April 2014

TEA FILES SUITS AGAINST TVAAS Haslam, Huffman named defendants Published by the TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION April 2014  Vol. 45, No. 6  www.teateachers.org

The Tennessee Education Association filed two lawsuits against the unconstitutional use of Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) estimates in high-stakes salary decisions in February and March and said more lawsuits are in the works to protect Tennessee’s teachers and public education.

Read more on page 3.

TEA RA Delegate Info Inside Read more on page 7.

CAREERS MUST NOT BE ON THE

TEA-backed licensure bills clear major hurdles in House and Senate

BUBBLE

Tennessee Education Association President Gera Summerford had harsh words for the administration after Gov. Bill Haslam announced devastating cuts to public education in Tennessee.

“Accountability – that is all we hear from the governor and other state officials when it comes to public education. Where is their accountability?” said Gera Summerford, TEA president and Sevier County math teacher. “State leaders need to be held accountable for the abysmal job they are doing in taking care of our students and teachers.”

Read more on page 14.

A TEACHER’S LICENSE SHOULD NOT BE BASED ON STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES

TEA’s signature licensure bill, the Educator Respect and Accountability Act of 2014 (HB2263 / SB2047), had to jump through extra hoops on the fiscal note. The bill banning test scores in licensure is strongly opposed by the administration and the State Department of Education.

TEA lobbyists Jim Wrye and Antoinette Lee

TEA Slams Haslam’s Race To the Bottom In Education

worked with legislators to amend another licensure bill, HB1375/SB2240, to prohibit the use of TVAAS in licensure decisions. Senior House leadership is very supportive of the bill, including Speaker Beth Harwell.

At press time, the bill was slated for a House floor vote on Monday, April 7.

Hancock Co. EA Leaders on Membership Success page 4.

Speaking out with you Gera Summerford, President

Carolyn Crowder, Executive Director

Empowered to Teach

Thief, Liar and Hypocrite Walk Into a Bar

Wherever I travel to visit with teachers, I hear a consistent message. “They’re killing us with testing.” “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” “I love teaching, but I hate my job.”

I’m reminded of my colleague who told a story about a hog farmer. It seems the farmer was eager to fatten his pig and take it to the market. In preparation for getting the best market price, he began feeding the animal very well, and then decided he should weigh the pig to monitor its progress. He started with several feedings a day and weighing once a week. But the farmer grew more anxious about the pig’s progress and began to weigh it every day. This took time away from feeding and he began to worry even more about the pig’s weight gain. Soon he was weighing the animal several times a day, and feeding it only once. As his anxiety and stress about the pig’s progress increased, he was soon weighing the animal every hour and there was no time left for feeding. I’m sure you can guess the outcome and understand my friend’s analogy. We’ve become so obsessed with outcomes and testing, we’re sacrificing the time to teach.

I hear from too many teachers who feel frustrated and powerless. They think the push to increase test scores has robbed them of the authority to do what’s best for their students. And they don’t believe the current testing obsession is improving our learning environments.

How do we change this culture that applies pressure on districts, on principals, on teachers, and finally on children? How do we provide an environment for students to develop their love of learning?

I believe it’s by being empowered and organized. Empowerment is the act of investing oneself with more authority and control. It means marshalling all the power, passion and purpose you have inside you. It means knowing what you stand for and believe in, and exercising your choices and talents to create a new reality. Educators must take the lead in creating the best instructional opportunities for our students. We know when kids are having fun learning at school, and we know how to make it happen for them.

To organize is “to form into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts” or “to put together into an orderly, functional, structured entity.” None of us can change the current culture alone. But when we organize and coordinate our efforts, we do make a difference. We can collectively reverse the pressure by pushing back against too much testing. We must be empowered to stand together with families and community leaders in the best interest of our kids and our schools.

We don’t oppose being held accountable for our teaching, but we know our students are more than test scores. And we want time to teach. It’s time to quit weighing the pig so much he doesn’t have a chance to eat.

A thief, a liar and a hypocrite walk into a bar. They pull up to the counter and start swapping stories on their favorite subject: how to destroy public education.

The thief says, “Public schools cannot operate if we take away their funding. I propose we steal funding from public schools and give it to private schools. Eventually, there will be no public schools and we won’t have to pay anything to educate other people’s children.”

The liar adds, “The best way to convince policymakers to take money from public schools is to set the schools up to fail. Implement ‘reforms’ that focus everyone on test results that don’t accurately portray what students are learning. Then make evaluation and licensure of teachers depend on those results. Good teachers will be forced out of the profession because of an inequitable accountability system or they will choose to leave because they get tired of teaching the tests instead of the students. We also have to continue the rhetoric about failing schools and failing teachers instead of poverty and home environments. Then we can act like humanitarians as we say vouchers are for the poor kids in failing schools. We will have to ignore or discount the fact that many private schools (90 percent in Florida) either don’t accept vouchers or have tuition higher than vouchers are worth.”

The hypocrite says, “I am proud of The thief says, “Eventually, you guys, but we have to do one more there will be no public thing for this to work. We have to make schools and we won’t have sure the reforms we push on public schools are not used in the schools that to pay anything to educate receive vouchers. We can’t set those other people’s children.” schools and teachers up to fail or our whole scheme will be exposed.”

The three men then ask the bartender what she thinks of their ideas. (They don’t know she is a public school teacher working her second job.)

She replies, “You haven’t come up with anything new. Vouchers have been proven not to work. They don’t work for the kids you say they are for. (Two-thirds of all Cleveland vouchers went to families already sending children to private schools.) They don’t work to improve student achievement. (The most comprehensive study of the D.C. voucher program found ‘no conclusive evidence’ of improved math and reading scores for students who used a voucher to leave a public school for a private school.) So – who in the world do you think you can get to buy into this old, failed idea?”

The three men respond in unison, “The Tennessee General Assembly.”

Don’t let this story become a reality, use the TEA website to contact your legislators and urge them to VOTE NO ON VOUCHERS!

teach (USPS 742-450, ISSN 15382907) is published in August, September (online only), October, Nov/Dec (online only), Jan/Feb, March/April, and May (online only) by the Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville TN 37201-1099. Periodical postage paid at Nashville, TN. The subscription price of $3.65 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).

Postmaster: Send address changes to teach, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201-1099.

MANAGING EDITOR: Alexei Smirnov asmirnov@tea.nea.org ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Carol K. Schmoock EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER: Carolyn Crowder

2

April 2014

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: Gera Summerford* (800)342-8367 VICE PRESIDENT: Barbara Gray* (901)867-6015 SECRETARY-TREASURER: Carolyn Crowder (615)242-8392 DISTRICT 1 Leisa Lusk (423)794-6247 DISTRICT 2 Lauren McCarty* (865)385-5220 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 Ashley Evett (847)338-0580 DISTRICT 8 Kawanda Braxton* (615)554-6286 DISTRICT 9 Theresa L. Wagner (270)776-1467 DISTRICT 10 Larry Proffitt (423)608-7855 DISTRICT 11 Wendy R. Bowers (731)645-8595 DISTRICT 12 Suzie May (731)779-9329 DISTRICT 13 Ernestine King (901)590-8188 DISTRICT 14 Tiffany Reed (901)412-2759 DISTRICT 15 Tom Emens (901)277-0578 ADMINISTRATOR EAST Johnny Henry (865)712-3199 ADMINISTRATOR MIDDLE Julie Hopkins (615)822-5742 ADMINISTRATOR WEST Charles Green (901) 826-6256 HIGHER EDUCATION Clinton Smith* (901)230-4914 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER EAST Paula Hancock (865)694-1691 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER MIDDLE Kenneth Martin (615)876-1948

BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER WEST Sarah Kennedy-Harper (901)416-4582 STATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS Vacancy NEW TEACHER CandraClariette (615)298-8053 ESP Stephanie Bea (901)265-4540 TN NEA DIRECTOR Melanie Buchanan* (615)305-2214 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diccie Smith (901)482-0627 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diane Lillard (423)715-0568 STEA MEMBER Parris Malone (901)406-9188 TN RETIRED Gerald Lillard (423)473-9400 * Executive Committee

TEA HEADQUARTERS STAFF EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR:CarolynCrowder;ASST.EXECUTIVEDIRECTORS, TerranceGibson;CarolK.Schmoock;DuranWilliams; MANAGEROF BUSINESS AFFAIRS:StephanieFaulkner;INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY &SYSTEMSMANAGER,Galen Riggs;MANAGEROFLEGALSERVICES: Steve McCloud;STAFFATTORNEYS:JohnAllen,VirginiaA. McCoy,

MaryCampbell;MANAGEROFGOVERNMENTRELATIONS:JimWrye; GOVERNMENTRELATIONSCOORDINATOR:AntoinetteLee;WEBMASTER &COMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATOR:AmandaChaney;MANAGING EDITOR&COMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATOR:AlexeiSmirnov; INSTRUCTION&PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTCOORDINATORS:Susan Dalton;COORDINATOROFMEMBERSHIP&AFFILIATERELATIONS: ShannonBain. ADVOCACYHOTLINECOORDINATOR:CynthiaWood.

UniServ Staff contact information can be found on page 16 or by scannig the Quick Response code below.

TEA FILES LAWSUITS AGAINST UNCONSTITUTIONAL USE OF TVAAS Gov. Bill Haslam, Commissioner Huffman named defendants The Tennessee Education Association filed its second lawsuit against the unconstitutional use of Tennessee Value Added Assessment System estimates in high-stakes salary decisions in late March.

The federal lawsuit names Gov. Bill Haslam, Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and the Knox County Board of Education as defendants.

“This second lawsuit includes the governor and commissioner because this really is a state issue,” said Gera Summerford, TEA president. “State policy has forced an over-reliance on flawed TVAAS estimates in high-stakes decisions for our teachers. School districts are following the lead of Gov. Haslam and Commissioner Huffman by putting into place merit pay schemes that rely heavily on TVAAS estimates that do not adequately measure teacher effectiveness.”

TEA’s lawsuit was filed on behalf of Knox “Unfortunately, Mr. Taylor’s situation County teacher Mark Taylor, an eighth grade is not an uncommon one. Many teachers science teacher at Farragut Middle School. across the state – particularly at the high Taylor was unfairly denied an APEX bonus school level – are being unfairly evaluated after his TVAAS on an arbitrary estimate was based percentage of their TEA’s second on the standardized students.” test scores of only 22 The lawsuit lawsuit includes six of his 142 students. includes six counts “Mr. Taylor teaches against the governor, counts against the four upper-level commissioner and governor, Tennessee physical science local school board. courses and one Most notable are commissioner of regular eighth grade the charges that education and the Knox science class,” said the state has Richard Colbert, TEA violated Taylor’s County school board. general counsel.

14th Amendment “The students in the right to equal upper-level course take a locally developed protection from “irrational state-imposed end-of-course test in place of the state’s classifications” by using a small fraction TCAP assessment. As a result, those highof his students to determine his overall performing students were not included in effectiveness.

Mr. Taylor’s TVAAS estimate.”

TEA filed its first TVAAS lawsuit in “While Mr. Taylor’s observation score was February on behalf of Knox County teacher ‘exceeding expectations,’ his low TVAAS Lisa Trout who was unfairly denied the estimate based on only 16 percent of his district’s APEX bonus after being misled students dropped his final evaluation score about how her TVAAS estimate would be below the threshold to receive the APEX calculated. The lawsuit also contests the bonus,” Colbert said. arbitrariness of TVAAS estimates that use

test results of only a small segment of a teacher’s students to estimate her overall effectiveness.

“After being told she would receive the system-wide TVAAS estimate because of her position in an alternative school, a guidance counselor incorrectly claimed 10 of Ms. Trout’s students for her TVAAS score without her knowledge,” said Richard Colbert, TEA general counsel. “As a result, Ms. Trout ultimately received a lower TVAAS estimate than she should have and was denied the APEX bonus she had earned.”

TEA’s first lawsuit also contests the arbitrariness of TVAAS estimates that use test results of only a small segment of a teacher’s students to estimate her overall effectiveness.

“Ms. Trout’s situation illustrates the fundamental problem with using statistical estimates for high-stakes decisions that affect teacher pay,” Colbert said.

“Her case raises great concerns over the constitutionality of such practices.”

TEA expects additional lawsuits to be filed so long as the state continues to tie more and more high-stakes decisions to TVAAS estimates.

3 www.teateachers.org

Strength in Numbers: Hancock County EA Lead Teachers cite community, insurance needs and fight Tom Hopkins knows a few secrets about maintaining high membership numbers and he’s happy to share them.

As a local president in one of the poorest areas of the state, he says Hancock Co. EA boasts 80-percent membership in spite of ongoing efforts to undermine public education.

First and foremost, the local is able to achieve a high rate of membership by tapping into the passion of teachers for their students.

Surrounded by higher-paying school districts in Tennessee and in nearby Virginia, Hancock County teachers rarely leave the area because they love their community. Twenty percent of Hancock Co. EA members are former students and protégés of the two-school local. They return for the great community, not great pay.

But when teachers do leave, this becomes a rallying cry for better working conditions in the county school system.

Several months after Hancock Co. EA voted to collaboratively conference with the school board, the process is on hold as Mike Antrican, Hancock Co. director of schools, appears to be stalling the conferencing process.

Recently, after a couple of teachers left the district, one for Claiborne County and another for private industry because of the high cost of health insurance premiums, Hancock Co. leaders and members stepped up their push for collaborative conferencing with the school board to address the issue.

“Once the contract was gone, they stopped contributing to our insurance,” Hopkins says.

“When we fought for it last year, they put some money back in. But last summer, in a secret board meeting during an out-of-town budget retreat, they took the insurance money out again. Some teachers didn’t know it until they saw their paycheck in August of 2013.”

Hopkins says it would have been helpful if this change had been communicated to teachers so they could budget appropriately.

Now the county only pays the state minimum, 45 percent of the cost of insurance, passing the monthly cost of health plans to the teachers ($324 a month for individual plans and $887 for family plans). The percentage of take-home pay teachers are forced to shell out just to be able to

4

April 2014

have health insurance is staggering.

With a hot organizing issue in hand, Hopkins and his team are pressing ahead.

“We cautioned our school board—we’re losing

different climate there. If you work a certain job, everyone knows how to do that job and everyone is encouraged to move up the ladder. Teachers have very little input in the decision-making

Left to right: TEA UniServ Coordinator Harry Farthing, Hancock Co. EA leaders Karyn Trent, Delores Collingsworth and President Tom Hopkins meet at the Sneedville Diner last December.

process.” good teachers, young and old. People are here “The Hancock Co. EA offered to provide because they love it, not because of pay or collaborative conferencing training at no cost benefits, but you have to give them something to the school system so that we would be on the to be able to survive.” same page when we got With no boost to started, but the training the local economy in “Professionals belong has still not occurred,” sight and no tax base Hopkins says. to depend on for school to professional Still, the passion support, many teachers associations.

If we don’t for students trumps all rely on their spouses for hardships. health insurance if they fight for our profession Karyn Trent, former are fortunate to have and our students, no Hancock Co. EA president, them. says she has taught here 22 Citing his experience one will.” years because she loves the in the U.S. Air Force Tom Hopkins community. “Bad behavior reserve, Hopkins is is not really bad behavior astonished by the lack around here,” she says of of moral and financial the local students, 87 percent of whom receive support from the state for its public schools. free and reduced lunch.

