpayers and even worse for Tennessee students. We expect the voucher bill to come back again next year. TEA will be ready and waiting to defeat it for a fourth time.
PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
ADVOCATE
3
TEA salary schedule push works to ensure state money gets into paychecks Governor Haslam proposed, and the General Assembly approved, $97.6 million in new money for teacher compensation. This means every school system in the state has more money available for teacher salaries and associated benefits. At the end of the session an additional $30 million was appropriated to fund an additional month of teacher insurance.
the direction of former Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, the State Board of Education gutted the old pay scale that included cost of living adjustments (step raises) each year for teachers. The new pay scale for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree looks like this:
Local school systems will have both additional funds for teacher compensation and extra funds to help cover the cost of providing teacher insurance. So, does this mean every teacher in the state will get a raise? Not necessarily. And here’s one reason why. Under
Year 0
$30,876
Years 1-5
$31,446
Years 6-10
$34,066
Years 11+
$37,461
So, that’s all districts are obligated to pay teachers. The vast majority of districts pay well above the minimum. TEA fought and won the battle last year to allow districts to keep a step raise system, and most districts in the state have such a system. But, unless the State Board of Education raises the minimum salary schedule by the 4 percent represented by the $97.6 million, there is less upward pressure on districts to raise teacher pay, especially in the lowest paying systems. Time and again in legislative committees the Tennessee Department of Education expressed opposition to TEA-backed
legislation that would have ensured that if the legislature passed a raise in the budget, teachers would get the state money as a raise by raising the State Minimum Salary Schedule. The State Board of Education refused to commit to raising the minimum schedule – one of the lowest in the country. Here’s what this means: There are 19 districts at or near the minimum pay scale level. Unless the State Board acts, teachers in those systems – some of the poorest in the state – may very well not see an increase in compensation. A study by the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) showed that Tennessee has both one of the lowest rates of teacher pay and one of the slowest rates of growth in teacher pay over time. TEA’s efforts to restore annual increases to the state minimum salary schedule will continue next year. And we’ll be asking the State Board of Education for a 4 percent increase in the salary scale this year. Here’s what you need to know and what you can do now to ensure that teachers in your district get the pay raise they deserve: Your school system will receive
4 percent more BEP teacher compensation money than they did last year – that’s money that can and should be used to give teachers raises Your school system will receive an increase equivalent to one month’s cost of providing insurance – a 10 percent increase from the state – this can and should allow them to improve the insurance benefit they offer. It also frees up money that can be used in other areas Talk to your school board members and encourage them to use the money they are receiving wisely – to support the teachers and staff that support our kids every single day. Talk to your state legislators – tell them that next year, you want them to stand up and fight for annual increases to teacher pay. If the legislature finds money to give teachers a raise, teachers should get the raise. One more note: The ARCC study also found that a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of experience could qualify for up to five state welfare benefit programs depending on her household financial situation. Teachers shouldn’t be paid poverty wages. TEA is fighting every single day to ensure that Tennessee teachers earn respectable, middle class salaries and are treated as professionals.
$fo
In te u
Now pay raises, teacher compensation decisions shift to the local level from page 1
and fund other expansion projects. The county is using the 4 percent for the teacher raise and paying for other employees and projects from local funds. Spurred by TEA, Governor Bill Haslam’s proposal to raise teacher pay by 4 percent this year will bring an additional $3 million to Williamson County schools. “The raises that we’ve given teachers for the past several years have not even kept up with the rising cost of living,” Williamson County Director of Schools Mike Looney told The Tennessean. “I don’t see how it’s fair to not give them a raise. I think we’re required to; it’s the moral thing to do.” Just months after TEA called for a 6 percent state raise for teachers, Gov. Bill Haslam announced he would propose a 4 percent increase in the budget, much greater than statehouse observers were expecting. The total earmarked for raises is approximately $100 million, and would be the largest pay increase in more than a decade. That’s just one example of TEA’s advocacy efforts at the State Capitol. At 4 percent, the average Tennessee teacher pay increase would be approximately $2,000 annually, not including step raises. “We continue to stress that the governor’s proposal to raise teacher salaries this year is a great first step to fulfilling his promise to make Tennessee the fastest improving in teacher salaries,” said Gray. “TEA prevailed in keeping this much-needed pay raise in the budget, in large part thanks to our members’ efforts as they stayed in touch with their legislators throughout the session.” Another huge victory was a 10 percent increase in state funds for teacher insurance, expanding the BEP component from 10 months of insurance to 11 months. The state is now obligated going forward to provide an additional $30 million a year for health insurance. All total, the state increased recurring teacher funds by
almost $130 million. As part of the TEA Civication, Tennessee teachers came to Nashville’s Capitol from all corners of the state on their spring break and kept up the pressure on their elected officials at home. “These efforts have paid off and we encourage our members to keep up this same pressure on their local school boards and county commissions to ensure the raises are passed on to all teachers,” Gray said. Last year, a 2 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
While the governor pushed for enough funds for a 4 percent raise, the administration’s policies have allowed school systems to use funds for items other than a pay raise — such as hiring additional teachers or paying health benefits. in order to increase investment in schools and improve educator salaries. The Haslam administration is now on the same page. “We sent Governor Haslam a clear message— that another year without raises was unacceptable,” said TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder. “In 2013-14, most teachers did not receive the 1.5 percent raise passed by the
Haslam took a giant step forward in fulfilling his promise that Tennessee teachers become the fastest improving salaries in the nation.
