Lt. Gov. and Speaker of the Senate Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) announced Wednesday the state Senate committee assignments for the 112th General Assembly.
McNally praised his fellow Senate members in announcing the assignments.
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Major pro-life legislation was approved by the Tennessee Legislature in Friday’s early morning hours just before legislators wrapped up their year.
Passage — and the end of the session — came as a surprise because Senate leaders had said they would not take the abortion measure up in this condensed year, according to a story by The Tennessee Journal: On the Hill. The publication also reported the Senate did this to persuade the House to back off of making changes to the budget proposal the Senate had approved.
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The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has released a new report that explores how students in Tennessee’s public schools are impacted when they are taught by an ineffective teacher for two consecutive years. This, according to a press release Tennessee Comptrollers released this week. The report was prepared at the request of State Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville. “More than 8,000 Tennessee students (1.6 percent of students included in the study) had a teacher with low evaluation scores in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years in math, English, or both subjects,” according to the Tennessee Comptrollers’ press release. “Students were less likely than their peers to be proficient or advanced on the state’s assessments when they were taught by ineffective teachers in consecutive years. Student achievement also suffered with the largest effects found for the highest and lowest performing students. These results are consistent with other research indicating that ineffective teachers have negative academic impacts on students.” Students in certain districts, grades, subjects, and subgroups were more likely to be taught in consecutive years by ineffective teachers, the press release said. “English language learners, students in special education, and students in high-poverty schools were over 50 percent more likely than other students…
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Gov. Bill Lee is moving forward on his campaign pledge of school choice in the form of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) available in 2020, although only about one-half of one percent of the state’s students would qualify to participate in the program’s first year. The governor delivered his first State of the State address Monday, as reported by The Tennessee Star. Lee said: I know there’s concern that programs like this will take money away from public schools, but my ESA plan will invest at least $25 million new dollars in public schools in the first year to fill the gap when a student transfers to another school. The Tennessee Department of Education referred a request for more information to the governor’s office. Lee spokesperson Laine Arnold did not reply to requests for comment. The proposal would only be provided to five county school districts: Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Shelby and Madison (including the city of Jackson). Also included would be the state’s Achievement School District of failing schools, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said. Only 5,000 students in fall 2020 would be eligible, or only about one-half of one percent of the state’s 975,000 students. Qualifying students would be eligible for…
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A bill failed in a House subcommittee Wednesday that would have ensured that school districts that allow for payroll deductions for the dominate teachers union would also allow payroll deductions for membership in any professional employee organization. The bill was an attempt to give groups besides the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) legislative backing in asking for payroll deductions. The TEA is affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA), the largest U.S. labor union. The House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee shot down the bill on a voice vote. Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), who sponsored the bill in the House, told the committee before the vote that “some districts are picking winners and losers” and that this legislation “levels the playing field.” The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville). The bill was promoted by Professional Educators of Tennessee (ProEd), an association that is not a union and does not endorse political candidates. Some districts do allow payroll deductions for organizations other than TEA but policies across the state are “inconsistent and arbitrary,” Audrey Shores, chief operating officer for ProEd, told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday. Automatic payroll deduction is often a preferred way of collecting membership dues…
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