“In the military, there’s a lot of respect from While Hancock Co. teachers don’t have many the top down,” Hopkins says. “It’s a totally

Sahli-Woodall Graduate Scholarship Deadline: June 1 www.teate

ders Share Membership Secrets

against poverty as top reasons for 80% membership discipline problems with students, they know firsthand that poverty is a problem, and they do all they can to fight it.

“We encourage each other a lot,” says Delores Collingsworth, Hancock Co. EA treasurer, former president and family and consumer sciences teacher. “While we don’t get a lot of encouragement from the administration, it comes from each of us.”

As do their colleagues across the state, Hancock Co. teachers say the testing burden on students and teachers alike is unbearable.

“Some of our kids are struggling, and I can’t figure out how to overcome their problems and make them work for that test,” says Karyn Trent.

“When I send these problems to the state, they are ignored. Governor [Bill Haslam] said I should send it to [Education Commissioner Kevin] Huffman. I’d like to have some kind of answer when these kids are sitting in a test crying.”

Bobby Keaton agrees.

“This happens too often,” says the biology and environmental sciences teacher, who is also a former Hancock Co. EA president. “Before you meet the basic needs of your students, the test is not going to be important to them. We have so many tests. All they worry about at the state level is data.”

With tests upon tests, and teacher surveys to boot, there’s just no time to teach, much less teach effectively. How can a teacher have faith in the system when one test shows a student reading on a second-grade level, while another test bumps the same student to the seventhgrade level?

“Because our evaluation scores weren’t matching up to the test data, they made the decision to conduct student surveys of the teachers to count as five percent of evaluations,” Hopkins says. “It took half a day to do that survey. They are doing it again in the spring. My question to the school board and the director is, at what point can the system say no to these changes?”

Using personal stories, frequent association events and sharing the local association’s advocacy plan, Hopkins and team were able to sign all new teachers last fall.

Engaging members wasn’t always easy.

“When I started here, we only had two people

eachers.org/scholarships-awards-grants

at a meeting,” says Trent. “I suggested to feed them and allow everyone to talk freely.”

When Bobby Keaton was elected president, he set out to increase local dues from $1 a month to $5—a sizeable increase considering most family budgets in the area.

“Not only did all the teachers agree to the dues increase, new members signed up because we told everyone what we were going to do with the extra money,” Keaton says. “That surprised the school director.”

Another big surprise came in the form of the retirement dinner organized by the local. Nobody

had thought of honoring retiring teachers before the association did. The dinner eventually evolved into a banquet tradition, with a catered meal and the handing out of school bells—a coveted trophy among local retirees.

While Hopkins says the tight-knit local community helps with maintaining strong membership, the honor of belonging to the professional association should be a no-brainer to any teacher.

“Professionals belong to professional associations,” Hopkins says. “If we won’t fight for our profession and our students, no one will.”

Tom Hopkins visits former student Whitney Fleenor and her students at Hancock County Elementary School.

5 www.teateachers.org

Best Practices TEA Members Gain National Board Certification Program Announces Improvements

6 April 2014

Congratulations to 2013 NBCTs

Nineteen TEA members achieved National Board Certification in 2013. Each member received a congratulatory letter, a TEA-embossed business-card holder and information about updating their professional license.

“We congratulate this year’s class of National Board-Certified TEA members and thank them for their hard work,” said TEA Assistant Executive Director Terrance Gibson. “We urge the newly certified teachers to mentor their colleagues and inform them about the benefits of National Board certification. TEA looks forward to supporting those pursuing the NBPTS credential.”

Metro Nashville EA member Ronda Armstrong learned of the National Board when she was teaching in Florida. “The incentive for pay increase was the driving force behind my application,” she says. “Even a doctorate wouldn’t allow me to make as much money as I currently do in my position. I highly recommend it as a great professional development experience.”

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is in the process of revising the certification process in order to reduce barriers for applicants. According to a February release, these revisions are expected to improve the process and allow more teachers to pursue National Board certification while maintaining the highest standards of the teaching profession.

As part of the improvement process, the board has launched a new website, www. boardcertifiedteachers.org. It is designed to help potential first-time candidates interested in certification learn about the value and benefits of certification and register to begin the process. Registration for the revised certification process opened in Metro Nashville EA member Ronda Armstrong with her March. students at Stanford Montessori School in Nashville.

NBPTS is also recruiting volunteers to field test the revised certification components, beginning with the computer-based Content Knowledge component that will be delivered at VUE professional centers this summer and fall.

Additional components will be field tested in 2015 and 2016.

“Over the next three years, the board will be looking for PreK-12 teachers, both NBCTs and nonNBCTs, in all subject areas and developmental levels corresponding to National Board certificate areas,” according to Amber Parker, senior vice president of mobilization and outreach with the National Board. For answers to questions about the field test, email fieldtest@nbpts.org.

Ronda Armstrong Courtney Baker Terri Bailey Nicco Bray Monica Brown Kristin Burrus Elizabeth Carter Tia Foster Shane Harwood Diane Hitchcock Sandra Howard Gwendolyn Lawson Regina Madison Kathleen Martin Shelley Momany John Shuler Marilyn Simelton Casy Souders Ashley Williams

Metro-Nashville Hamilton County Hamilton County Memphis-Shelby Memphis-Shelby Hamilton County Memphis-Shelby Jackson-Madison Hamilton County Hamilton County Hamilton County Hamilton County Memphis-Shelby Memphis-Shelby Memphis-Shelby Metro-Nashville Memphis-Shelby Williamson County Memphis-Shelby

Hand in Hand Creating a Legacy of Giving Back Who: TEA EYE Committee, TEA, STEA, TRTA, Students, Parents, Community Members What: School Beautification Project TEA Service Project Kickoff When: May 30, 2014 @ noon Where: Alex Green Elementary School 3921 Lloyd Rd., Whites Creek, TN 37189 Join the Tennessee Education Association in establishing a statewide community service project initiative! Our goal is to enrich our students beyond the typical school day. Bring yourself and your friends to help establish a new community service event. This event is inspired by NEA’s Outreach to Teach. Learn more at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbG8p1Duj1g.

Be prepared to work quickly and get a little dirty to renovate a portion of Alex Green Elementary. We will be painting, decorating, building, and more to create a brighter environment for our members, students, and community to appreciate.

SEE YOU THERE!

We Are Educators Hand in Hand focused on making schools and student lives better.

SAVE THE DATE June 18-21, 2014

TEA: Leading the Profession TEA Summer Leadership Academy Embassy Suites Cool Springs

TEA Representative Assembly Nashville Convention Center, May 30-31, 2014

Leadership, Governance Elections Highlight RA Agenda Hundreds of delegates from local affiliates across Tennessee and student chapters on college campuses are expected to attend the annual business meeting of the Tennessee Education Association set for May 30-31 at the Nashville Convention Center.

Topping this year’s agenda are elections of the TEA president, vice president and board members in five districts, as well as the West Tennessee contact to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System board of directors. Election polls will be open on Saturday, May 31, between 7:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. at the Nashville Convention Center.

NEA Executive Committee member and former TEA President Earl Wiman will address the assembly on Friday evening. Nominations of all officers, adoption of the budget and the update on TEA’s legislative program are also part of the Friday agenda.

TEA RA delegates will consider and debate proposed resolutions and new business items, setting the path for future TEA activities.

Proposed Amendments to TEA Constitution

The TEA Board recommends that the Representative Assembly amend the following articles by deleting the words indicated by a strikethrough and adding the words indicated by bold type.

2014 TEA RA Elections TEA President Two-year term TEA Vice President Two-year term West Tennessee Administrator Two-year unexpired term East Tennessee Black Classroom Teacher Three-year term State Special Schools Member Three-year term East Tennessee Administrator Three-year term New Classroom Teacher Member Three-year term

representatives from the teaching profession to on the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System shall be nominated from grand divisions of the state and elected for staggered terms and in accordance with the procedures followed in the election of officers of the Association; however, the position of TCRS contact trustee shall not be considered an office of the Association.