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PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
ADVOCATE
General Assembly due to the gutting of the State Minimum Salary Schedule by the State Board of Education.” “We’ve been working to ensure the 4 percent raise stays in the budget every day of the session,” said TEA lobbyist Jim Wrye. “We know that without a state raise, most teachers won’t see an increase in their salaries, so now we want to make sure that local school boards pass on the much-needed raise to their employees. Increasing salaries in the state budget is our number one priority.” TEA has been vocal in sounding the alarm on teacher pay, pointing out to lawmakers that while our state ranks 8th in the nation for on-time graduation rates, and has the county’s second highest academic standards for graduation, Tennessee schools achieve this remarkable outcome with very limited resources. “Our state ranks 43rd for investment per child, and is far below most of its neighboring states in education funding,” Wrye said. “Tennessee taxpayers are getting the country’s best value for its education dollar. Imagine what we could do with Kentucky-style investment! “
Fu re us
$for9tea7che.6r commpenillisatioonn
Funds in the BEP Instructional component must be used for compensation. Funds may be used for bonuses, insurance, extended contract, new teacher positions, and other items considered teacher compensation.
liinsuraonnce il m .6 $or 29 teacher health
ncrease adds 10 percent more to the BEP for eacher health insurance. Monies must be used for health benefits.
n io ill m $6 for teacher pay equity
What about extended contract funds? Funding for extended contracts is no longer specifically earmarked for that purpose. Previously, these funds were connected to Career Ladder. As Career Ladder phases out as veteran teachers retire, how funds are distributed around extended contracts have changed. Last year, extended contracts were funded at a total of $7.5 million. Now, districts will simply receive funds for compensation through the BEP Instructional Component, and may use those funds for compensation purposes – salaries, benefits and
Moreover, the increase of the BEP Instruction Component (the 4 percent increase for teacher compensation) is approximately $5 million above what was needed to meet the 4 percent increase. Bottom line, there is money for extended contracts, but it is no longer earmarked for that purpose.
$6 million for teacher pay equity funds to go to least resourced districts, less than last year Teacher pay equity funds go to the least resourced counties to help bolster the compensation of the lowest paid teachers in Tennessee. Each year the governor determines a number to put into this fund, last year it was $8 million after first proposing $14.5 million, and the funds are distributed by a formula. Most Tennessee districts do not get this money. Teacher pay equity funds were part of a Small Schools lawsuit settlement. The state Supreme Court ruled that gross inequity in teacher pay—at the time the difference between the highest and lowest paid teachers was a whopping 45.75 percent—was unconstitutional.
funds for 2016-2017. There was no explanation of the number or why it dropped from last year. TEA is concerned that it is not enough to head off another constitutional confrontation on teacher pay equity. With the state now claiming health insurance premiums as part of teacher compensation, TEA believes Tennessee has greater disparity in teacher pay than what was ruled unconstitutional a decade ago, well past 50 percent. Teachers in the lowest paid districts also often pay the most for their health insurance, adding insult to injury when it comes to equity.
Paying teachers far less negatively affected student learning the court found, and was a lure for better paying districts to poach the best teachers. The court cited the provision in the state constitution that demands the General Assembly provide for a system of free public schools.
unds go to the districts with the least esources in a formula. Funds must be sed for compensation.
additional responsibilities. So, while extended contract is not it’s own budget item anymore, districts have funding flexibility to use money on similar programs.
Part of the last Small School settlement was to have some teacher pay equity funds in every state budget. The settlement did not specify how much equity funds would be placed into the state budget. That is up to the governor. The administration put in $6 million in teacher pay equity
With the administration’s push to lower the State Minimum Salary Schedule and the inclusion of insurance as part of compensation, teacher salary disparity is growing rapidly. The $6 million earmarked to address this problem may be far short of what is needed. The administration would do well to remember that the 2004 pay equity fix by the General Assembly cost a total of $150 million. Below are TEA’s approximate estimates on what systems will be getting pay equity funds and how much.
Pay Equity Funds, estimated by district* TeacherTeacher Pay Equity Funds by School District* Alamo City
$11,980.97
H Rock-Bruceton SSD
$31,008.41
Moore County
$14,304.83
Richard City SSD
$5,872.14
Hancock County
$59,194.34
Morgan County
$135,093.93
Benton County
$39,462.21
Hardeman County
$44,983.45
Newport City
$7,191.31
Bledsoe County
$101,080.14
Hardin County
$111,340.97
Obion County
$12,178.76
Bradford SSD
$20,613.52
Hawkins County
$246,830.48
Oneida SSD
$60,920.69
Campbell County
$189,820.97
Haywood County
$19,354.76
Overton County
$141,512.28
Cannon County
$46,466.07
Henderson County
$26,559.31
Perry County
$52,427.59
Carroll County
$3,583.03
Hickman County
$99,673.66
Pickett County
$36,332.69
Carter County
$215,700.83
Houston County
$12,388.14
Rhea County
$79,861.66
Cheatham County
$9,129.10
Humboldt City
$26,923.86
Robertson County
$38,426.07
Chester County
$93,939.72
Humphreys County
$68,165.38
Scott County
$128,070.21
Claiborne County
$221,617.24
Huntingdon SSD
$23,047.45
Sequatchie County
$23,012.69
Clay County
$56,632.97
Jackson County
$75,010.34
Smith County
$101,869.24
Cocke County
$141,852.83
Jefferson County
$186,384.00
South Carroll Co SSD
$10,555.86
Coffee County
$3,483.31
Johnson County
$88,529.38
Stewart County
$11,807.59
Crockett County
$40,176.83
Lake County
$33,650.48
Sullivan County
$148,308.41
Cumberland County
$247,045.24
Lauderdale County
$26,805.52
Trenton SSD
$40,067.17
Decatur County
$32,203.45
Lawrence County
$177,826.76
Trousdale County
$72,063.72
DeKalb County
$43,090.76
Lewis County
$80,222.90
Unicoi County
$65,775.31
Dyer County
$25,871.17
Lexington City
$31,855.03
Union City
$23,180.69
Fayette County
$77,354.90
Lincoln County
$18,247.03
Union County
$147,496.55
Fentress County
$101,100.00
Loudon County
$24,194.90
Van Buren County
$28,742.90
Franklin County
$22,985.79
Macon County
$120,600.41
Warren County
$38,804.69
Gibson County SSD
$101,522.48
Marion County
$62,200.97
Wayne County
$125,231.17
Giles County
$106,320.41
McKenzie SSD
$22,331.59
Weakley County
$76,264.97
Grainger County
$135,093.93
McNairy County
$154,691.17
West Carroll Co SSD
$47,075.17
Greene County
$125,561.38
Milan SSD
$49,430.90
White County
$35,185.66
Grundy County
$86,597.79
Monroe County
$70,629.10
* Final SDE calculations may vary
PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
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Smaller IEP bill passes on final day, fight now moves to rulemaking process from page 1
The Individualized Education Act passed by only three votes in a strongly divided House on the last day of the legislative session. With the approved amendments, the bill now affects only 18,000 students limited to autism, severe intellectual and physical disabilities, and deficits or loss of sight and hearing. By the end of the legislative fight, sponsors focused on the greatest special needs, no longer talked about debit cards but reimbursement for approved services, and charged the State Department of Education to set an approved vendor list. The start of the program was also pushed back a year so that rules can be created. It remained a bad bill, but one where the special education community can come together to avoid the worst abuses of children with special needs. “We fought this bill, and quite frankly we worked to limit the damage too. Now that it passed, we need to organize every special education teacher and teacher’s aide to make sure there is a strong set of rules in place for this program,” said Jim Wrye, TEA’s chief lobbyist. “The rulemaking process is where we can protect the special needs children we love and care for every day in our schools.”