SAVE THE DATE

Constitutional Amendment 1

CONSTITUTION ARTICLE X—ELECTIONS The president, vice president, members of the Board of Directors, state NEA directors, teacher contacts to members of the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System and teacher contacts to members of the Local Education Insurance Committee shall be elected by the delegates of the Representative Assembly according to the provisions of the Bylaws. (See Bylaws Article X.)

June 18-21, 2014

Rationale: Since the Tennessee General Assembly changed the law in 2011, TEA no longer has the right to elect members of the TCRS Board of Trustees. It is the intent of the TEA Board to continue holding elections for TEA members to serve as contacts to the TCRS Board of Trustees.

TEA: Leading the Profession

Rationale: Since the Tennessee General Assembly changed the law in 2011, TEA no longer has the right to elect members of the TCRS Board of Trustees or the Local Education Insurance Committee. It is the intent of the TEA Board to continue holding elections for TEA members to serve as contacts to these entities.

Constitutional Amendment 3

CONSTITUTION ARTICLE XII—TEA CONTACTS TO MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL EDUCATION INSURANCE COMMITTEE The three TEA contacts representatives from the teaching profession to on the Local Board of Insurance Committee shall be nominated from grand divisions of the state and elected for staggered terms.

Beginning July 1, 1986, the length of terms or committee members shall be as follows: Member representing East Tennessee: 3 years Member representing Middle Tennessee: 2 years Member representing West Tennessee: 1 year Committee members shall be elected and in accordance with the procedures followed in the election of officers of the Association; however, the position of Local Education Insurance Committee contact shall not be considered an office of the Association.

TEA Summer Leadership CONSTITUTION ARTICLE XI—TEA CONTACTS TO MEMBERS OF THE Academy RETIREMENT SYSTEM BOARD OF Constitutional Amendment 2

TRUSTEES The three TEA contacts Scan to access TEA proposed budget, RA agenda and other information.

Embassy Suites Cool Springs

Classroom Teacher Board members from Districts 1, 3, 8, and 13 Three-year terms Classroom Teacher Board member from District 5 One-year unexpired term West Tennessee contact to the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System Three-year term West Tennessee contact to the Local Education Insurance Committee Three-year term Districts 1, 3, and 13 TEA-FCPE Council members Three-year terms District 8 TEA-FCPE Council member Two-year unexpired term

Rationale: Since the Tennessee General Assembly changed the law in 2011, TEA no longer has the right to elect members of the Local Education Insurance Committee. It is the intent of the TEA Board to continue holding elections for TEA members to serve as contacts to the Local Education Insurance Committee.

Constitutional Amendment 4 CONSTITUTION ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP SECTION 2. Dues: The annual membership dues of the Association shall be: a. Active: An amount percentage as stated in the Bylaws based on the minimum mandated state salary for a beginning certificated bachelor’s degree teacher for the preceding school year. Dues for active education support members whose salaries are equal to or above the minimum mandated state salary for beginning certificated bachelor degree teachers for the preceding year will be the dues for other active members. Dues for other active educational support members will be one-half the dues for other active members. b. Education Support: One-half the annual dues for active full-time membership. c. Substitute: One-fourth the annual dues for active full-time membership. d. Student: $10.00. e. Retired: Annual paid membership in the Tennessee Retired Teachers’ Association entitles the member to retired membership in the Association. f. Associate: One-half the annual amount for 7 www.teateachers.org

TEA Representa Nashville Convention

active full-time membership. g. Staff: One-half the annual dues for active fulltime membership.

Rationale: Due to recent political decisions creating uncertainties about the future of the minimum state salary schedule, this amendment changes the basis for determining annual membership dues. Reduced dues for other membership categories are more clearly defined.

Proposed Amendments to TEA Bylaws

The TEA Board recommends that the Representative Assembly amend the following articles by deleting the words indicated by a strikethrough and adding the words indicated by bold type.

Bylaws Amendment 1 BYLAWS ARTICLE X—ELECTIONS SECTION 1. Election Districts: The delegates to the annual Representative Assembly shall elect persons to fill all positions created by the Constitution, with the exception of the STEA president, in the following manner: a. The president and vice president shall be elected at-large; b. The three administrators shall be elected atlarge–one each from the Eastern, Middle, and Western Grand Divisions of the state; c. The new classroom teacher member, the higher education classroom teacher member, the state special schools member; and the active ESP member shall be elected at-large; d. The three TEA contacts representatives of the teaching profession to on the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System and the Local Education Insurance Committee shall be elected at-large—one each from the Eastern, Middle, and Western Grand Divisions of the state; e. The three Black classroom teacher members shall be elected at-large—one each from the Eastern, Middle, and Western Grand Divisions of the state; f. The state NEA directors shall be elected at-large according to requirements of the National Education Association; and if Tennessee qualifies for three or more NEA directors, at least one position must be filled by an ethnic minority member beginning with the first opening after August 31, 1976; g. The fifteen TEA classroom teacher district board members shall be elected by the delegates from the respective districts as defined below: District 1: The first TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington.

District 2: The second TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Blount, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Jefferson, Monroe, and Sevier.

District 3: The third TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Anderson, 8 April 2014

Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Hancock, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, Rhea-Dayton, Roane, and Scott, and Union.

District 4: The fourth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Knox, Loudon, and Union Monroe.

District 5: The fifth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, and Polk., and Rhea-Dayton.

District 6: The sixth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Bledsoe, Cannon, Cumberland, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Fentress, Grundy, Jackson, Marion, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Sequatchie, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, and White.

District 7: The seventh TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Bedford, Franklin, Moore, Rutherford, Trousdale, and Wilson.

District 8: The eighth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, and Williamson.

District 9: The ninth TEA board district shall be Metropolitan Nashville.

District 10: The tenth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Clarksville-Montgomery, Clay, Jackson, Macon, Robertson, and Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale.

District 11: The eleventh TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Benton, Cheatham, Decatur, Dickson, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, McNairy, Perry, Stewart, and Wayne.

District 12: The twelfth TEA board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Carroll (West Carroll), Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Jackson/ Madison, Lake, Obion, and Weakley.

District 13: The thirteenth board district shall include all local associations within the counties of Crockett, Dyer, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Tipton, and Shelby (Municipals), exclusive of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association.

District 14-15: The fourteenth and fifteenth board district shall be the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association. h. The Eastern, Middle, and Western Grand Divisions as used by the Association shall conform to the geographic areas officially designated by the State of Tennessee. i. The TEA district boundaries shall continue through June 20, 2014 June 30, 2020. The Board of Directors shall bring a report with recommendations to the 2013 2019 Representative Assembly to cause the district to be equitably apportioned.

Rationale: This amendment creates a more equitable distribution of members represented by district TEA Board members due to changes in membership statewide. The new district boundaries do not create an adverse effect on any current district Board

member. This amendment maintains to the maximum extent possible the established principles that (1) sizes of districts will not vary by more than 10 percent and (2) a local association will not be split among multiple districts.

Bylaws Amendment 2 BYLAWS ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP SECTION 3. Dues: a. The active full-time membership dues of the Tennessee Education Association for 2014-15 shall be $268.50 and shall increase one and one-half percent (1.5%) each year thereafter, rounding to the nearest half dollar. .87 percent of the statewide minimum salary for the preceding school year for a beginning certified teacher with a bachelor’s degree as determined by law and the State Board of Education (this includes the mandated uniform minimum statewide local supplement for a beginning bachelor’s degree teacher). The dues shall be computed annually and rounded to the nearest one half dollar. The Tennessee Education Association Board of Directors shall revisit the dues structure every five years to address adjustments to the dues calculation method. Should educators receive a state salary increase greater than the cost of living adjustment in any given year, the TEA Board of Directors may add a special assessment to the annual dues. b. The proceeds realized from 0.0382 of the established dues factor shall be segregated and designated in the TEA budget for government relations activities. c. Persons entering employment after January 1 where active membership is available may join for the remainder of the year for an amount in proportion to the number of months remaining in the membership year. Persons eligible for active membership before January 1 may join after January 1 for the remainder of the membership year for an amount in proportion to the number of months remaining in the membership year provided they join as continuing members on continuing payroll deduction, if such is available. An active member who ceases to be employed by an educational institution prior to January 31 (as verified by the local education association) will have returned that amount in excess of one-half of the annual dues and will cease to be a member as of January 31. The membership fee for persons eligible for Active membership and Education Support membership who are regularly employed for fifty (50) percent or less of the normal schedule for a full-time faculty member (as certified by the local association) shall be one-half (1/2) of the Active or Education Support membership dues, as appropriate.

Rationale: This amendment sets the dues for 2014-15 at the level that would be generated by using the current dues formula in the Bylaws. Thereafter, the amendment stabilizes the dues amount by increasing dues by one and one-half percent each year, which is consistent with the average dues increase over the past 10 years.

ative Assembly Center, May 30-31, 2014 Candidates Run For TEA Positions Biographical information and campaign statements that follow were submitted by the candidates and/or their campaign coordinators.

Elections will be held at the TEA Representative Assembly in Nashville on Saturday, May 31, between 7:30 and 9:15 a.m.

TEA President Barbara Gray, Memphis-Shelby County EA

Barbara Gray, an assistant principal in Shelby County, is seeking election as TEA President. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from LeMoyne-Owen College, MED in Curriculum & Instruction and 45 hours of post-graduate studies in Supervision & Administration from the University of Memphis.

Gray began developing her leadership skills by serving in a variety of leadership positions at both the local, state and national levels. Some of the leadership positions include Shelby County Education Association president and vice president, TEA vice-president, West TN Administrator, association representative as well as leadership positions on a variety of committees to help provide guidance to the association. While local president, she was successful in gaining an extra personal day for 18-year employees, a monetary incentive for educators who had perfect attendance and inclusion of a group of educators who were left behind – our ESPs. Some of the committees include, but are not limited to, Member Benefits, Educator Benefits, Minority Affairs, Constitution & Bylaws, Administrator Task Force, Credentials, Internal Organization Needs, Budget, and Executive Committee. She has attended numerous leadership conferences and workshops to further develop her leadership skills. She has been a delegate numerous times to both TEA and NEA RAs. Barbara has lobbied legislators at both the state and national levels and feels that we should be united in these difficult times.

If elected, she is willing to stand and make a difference for all of our members and students. She will not leave anyone behind. She will build relationships that are indicative of TEA’s stance in support of quality teaching that impacts student learning. She plans to continue working to create Great Public Schools for all students and take to the public the good things our schools are doing. She is committed to building on that work by cementing relationships with legislators, the state board, the commissioner, and other

policy makers. She feels that we must have a voice in policies and practices that affect our profession.

She is seeking your support and your vote because she can’t do this alone.

Larry Proffitt, Robertson County EA

Larry Proffitt is an experienced association leader having served in the following capacities at the local level: Vice President, President-Elect, President, Association Representative, Bargaining Team member, Membership Committee Member and RA delegate. His involvement at the state level includes serving on the New Teacher Committee, Tennessee Education Association Board of Directors Member, TEA Executive Committee Member, Instruction and Professional Development Committee Member, member of the Southeastern Leadership Planning Committee, Membership Benefits Specialist, Representative Assembly Delegate, Legislative Contact and President of the Student Tennessee Education Association, Advocacy Committee chair.

Through collaborative efforts with his peers, Larry has worked to bring success to his local and to the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). During his term as President of the Student-Tennessee Education Association (STEA), he stayed under budget to accomplish goals while encouraging member participation. Larry’s ability to maximize teamwork among students and TEA leadership and staff resulted in an increase of student attendance at local, state and national conferences and membership in STEA grew to over 4,000 student members. Larry utilized his college holidays to visit colleges and high schools across the state to explain the importance of becoming a student association member.

Larry’s advocacy for members found him involved in association work during his first year of teaching.

The issue of tenure was not a deterrent to his service to fellow members. It was, in fact, at this time that Larry’s attitude of service through organizing evolved. Larry believes that the collective strength of the union lends a positive voice for the education profession.

Association contacts encouraged Larry to apply for a teaching position in Robertson County where organizing is taken very seriously. He was quickly voted into a leadership position that included becoming a member of the bargaining team. The atmosphere of cooperation between the association and the central office staff has provided Larry the opportunity to continue his leadership, advocacy and organizing. He has frequently attended sessions at the legislative plaza and speaks with numerous representatives and senators about the importance of supporting public schools. School administrators have been amazed with his media contacts, including having state

coverage of a school fundraiser. Proffitt believes that honest relationships enable organizing and that successful networking and coalition building is a result of listening and identifying like interests among groups seeking results.

Larry asked former TEA President Velma Lois Jones, “Why ask me to run for President?” and she replied, “You listen before you speak and when you speak, you have something important to say. People respond to you and the association needs a presence and someone who will stand up for public education.”

Past TEA President Judy Beasley Whitehill stated, “I immediately recognized that Larry was a born leader!

He will spread the message that students deserve a quality education and that teachers need the support of the public. He will always advocate for teachers.”

Melanie Buchanan, Cheatham County EA

Melanie Buchanan, a candidate for TEA president, is a current NEA director as well as the treasurer and membership chair of the Cheatham County Education Association (CCEA). Melanie has also served as the representative for District 11 on the TEA Board of Directors. During her tenure on the TEA board, she has been elected to serve on the TEA Executive Committee by her peers. She has been a constant and vigilant member of TEA throughout her 16-year teaching career, becoming involved in the organization upon first entering the classroom. Melanie is the first college graduate in her family, but she is not the first in her family in the teaching profession or the first to advocate for workers’ rights. Her mother worked as an ESP for 25 years and was a proud TEA member. Her father has been a member of the United Auto Workers (UAW) for more than 30 years.

Melanie is known for her energetic and “willingto-serve” attitude. She enjoys a challenge and lives by the motto “without ideas for a solution, one has no right to complain.” She has practiced this while working in her local association as president, president-elect, treasurer and membership chair.

She has also served on CCEA’s grievance and negotiation teams as well as the newly formed collaborative conferencing team.

During her term as NEA director, Melanie has served as senior director and was appointed by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel to NEA’s Read Across America committee. Over the past year, she has also served as a member of the TEA Executive Committee, was appointed by the TEA president to the staff/governance bargaining team, and served as a member of the NEA Concerns Committee.

Melanie was TEA’s 2011 Middle Tennessee Distinguished Educator and Tennessee’s 2012 nominee for the 2012 NEA Foundation’s National Teacher of Excel9 www.teateachers.org

lence Award. Melanie represented Tennessee in China during the summer of 2012 along with 35 educators from across the United States as they learned about Chinese culture and the Chinese education system.

Melanie is a creative and hard-working advocate for public education who understands the difficulties faced by educators in both rural and urban areas. She has a diverse group of peers that she consults with on many issues. She is a willing listener and an eager learner who is always up for a challenge.

Melanie Buchanan is a trusted and outspoken leader who is not afraid to ask questions. With constant attacks from legislators, she understands the importance of membership. She recognizes that TEA’s strength is in its numbers. She believes that now is the time to reinvent ourselves as an association.

She wants to be your voice and is ready, willing and able to take her leadership abilities to TEA and NEA and work for all those who believe in creating “Great public schools for every student.”

systems across the state are as varied as Tennessee’s landscape. As TEA faces those challenges, leaders must recognize the need to balance aggression and finesse. It is imperative that TEA continue to develop relationships with legislators from both parties as well as other stakeholder groups.