gain access to the approximately $6,600 in annual reimbursements from the state, they will have to sign a waiver giving up all of their federal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Currently the federal government sends $252 million to Tennessee for the education of special needs children. These funds pay for specialists, full-time teacher aides, teachers, and other services that cost up to 10 times more than the possible reimbursement account from the state. That is one reason the state estimates that less than 3 percent of qualifying families will ever withdraw their child from public school to draw the state’s reimbursement funds. “It is one of the narratives at the end of the session that the program was highly limited and the state would have time to set rules to reduce fraud,” said Wrye. “It barely eked out a win on the basis that there are only a handful of families statewide that would draw these state funds, forgo other assistance, and take their child with special needs out of school. It was unfortunate the Department of
Education was neutral on the bill, and the state disabilities groups did not take a position. Now it is up to us in special education to continue to work to protect our students.” Wrye notes there will be months of rulemaking—with possible public hearings— on a whole set of issues. There must be rules ensuring that parents are correctly informed about the federal dollars and support they must waive, that children don’t bounce in and out of school, and that harmful or counterproductive procedures are not reimbursed. “Thinking of all the questionable practices sold to parents of children with autism just gives me pause. I’ve seen it firsthand,” said Wrye. “Now there will be a huge nationwide flag fluttering over Tennessee for these questionable procedures to pocket $6,600. That really scares me and it should scare the state too, it is the one that is going to tell these programs no and face the inevitable lawsuits that will come.” Wrye told lawmakers there are those that prey upon the fears of parents of severely affected children with special needs, and now with school funds involved it could go into overdrive. “This is where every special education teacher and teacher’s aide will need to be involved, voice their concerns, and make sure that there are strong rules to prevent damage and lost opportunity to the children we teach and care for,” said Wrye.
In order for parents of a qualifying IEP student to
In the coming weeks, TEA will be announcing steps to involve special education members in the rule-making process. “We have a year. We’ll need to be involved in great numbers to shape the process. These are our kids, too. We are going to have to step up to make sure they are protected.” At the heart of it, the Individualized Education Act is a step backward in what is widely seen as decades of progress. “For 40 years we have worked to mainstream and educate children with special needs,” said Rep. David Alexander (R-Winchester), a leader against the bill on the House floor and in committee. “We have done a remarkable job, and my concern is that parents will take their child from a great situation, and put them in a worse situation.” Rep. John Forgety (R-Athens), highlighted that Florida’s version of this law is rife with a lack of accountability. He noted that the most recent Inspector General report found that the state had no data for more than half the students in the program who were the age equivalent of 12th grade. “Lack of accountability is clear in the bill,” said Forgety. While Republicans led the floor fight, all but a handful of Democrats voted against the bill as well. The bill passed by only three votes. “The fight isn’t over. In fact, we are just getting started,” said Wrye.
Next steps for the special education community What just got passed The bill covers seven diagnoses of IEP: Autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairments, intellectual disability, orthopedic impairments, traumatic brain injury, visual impairments. State data shows approximately 18,000 students in public schools with these conditions, with the vast majority autistic or with intellectual disabilities.
A parent who wants to qualify for an Individual Education Account must: • Withdraw their child from school; • Waive all federal rights and resources under IDEA; • Spend the $6,600 on approved vendors. The State Board of Education, the State Dept. of Education and the Health Department are charged with making rules and regulations for this program.
Rulemaking process going forward The bill as passed is broad, and there is a year for rulemaking by the state. Where we can work to protect kids is to make sure the rules and regulations are in place to stop the abuse of children, ensure informed parental decisions, and that vendors are qualified and accountable.
If we are going to defend our students and make sure parents are not preyed upon by hucksters and quacks, special education teachers across the state will need to weigh in on the rulemaking process for this program.