Association leadership is a service, and leaders serve at the leisure and the will of the membership.

Sometimes they must put aside their own wishes and work for the good of their students, their members, and their Association.

Beth Brown has a single agenda: growing the Association. It is 2014, and the Tennessee Education Association MUST change with the times. We cannot sacrifice the principles upon which TEA was founded, but if we do not significantly change the way we work as an organization, our Association will not survive.

And TEA’s survival is of utmost importance, for without TEA, public education in Tennessee will surely perish.

TEA Vice President Beth Brown, Grundy County EA

Stephen Henry, Metro Nashville EA

Beth Brown, an English teacher at Grundy County High School, has been an active member of the Tennessee Education Association since she began her career. The daughter of two retired teachers, Beth joined the Grundy County Education Association, the TEA, and the NEA at the insistence of her mother.

However, Beth remained a member because she realized that TEA was the voice for students, educators, and education support professionals in Tennessee.

Beth has served in a variety of roles in her local association, including President, Vice President, Membership Chair, Grievance Chair, Chief Negotiator, Collaborative Conferencing Chair, Building Representative, and local FCPE Chair. As a local association leader, Beth transformed a contentious and highly volatile relationship between the Grundy County Education Association and the local school board into a healthy working relationship built on mutual respect.

While serving on the TEA Board of Directors from 2009-2012, Beth served as the Board liaison to the IPD Commission and chaired the Credentials Committee. She was assigned by the President to serve as the NEA Observer to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education at Lee University in 2010.

In addition, Beth was elected by her peers on the Board to serve on the Executive and Budget Committees in 2011-2012. Since her tenure on the Board ended, Beth has co-chaired the Educator Advocacy Committee and has also been assigned by the President to the Dues Task Force. Beth has represented Tennessee as a state delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly since 2009.

In 2012, TEA named Beth a Middle Tennessee Distinguished Educator. She was TEA’s 2014 nominee for the NEA Foundation’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and will represent Tennessee this summer during a global-learning fellowship in China.

Beth is an effective communicator and outspoken leader who has developed relationships with educators across the state. A good listener, she has learned that the challenges faced by the local education 10 April 2014

Stephen Henry, a candidate for TEA Vice President, is a third generation teacher and a proud graduate of public schools. Throughout his 28-year career as a classroom teacher and association activist, Stephen has earned the reputation as a trusted leader, an articulate advocate and a tireless worker.

He is a recognized leader in public education and human and civil rights and has received numerous honors for his advocacy and service. As a marathon runner and cancer survivor, he is also known for his boundless energy and determination.

Stephen was born in Memphis, raised in rural West Tennessee, and has called Nashville home since graduating with honors from David Lipscomb University. This experience has provided a keen understanding of the varying educational needs of schools across the state. He brings extensive experience as a local, state and national leader and has built strong working relationships with the elected leaders and professional staffs of TEA/NEA, as well as with members of the Tennessee General Assembly.

As a member of the NEA Board of Directors, the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education (FCPE) Council, an Official Observer to NEA’s Executive Committee, a Congressional Lobbyist, a national/international trainer for NEA-HCR Division, as a delegate to Education International’s World Congress and an NEA representative in South Africa, Norway, and Korea; as a member of the TEA Board of Directors, TEA’s Executive Committee, the TEA-FCPE Council, Chair of the ION and Human Relations Committees, and a member of TEA’s LCT; as MNEA President, Vice President, Chief Negotiator, MNEA’s Executive Committee and Executive Board, and member of the PACE Council; he is uniquely positioned to continue to champion TEA’s mission of ensuring great public schools for every child.

Due to changes in state law, Stephen’s term as MNEA president began just as MNEA’s contract expired. But because he had learned the value of building relationships at an early age, he had already laid the groundwork necessary for a smooth transition.

The following was included in his letter of support for

the district’s RTTT grant application: “The Metropolitan Nashville Education Association and MNPS enjoy a rich history as collaborative partners. This is an intentional approach, which is focused on student achievement. Because of legislation by the Tennessee Gen- Delegates vote during the 2013 TEA R eral Assembly, this cooperative dynamic is now rare throughout much of the state. But for us, it is how we choose to operate, for we know that the best and only way to ensure the success of our students and our schools is by working together.”

With Stephen’s leadership, MNEA has continued to lead the profession, to support public education, and most importantly, to meet the needs of students and educators. As a model for the state and nation for what true collaboration looks like, MNEA and MNPS have been the only association and school district in the state to be invited to all three of the U.S. Department of Education’s Labor/Management Collaborative. Of the thousands of NEA affiliates, MNEA’s work was one of four examples of collaboration shared

by President Dennis Van Roekel at a recent national meeting. Also during Stephen’s tenure as president, MNEA received an NEA Urban Grant and was one of two affiliates selected to be included in NEA’s i3 grant application.

Stephen’s leadership, vision, and experience will well represent the membership of TEA and the learners we serve.

Diane Lillard, Bradley County EA

With a career in education and association work that spans more than 30 years, Diane brings her quest for the state office. Diane is a secondgrade teacher at Waterville Elementary in Bradley County and a graduate of Lee University with a B.S. in early childhood education. Diane is married to retired teacher and past TRTA President Gerald Lillard.

Diane has been extremely active at all levels of our association. Local association offices include: president, vice president, treasurer, executive board member, building representative and chief negotiator. Committee activities include: Membership, Newsletter, Communications, PR&R, AEW, Research, Read Across America, and Legislative. State association committees and commissions include: ION, Communications, Membership, Member Benefits, IPD, Insurance, Professional Negotiations, Elections, Credentials, NEA Concerns, Status of Women, Legislative, State Board of Education contact chair, and Human Relations chair. She has served two terms on the TEA Board of Directors and Executive Committee and is an NEA Southeast Regional Leadership

chair. She currently is serving nationally as NEA director and is a member of the NEA’s UniServ Advisory Committee. She has been a delegate to the TEA-RA (27 years) and NEA-RA (24 years). She has worked tirelessly at our NEA RAs to increase the amount of donations to the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education.

She is and has been an Representative Assembly. active participant in the NEA’s annual Outreach to Teach Program sponsored by the students, higher education and retired members.

Since her first experience in serving our Association as a “building rep” in the early 1980s to her current position on the NEA/TEA Board of Directors, Diane has voiced her support for the improvement of the profession and public education in Tennessee. Diane has the experience in Association work and depth of knowledge. She is a strong advocate for teachers, the profession, public education and our United Associations (NEA/TEA and locals). She is dedicated and ready to continue serving our association as we face the challenging issues of today and tomorrow.

“I believe our members must stand united, small and large locals alike, promoting an agenda that will strengthen our forces and make the public aware of the positive activities and miracles that occur in our classrooms and schools every day! I believe that the leaders of our Unified Associations must advocate for all of our members and our profession. We must continue to advocate for the basic right of ‘a great public school for every child!’ We must be proactive and have full knowledge of our positions on issues that affect our members and our students. We must maintain regular communication with legislators and other elected officials concerning the issues that every educator and student faces on a daily basis. I would appreciate your vote and support in my quest to become your TEA Vice President.”

Tanya Coats, Knox County EA

Tanya T. Coats is currently the President of the Knox County Education Association in Knoxville and has previously served as the East Tennessee Black Classroom Teacher and District 4 seat on the TEA Board of Directors. She has also served as KCEA Treasurer, KCEA Minority-at-Large Executive Board Member, Building Representative for 12 years as well as a committee member to KCEA’s Finance, Minority Affairs, Human Relations, IPD, Public Relations, Elections, KC-PACE, Membership and Building Committee. Tanya also has served as a devoted TEA committee member to Minority Affairs, ION, Legislative Editing Committee and chaired the following committees: Administrators Task Force Committee, Co-chair Minority Affairs, State Board

Contact and the Legislative Editing Committee.

Tanya is a dedicated educator who believes that when given the opportunity to make a choice about future endeavors makes way for success.

“I will be a strong advocate for educators’ rights, equitable compensation, and be an added resource to strengthen the evaluation process that will be more viable and objectively accountable for educators. I would continue to support and serve the educators of Tennessee if given the opportunity to serve as Vice President of TEA. Thank you for giving me the needed skills to be a candidate.”

New Teacher Caryce Gilmore, Robertson County EA

My name is Caryce Gilmore, and I am in my first year of teaching.

However, this is not my first year as a leader in the association. I have learned so much since August at Greenbrier Elementary School as a Kindergarten teacher, and I am grateful to have entered the profession I have dreamed about. I also am proud to now be a member of the Tennessee Education Association as a professional.

I became a Student TEA member in 2010 as a future educator. I was first elected as the President-Elect of the STEA, and in 2011-12, I served as the state President. Because of this position, I have served a year on the TEA Board of Directors. For the 2012-13 year, I was elected by the National Education Association Student-Program delegation to serve on the NEA Board of Directors. Through this position, I lobbied for educators to our Tennessee representatives in Washington, D.C. I have spoken at a TEA rally in Nashville, been to five NEA Representative Assemblies on the national and state level, and currently serve on the Young Educators Committee within the TEA. I will bring energy, a concern for the future of the association, and a passion for the profession to the board.

Realizing the challenges that our profession and our association are currently facing, I will be a teacher and leader who will not lose spunk nor lose sight of the truth! I greatly appreciate my nomination for this position!

Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System Board-West Sammy Jobe, Memphis-Shelby County EA

Sammy Jobe has been the physical education teacher and boys’ basketball coach for grades 6-8 at Collierville Middle School, Shelby County, for 22 years. Sammy graduated with his BSEd from the University of Memphis, and his MSEd in Administration and Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University. With his 45 hours of postgraduate studies, Sammy received his elementary certification. For the past 16 years, he has lobbied on Capitol Hill in Nashville. Coach Jobe previously served as a building AR for eight years, was election committee co-chairman, and liaison for the SCEA newsletter and Educator Benefits. Sammy’s involvement in TEA has included attending 15 TEA RAs and six TEA Leadership Academies. He served two years on the membership committee. Coach Jobe has served as Chairman of the TEA election committee for

two years. Sammy has served 12 years as the state contact to the NEA Veterans Caucus, the last 11 as caucus secretary. His NEA activities include attending 14 NEA RAs, eight South Regional Leadership conferences, and the Men in Education Conference.

Coach Jobe has served on the TEA Board of Directors.

Sammy has previously served as the West Tennessee Teacher to the TCRS Board of Trustees for seven years.

Sammy is a dedicated educator who believes in public schools that provide a positive and safe environment for students and teachers. Sammy says, “I will be a strong advocate for teachers’ rights, better pay, increased benefits, and an improved retirement program. “Coach Jobe would like to continue serving as the West Tennessee teachers contact on the TCRS Board of Trustees.”

TEA Board of Directors District One Joe Crabtree, Johnson City EA

Sixth-grade science and social studies teacher at Indian Trail Intermediate School in Johnson City.

Currently serving as president of the Johnson City Education Association, chair of the TEA Instruction and Professional Development Commission, member of the TEA Fund for Children Executive Council, and member of the JCEA Collaborative Conference Teacher Team. TEA and NEA RA Delegate since 2008. “It has been my honor to serve as the voice of teachers in the Johnson City EA over the past five years. My experiences at the local, state, and national levels will help me to be a much stronger voice for the students, teachers, and support staff in TEA Board District 1.”

District Five Shawanda Perkins, Hamilton County EA

Shawanda has been a Hamilton County Education Association firstgrade teacher for 12 years. A proud TEA and NEA member for 16 years, she is currently serving as HCEA treasurer, HCEA National Teacher Day Banquet Committee chairperson and TEA District 5 Board of Directors (one year).

Other involvement in the association includes, but is not limited to: HCEA Association Representative, HCEA Secretary, HCEA Treasurer, various committee chairperson; TEA ION Committee, TEA Minority Leadership Cadre Graduate, TEA Minority Affairs Committee, TEA Legislative Editing Committee, TEA Status of Women Committee, TEA Emerging Leaders Graduate, TEA RA delegate 10 years, TUEAC, NEA Southeast Regional Minority Leadership Training, NEA RA delegate six years, NEA Status of Women Cadre Graduate, NEA Joint Conference of Minority Affairs and Status of Women attendee, and TUEAC. “I would appreciate your support and vote of confidence to serve as your TEA District 5 Board of Directors representative.”

11 www.teateachers.org

12 April 2014

TEA General Counsel: More Hypocricy From Privateer Apologists

By Rick Colbert As the legislative session winds down with consideration of new laws related to charter schools, TVAAS in licensure and the new standardized PARCC testing that will accompany Common Core, a notable proponent of school choice has raised a point worthy of closer examination. Jay P. Greene is the department head and 21st century chair in education reform at the University of Arkansas. Among his published works is a 2011 book called “Why America Needs School Choice.” In his spare time, Greene also publishes a blog.

On January 20, 2014, Greene wrote a column in his blog called “Testing Requirements Hurt Choice.” Yes, that’s right. This well-read proponent of school choice believes that imposing standardized testing on students at choice schools would be unwise. His reasoning:

•State testing “makes choice schools look worse than they really are.”

Greene concludes: “If state testing requirements don’t necessarily make schools better and fail to capture the bulk of the benefits choice schools are producing, then imposing state testing requirements on choice schools just to do something is a really bad idea.”

Greene is on to something. As Harvard’s Strategic Data Project has noted, standardized tests do not nearly measure all that we value in education.

But Greene’s analysis also begs an obvious question – if the elements that produce good educational outcomes cannot be measured by standardized tests in choice schools, why are our state’s education leaders so adamant about using such measures in our public schools? Instead of spending millions on developing new tests that don’t measure what matters in good education and on producing new TVAAS results with those flawed measures, wouldn’t our public schools be much better if we devoted those resources to improving the components that actually produce better outcomes?

In a state that ranks near the very bottom nationally in what we invest per pupil on education, why would we commit so much of our limited resources to a testing regime that doesn’t measure what matters?

As Greene says, “doing something that is ineffective or counterproductive may be worse than doing nothing.”

If standardized testing is bad for choice schools, why is it ok to force it upon public schools?

• Testing requirements hurt choice “because test results fail to capture most of the benefits produced by choice schools.”

• Students at charter and private choice schools graduate and go to college at higher rates, go to more competitive universities at higher rates, and enjoy high salaries; and “if you only looked at short-term test results for these students you would not have expected the magnitude of these benefits.”

• Imposing testing requirements “highlights a measure of performance that grossly understates the benefits of choice.”

Rick Colbert is TEA general counsel.

TEA President Gera Summerford presents a TEA Scholar Athlete of the Week plaque to Montgomery Central High School student Josh Rye along with coach Todd Dunn (right) last November. Rye, who plays golf and baseball while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, was among 15 Tennessee students selected as TEA Scholar Athletes of the Week at each Tennessee Titans home game as part of the TEA Pencils to Paychecks campaign.

Rye’s name was announced during the Titans game radio broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 24.

The Tennessee Education Association partnered with the Titans to highlight high school students who have performed exceptionally well in both academics and athletics.

Congratulations To TEA Scholar-Athletes Austin Herink Cleveland High School

Manuel Colon Maplewood High School

Andrew Testerman Cherokee High School

Josh Rye Montgomery Central High School

Ashley Spurgeon Houston County High School Paige Lohorn Gordonsville High School Jerrica Henderson Fayette Ware High School Whitley True Unicoi County High School Rylee Henry Jefferson Co. High School Jacob Wallis Adamsville High School

Ansley Mullican Warren County High School Cabrisha McDonald Brainerd High School John Reese Gilmer Coffee Co. Central High School Hannah Craig Oak Ridge High School Alexis “Lexee” Miller Coffee Co. Central High School

13 www.teateachers.org

State Continues Race to the Bottom in Education Funding Under Haslam administration, Tennessee below Mississippi for investment in children Continued from page 1.