District 1 — Harry Farthing, P.O. Box 298, Elizabethton, TN 37644; phone: (423)262-8035, fax: (866)3790949; Assns: Carter, Hancock, Hawkins, Rogersville, Johnson, Northwest Comm. College, Sullivan, Bristol, Elizabethton, Kingsport. District 2 — Jennifer Gaby, P.O. Box 70, Afton, TN 37616; (423)234-0700, fax: (855)299-0723; Assns: Cocke, East TN State Uni., Newport, Greene, Greeneville, Unicoi, Washington, Hamblen, Johnson City. District 3 — Tina Parlier, P.O. Box 70288, Knoxville, TN 37938-0288, (865)6881175, fax: (866)518-3104; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Sevier, Union, Scott, Campbell, Oneida
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(in Scott Co.), Walters State Comm. College. District 4 — Duran Williams, KCEA, 2411 Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917; (865)522-9793, fax: (865)5229866; Assns: Knox, Pellisippi State Comm. College, UT-Knoxville, TSD, District 5— Jason White, P.O. Box 5502, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; (615)521-1333, fax: (855)301-8366; 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, fax: (866)483-2514; Assns: Bradley, Cleveland, Cleveland State Comm. College, McMinn, Athens, Etowah, Meigs, Monroe, Sweetwater, Polk, RheaDayton, Roane. District 7 — Theresa Turner, HCEA 4655 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411; (423)4859535, fax: (423)485-9512; Assns: Chattanooga State Comm. College, Hamilton, UT-Chattanooga. District 8 — Josh Trent, P.O. Box 451, Livingston, TN 38570, (931)279-9530; Assns: Clay, Cumberland, Fentress, Jackson, Morgan, Pickett, Putnam, Overton, York
PUBLICSCHOOL SCHOOL PUBLIC TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
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Waiver documents showing services and dollar amount parents are giving up under IDEA; Parents must show how the IEP will continue; Strong vendor qualifications and accountability; Preventing children bouncing in and out of school.
specialed@tnea.org
Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue N., Nashville, TN 37201-1099 (615) 242-8392, (800) 342-8367, FAX (615) 259-4581
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Every special education teacher can and rulemaking process can be open to the should weigh in on the rules! The public and there is opportunity to weigh
Need information, services? UniServ Coordinators
Rules need to be created such as:
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Institute, TN Tech. Univ, Bledsoe, Sequatchie,Van Buren, White. District 9 — Jackie Pope, 2326 Valley Grove Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37128;phone: (615)8981060, 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)630-2605, fax (855)320-8755; Assns: Rutherford, Murfreesboro, Sumner, MTSU, Macon, Smith, Trousdale. District 11 — Antoinette Lee, P.O. Box 1412, Antioch, TN 37011; (615)308-5293; Assns: FSSD, Williamson, TN Dept. of Ed. District 12 — Sue Ogg; P.O. Box 210486, Nashville, TN 37211-0486; (615)856-0503, fax: (855)427-6660 — Assns: Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Fayetteville, Maury, Marshall, Motlow State Comm. College, Perry, Wayne. District 13 — Mary Campbell, Susan Dalton, Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN 37211; (615)347-6578 (Campbell), (615)476-3161 (Dalton), fax: (855)299-4968 (Campbell); Assns:
in, but only if special education teachers speak with a loud voice. If you want to get involved, send an email to the address at left.
Cumberland Uni., Dept. of Higher Ed., 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)299-4925; Assns: Austin Peay State Uni., 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, Jackson State Comm. College, McNairy, Decatur, Hardin. District 17 — Terri Jones, P.O. Box 2140, Bruswick, TN 38014; (901)258-3902, fax: (844)270-8083; Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Dyersburg, Dyersburg State Comm. College, Gibson, Humboldt, Milan, Trenton,
Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Union City, UTMartin, Tipton, Weakley. District 18 — Zandra Foster, Ashley Evett, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis, TN 38128; (901)377-9472, fax: (855)320-8737;—Assns: Bartlett, Collierville, Fayette, Germantown-ArlingtonLakeland, Millington, Southwest State Comm. College, Uni. of Memphis. District 19 — Assns: MemphisShelby County Education Association — Ken Foster, Executive Director; UniServ Directors: Glenda Jones, Tom Marchand, Memphis-Shelby County EA, 126 South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)454-0966, fax: (901)454-9979; Assn: Memphis-Shelby County.
www.teateachers.org www.nea.org
Pity the charter school teacher whose health benefits are about to be slashed Charter school teachers in Tennessee are about to see changes in their health coverage, and they will not be good. By law, charter school operators had to abide by insurance regulations set out by the local school board. But a bill sponsored by Rep. Glen Casada passed during the session allows charter operators, national chains and locally-based alike, to opt out of the state teacher insurance for plans of their choosing. With no guidelines for quality and cost, it is clear the bill is about giving charters the power to lower benefits. The bill was a top priority for the charter lobby. “When a legislator approached me to ask why TEA didn’t oppose the bill that clearly would hurt charter teachers, I told them they weren’t my members,” said TEA lobbyist Jim Wrye. “I feel bad for charter teachers, but they are not members. This bill will certainly speed up the race to the bottom in education that the charter profiteers are pushing in our state.” Charter teachers are already underpaid with fewer professional supports than public school teachers, pushing the already high turnover rates at charter schools to new levels. “Adding insult to injury, charter lobbyists have pushed through yet another measure that will undoubtedly force more charter teachers to opt for jobs with better health coverage,” Wrye said. “The only way to change it is for charter teachers and employees to organize to improve their teaching conditions.” “Right now we have LEAs providing health care to their employees and charter schools have to provide health care at that same level,” said Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville). “Seems like we wouldn’t be passing this bill unless there was a desire to reduce health care benefits for people working at charter schools. Am I missing something?”
School letter grade bill gets an F Among many victories in this year’s legislative session, TEA defeated a bill that would have assigned letter grades from A to F to schools across Tennessee. Bill sponsors Sen. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) and Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) attempted to plant yet another bad idea in schools statewide.
Even good
schools can get an
F
“Letter grading schools is a bad idea, no matter if you use ACT scores, high school graduation rates, TCAP scores or attendance and truancy to give grades. Letter grades can never be an accurate reflection of what is working in a school, or provide the community with helpful information,” said TEA President Barbara Gray. “As we fight to fix and restore trust in our state’s school funding model and its broken evaluation system, I’m glad we can say that this bill is now history.” “I would say you’re not missing anything,” Casada responded. “I say local autonomy is a good thing.”
deductible, $12,000 out-ofpocket. He’s about to give them terrible health care coverage,” said Mitchell.
“Once again, we’re going down the road of reducing critical benefits for employees and the net effect of these bills is to attenuate our wealth in this country and reduce the middle class, so I’ll be voting against your bill,” Stewart said.
After refusing several times to answer questions about charter schools, Casada told Rep. Jones that “an organization” brought this legislation to him because it wanted to change the health coverage at charter schools, but refused to name the organization when pressed further.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis), Rep. Johnny Shaw (D-Bolivar), Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) and Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) also criticized Casada’s bill, which was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville). “I’ve been told that charter schools are just like public schools,” said Rep. Mitchell. “Now you want to make them different. You want to take their benefits package so you could say, ‘They are saving us money after we manipulate the numbers on the benefits package, just like we manipulate the test scores.’” The gutting of health care benefits will also affect public schools taken over by the state’s Achievement School District. “You’re about to make those public school teachers have a $5,000 deductible, $10,000 family
ASD SKEPTICISM GROWS from page 8
Stewart said, according to wsmv.com. “Why would we hand over our schools to an organization that can’t even get its own act together?” Among its findings, the recent comptroller’s audit of the Tennessee Department of Education states that ASD charged $100,000 to a grant before it was even awarded. It spent thousands of dollars on benefit overpayments without appropriate paperwork. According to the report, there were times when no one served as a public grant manager between 2012 and 2014 and when the position was vacant, no other employee assumed the role of reviewing and approving the invoices in order to mitigate the risk of paying inaccurate, unsupported, or fraudulent invoices. “The longer this ASD experiment goes on, the more cracks we are starting to see,” said Barbara Gray, TEA president. “How can we trust a system to educate our children when it can’t keep its finances in order or maintain its relationships with those it was created to benefit – charter school operators.” YES Prep became the fourth charter school operator to back out of its agreement with the ASD to take over public schools in Memphis. The operator cited lack of community support and a turning legislative tide against the ASD among its reasons for pulling out of its partnership. Another reason for YES Prep’s departure was Shelby County Schools’ decision to no longer allow ASD schools to co-locate with the district’s schools – a practice that benefited only the ASD and charter operator, not Tennessee students. Akbari told Chalkbeat the ASD and its work will remain a subject for potential future legislation. “I am not going to let the issue fade into the sunset,” she said. “These issues are too important for those who live in Memphis.”
“The gutting of charter employees’ benefits further exposes the true nature of charter operators and the profiteers backing them,” said TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder. TEA and the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association have been working with parent organizations in Nashville to increase transparency for charter schools operating in the city. “Right now, a charter school administrator can make hundreds of thousands of dollars at the expense of other employees and the school doesn’t have to disclose that,” Crowder said. “By adopting the standards set out by national education quality groups, we can make charters more accountable to the taxpayers.”