The governor’s cuts to teacher salaries and higher education continue the state’s race to the bottom in education funding.”

“Educators are already performing miracles in the classroom every day with few resources. Tennessee educators are deeply committed to providing a quality education for all students, but at the end of the day they should also be able to provide for their own families. In order to attract and retain the best teachers, it is critical that the state properly fund teacher salaries,” Summerford said.

“Teachers and students work tirelessly to maintain a top 10 graduation rate, despite the fact that Tennessee has now dropped below even Mississippi in per student investment. The state tops only Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Utah. It seems the goal is to make sure Tennessee is

“Accountability – that is all we hear from the governor and other state officials when it comes to public education. Where is their accountability?” dead last in public education investment.”

“Nearly every neighboring state is doing a better job of providing for its students,” the TEA president said. “Children cannot receive a proper education without a qualified teacher. It is time state leaders put our children before corporate interests.”

Summerford continued, “The main cause of the budget deficit is a drop in the corporate excise tax. The governor attributes this to businesses finding ‘loopholes they can exploit’ or a change in business practices. TEA requested information in December on corporations in Tennessee that pay little or no corporate excise tax, but we have yet to receive a response from the state. There is no excuse for our students and teachers being the ones to suffer because the state is not 14

April 2014

sufficiently taxing big corporations.”

“While parents and teachers want to see students succeed, a teacher’s dedication and hard work can only go so far if she does not have the necessary resources to teach her students.

Teachers and school systems across the state are already functioning on minimal funding. Now the governor is making it even more challenging to provide a quality education for all students,” said Summerford.

Join now to take full advantage of select early enrollment money-saving benefits What are the benefits?

STAND UP for

EDUCATORS, OUR STUDENTS, OUR PROFESSION

Belonging to the Association means being part of an organization that is in the forefront of moving public education forward and advancing the profession.

From day one, you are eligible for: ● $1 million NEA Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Program benefits ● NEA Accident Death and Dismemberment Insurance ● NEA Automobile and Homeowners Insurance Program ● NEA Car Rental Plan ● NEA Credit Card Program ● NEA Magazine Services ● NEA Term Life Insurance Program

Be part of a movement —3 million strong — working toward creating great public schools for every student!

We can do it: improve the lives of every education employee and every student.

There’s no better timetime to join the the Association than right now.

There’s no better to join Association than When you join during enrollment, get immediate right now.

Earlyearly enrollment grantsyou immediate access to NEAto benefits and special programs.

And, you access NEA benefits and special programs. don’t pay dues until September 1st!

No dues payments required until September 1

Standing up for educators, our students, and the profession...Together!

801 Second Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37201-1099 615.242.8392 800.342.8367 Fax: 615.259.4581 www.teateachers.org

National Teacher Day May 6, 2014

“Congress and state legislatures should not tell teachers how to teach, any more than they should tell surgeons how to perform operations.�

Diane Ravitch

Public education advocate

15

www.teateachers.org

Civication Draws Hundreds to State Capitol 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

Tennessee’s teachers fill the House education committee hearing during a Civication in March.

More than 700 educators visited Legislative Plaza in Nashville to advocate for students and public schools during TEA Rally Days this spring.

Also dubbed Civication because they coincide with Tennessee teachers’ spring breaks, the rallies allow TEA members to get a first-hand experience with their elected officials and to show them how their laws affect local schools and communities.

Dawn Jones, president of Sequatchie Co. EA, took a Civication to visit with Rep. Ron Travis, Sen. Janice Bowling and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh.

“It makes a big difference for us as teachers to make a personal contact with our legislators, let them see what’s going on in our classroom and what we have to go through

every day just to survive,” Jones said. “Pay and evaluation are just one part of it. They need to know what we see students going through with testing, not wanting to come to school. We’re here not just for ourselves, but for the kids.”

Sequatchie Co. career and technical education director Melissa Tibbs came with her fifth-grade daughter, Anna Kate, “to show her that our voices can be heard.”

Marsha Talley, director of special education in Sequatchie County and former association president, said her mother used to bring her to the legislature and now she’s here to support public schools.

“We’re in a fight for our public education system in the state of Tennessee,” Talley said. “I feel like all the distractions we face — all the things that are thrown at us under the guise of reforms — are meant to distract us from what’s important as private and charter schools take money from public education.”

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)234-0700, fax: (855)299-0723; Assns: Cocke, Newport, Greene, Greeneville, Unicoi, Washington, Hamblen, Johnson City. District 3 — Tina Parlier, P.O. Box 70288, Knoxville, TN 37938-0288, (865)6881175, fax: (865)518-3104; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Sevier, Union, Scott, Campbell, Oneida (in Scott Co.). District 4 — Janet Abrams, Assns: Knox,TSD, District 5— Jason White, P.O. Box 5502, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; (615)521-1333, fax: (865)301-8366; Assns: Anderson, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Blount, Alcoa, Maryville, Lenoir City, Loudon. District 6 — Jim Jordan, Sue Ogg, P.O. Box 4878, Cleveland, TN 37320; phone: (423)472-3315, (615)856-0503; fax: (855)299-5674; 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)4859512; Assns: Hamilton. District 8 — Chris Brooks, P.O. Box 3629, Chattanooga, TN 37404; phone: (615)3322636, fax: (866)483-2514; Assns: Clay, Cumberland, Fentress, Jackson, Morgan, Pickett, Putnam, Overton, York 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)6302605, fax (855)320-8755—; Assns: Rutherford, Murfreesboro, Sumner, MTSU, Macon, Smith, Trousdale.

District 11 — Cheryl Richardson-Bradley, P.O. Box 354, Goodlettsville, TN 37070; (615)630-2601, fax: (888)519-4879; Assns: Wilson, Lebanon, FSSD, Williamson. District 12 — Miley Durham, P.O. Box 10, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464; phone: (931)766-7874, fax: (913) 762-9391— Assns: Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Fayetteville, Maury, Wayne, Marshall, Perry. District 13 — Forestine Cole, Mary Campbell, Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN 37211; (615)726-1499, fax: (855)299-5837 (Cole), (855)299-4968 (Smith); Assns: Metro Nashville, TN School For The Blind. District 14 — Rhonda Thompson, TEA 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201; phone: (615)354-3305, fax: (888)519-7331; Assns: Clarksville-Montgomery, Robertson. District 15 — Maria Uffelman, P.O. Box 99, Cumberland City, TN 37050; phone: (931)827-3333, fax: (855)299-4925; 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)2994591; Assns: Chester, Hardeman, West TSD, Henderson, Lexington, Jackson-Madison, McNairy, Decatur, Hardin.

District 17 — Karla Carpenter, P.O. Box 177, Brunswick, TN 38014; (901)590-2543, fax: (855)299-4892; —Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Dyersburg, Gibson, Humboldt, Milan, Trenton, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Union City, Tipton Weakley. District 18 — Zandra Foster, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis, TN 38128; (901)377-9472, fax: (855)320-8737;—Assns:, Shelby, Fayette. District 19 — Memphis-Shelby Co. Education Association — Ken Foster, Executive Director; UniServ Directors: Susanne Jackson, Terri Jones, Tom Marchand, 126 South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)4540966, fax: (901)454-9979; Assn: Memphis.

www.teateachers.org www.nea.org

Sequatchie Co. EA leaders and members visit Rep. Ron Travis at the Legislative Plaza during a TEA Civication.

Scan this Quick Response code for UniServ contact information and photos.

16

April 2014