The school-grading bill was taken off notice in House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee shortly before adjournment. Critics of the bill pointed out that it would have brought more confusion and distrust in the state’s education system, further stigmatizing schools and communities with low-income populations. Rep. Johnnie Turner (D-Nashville) said giving a school a failing grade would be the equivalent of branding the school with a scarlet letter during a discussion in the House Education Administration and Planning Committee. “I can see the headlines now: Blank Blank School — F!” she said, according to Chalkbeat Tennessee. “I would ask that we not add another layer of embarrassment, of defeat, to those communities that serve particularly the poorest of the students.” Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) echoed Turner’s concerns, predicting that well-resourced schools would receive As while schools with significantly less resources would get Ds and Fs. “What I’m afraid we’re going to have is the clearly A schools and then we’re going to have schools that are actually improving, that are actually doing a wonderful job based on the tax base, based on the amount of poverty in their community, and they might not be graded as high,” Fitzhugh said. “I think that would just be a slap in the face to the students, the parents, to the leaders in the community, to the citizens of the community.” Other critics pointed to schools-grading efforts in other states. For instance, North Carolina teachers have said letter grades don’t accurately reflect school quality as much as a school neighborhood’s socioeconomic makeup. Tennessee already has school report cards, which are accessible online. Anyone interested in researching schools can look up information ranging from proficiency rates to racial achievement gaps. The letter-grading bill arrived in Tennessee from the Foundation for Excellence in Education, founded by Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, which pushed for passage of similar legislation in 16 other states. This is another example of out-of-state special interests meddling in Tennessee education.
Bills to kick teachers off county commissions, prevent relatives to vote on budgets stopped Two separate bills designed to prevent teacher voices from being heard in county governments failed to advance in the legislature this year. A bill introduced in the House by Rep. Courtney Rogers (R- Goodlettsville) would have prohibited teachers, and any county employee, from serving on county commissions. The bill was introduced despite outspoken opposition from the Sumner County Commission, her home district. In fact, they testified in opposition to the bill in committee. The sponsor also refused to entertain amendments clarifying that teachers were not county employees, as hiring and firing authority rests with the school board, not the county commission. “I was surprised that the sponsor elected to run a bill that her own county commission vehemently opposed,” said TEA chief lobbyist, Jim Wrye. “County commissions all across this state know what an
COUNTY BALLOT CANDIDATE
CANDIDATE
integral part their teachers play in their communities, and their voices are invaluable in county government.” The other bill, carried in the House by Rep. Sheila Butt (R- Columbia), was even more far-reaching. It would have prohibited anyone with a “conflict of interest” from voting if they served on a county or municipal government. By conflict, the bill meant if either they or anyone in their family were an employee of the county or city government body.
be left to vote on a budget every year.”
“The practical effect of this bill would disenfranchise many citizens in the state of Tennessee, and prevent them from serving their city or county governments,” said Wrye. “It would be hard to find many people in this state that don’t have a parent, grandparent, stepchild, or sibling that isn’t a teacher, firefighter, or police officer. I’m not sure who’d
TEA was able to successfully advocate against both of these bills, but teachers must remain evervigilant against the constant attack on their ability to participate in the political process. Some of the most important decisions that impact local schools are made at the county level, including the budgets that determine local funding each year. Every teacher must ensure they continue to have a voice in local government.
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TEA
STOPPED attacks on K-12
Session was more about stopping bad bills than passing good measures By Jim Wrye, TEA chief lobbyist It happens this way sometimes. Last year TEA was able to pass a great deal of landmark legislation, like banning the use of TVAAS in teacher licenses or making sure school systems could use traditional salary schedules. Many bills made it to the governor’s desk that supported students, schools and the people who work for them. It was a banner year for passing things. This session became about stopping bad legislation. And there was plenty of it to stop. Bills that would have eliminated tenure, stopped payroll dues deduction and crippled our PAC, stripped the right of teachers to
It’s clear to a growing number of lawmakers and educators the ASD has been struggling. The front page of the most recent issue of the national newspaper Education Week had a feature article of how charter chains are pulling back from taking over a schools in Memphis given to them by the ASD. The vote of no confidence even stretches to the former employer of the ASD chief Chris Barbic, the YES Prep charter chain, telling the state it would no longer be coming to Memphis and causing confusion for the school it was to take over during the summer. The ASD was created by the state to improve the performance of struggling schools and entrusted with $18 million of funding. But instead of focusing on schools that truly need help, it has been caught misstating the truth and was famously protested by parents and community groups in Nashville for taking over schools that are doing just fine. ASD’s performance is no better and sometimes worse than what is happening at district schools, achievement gains are slower than the district pace and English/Language Arts are regressing. “Thanks to significant pushback from educators, parents and community members, new restrictions are now being put into place to protect schools from immediate take over by the embattled ASD,” said TEA President Barbara Gray. “Tennessee students cannot afford to be subjected to any more state experiments when their education and future success is at stake.”
to give struggling schools a chance to improve before being turned over to the ASD. The legislation Rep. Raumesh Akbari championed (D-Memphis) had by Rep. success in protecting Harold Love schools from the ASD. and Sen. Reginald Tate requires the Department of Education to notify the schools that are in the bottom 10 percent a year prior to the release of the state’s priority schools list – a list of the bottom 5 percent of Tennessee schools. Appearing on this list makes a school eligible for state takeover. The second new measure protects schools with high student growth scores from being vulnerable to an ASD take over. The legislation by Sen. Tate and Rep. Raumesh Akbari adds one more level of protection for schools that are seeing real improvement in student achievement The House sponsors of both bills told Chalkbeat they don’t oppose the ASD, but they do oppose the district’s process for state intervention. They said their constituents often feel bullied by the district’s rapid action. In addition to these two legislative blows, the ASD was also picking up black eyes left and right outside of the General Assembly. A financial audit found that the staterun Achievement School District mishandled $66,336 in taxpayer money over a two-year period, according a report by Nashville News Channel 4. The audit findings led Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) to question ASD’s trustworthiness going forward. “I don’t think $66,000 is ever a drop in the bucket when it’s taxpayer dollars,”
The first new safeguard is designed
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PUBLIC SCHOOL TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
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ASD SKEPTICISM GROWS go to page 7
And it is important to note that it is us, the membership of TEA, that gets these bills stopped. While we have allies and other public education groups, it is the membership of TEA, our ability to bring our money, our votes, and our voices to the capitol that provides the political power to push back the attacks on schools. We are the only ones standing against the out-of-state special interests and the ill-informed “reformers.” On some things, no is just what we want.
S T H G I R R E TEACH
Skepticism grows about ASD, TEA works saved to defend schools Tennessee’s controversial Achievement School District found itself in the crosshairs of legislators, parents and public education advocates throughout the legislative session. At the start of the session, 22 bills were filed to limit the ASD’s power and reach, or to close the struggling district altogether.
keep insurance for pre-Medicare retirees, privatized huge section of public education, kicked teachers off county commissions, and countless other measures were all defeated on the hill.
once agaiN
A measure that would allow entire school systems to exempt themselves from most education laws or board policies, including tenure and other workplace protections, was defeated again this year. It was the same bill failed last year, with TEA fighting to make sure tenure, compensation, and teaching conditions could not be abolished. The bill’s premise seems so simple: give public schools the same flexibility as charter schools. In practice this authority is used to abolish tenure, drastically cut compensation and benefits, and remove other workplace protections. The legislation is very similar to a law passed in 2008 in Colorado, known as the Innovation Schools Act. TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder, who served in the same capacity in the Denver
Classroom Teachers Association at that time, spoke about the impact of that law on schools in the state. “The Innovation Act had a horrible effect on teaching and learning in the state of Colorado, especially in Denver. Schools could apply to opt out of teacher contracts and laws, and the result was skyrocketing turnover, huge drops in teacher pay, and generally poor morale and working conditions.” “The law had the effect of telling teachers ‘you are not valued,’” continued Crowder. This type of legislation has no place in Tennessee schools, and if it comes back every teacher needs to make it clear that their rights are not a barrier to student success, they’re a reason for it. Expect the privatization industry to bring this up again next year, and count on TEA fighting to kill it.
Guaranteed retiree insurance protected One of the major victories TEA secured in the 2015 legislative session was saving a guaranteed, defined benefit retiree health insurance option for teachers across the state. This prevented tens of thousands of current retirees and employees from losing their health insurance and being forced to try to purchase their own policies, without being able to leverage rates obtained by the state plan. The governor introduced a bill this session that would have eliminated a teacher’s right to keep their health insurance after retirement and before Medicare eligibility. TEA vigorously fought to protect current employees and preserve the promise made to them when they began their careers teaching Tennessee children. TEA participated in lengthy dialogue with administration officials, and ultimately secured amendments to the bill that
reaffirmed the right for anyone hired prior to July 1, 2015, and provided them a choice as to whether to keep the insurance or accept a cash equivalent to get their own insurance. “We were pleased with how the administration listened to our concerns and acted upon them,” said TEA Government Relations Director Jim Wrye. “It’s a testament to the power of teachers in this state to focus attention on their issues.” Other amendments were introduced by the state treasurer to set up trusts to fund this liability going into the future. “We see this as a great opportunity to continue this conversation into the future, and to discuss moving money into these accounts down the road so that future employees who also deserve this critical benefit can receive it,” said Wrye.