Day: March 31, 2017

Williamson Strong Not a PAC, Administrative Law Judge Rules

Wendy Wilson

  Williamson Strong did not act as a political action committee in the 2014 school board race, an administrative law judge has ruled. The order handed down this week was in response to an appeal filed by the Williamson County parent group after the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance issued the group fines in May 2015. The group was fined $2,500 fine for failing to register as a PAC by filing a form for appointing a treasurer. A second $2,500 fine for failing to file campaign financial disclosure reports was put on hold pending the outcome of the appeal. Formed shortly before the 2014 school board race, Williamson Strong portrays itself as a nonpartisan group that simply seeks the best for Williamson County Schools. However, its blog on its website and its Facebook page show that it is an agenda-driven group that supports liberal-leaning causes. The group has repeatedly maligned the concerns of conservative groups, including the Tea Party, Americans for Prosperity and Glenn Beck’s 9/12 Project. Former conservative school board member Susan Curlee, who was elected to the board in 2014, filed a complaint about Williamson Strong with the registry in December of that year, setting the case in motion. Curlee declined…

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Teacher Bill of Rights ‘Common-Sense, Nonpartisan,’ Proponents Say

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Promoters of state legislation called the Teacher Bill of Rights say it’s time teachers got more respect. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) in the Senate and State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin) in the House, covers a wide range of issues of concern to educators, including student discipline and standardized testing. The bill goes before the Senate Education Committee next week. The proposed legislation gives Tennessee public school teachers backing in reporting student misbehavior and defending themselves against physical harm. It also says teachers have the right to review all materials used by their students and that teachers should not be expected to spend personal money on supplies. It also calls for teachers to be evaluated only by those with the same subject matter expertise and says teachers should never be evaluated based on the performance of students they have never taught. In addition, the bill says teachers should not be relocated to another school based solely on test scores from state mandated assessments. The bill also calls for allowing teachers to act on their “own conscience,” giving them more room to use their professional judgment and discretion. “Teachers have been under attack lately,” said teacher Kyle…

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Bus Driver Shortage Frustrates Wilson County Schools, Reflecting a National Problem

Wendy Wilson

Wilson County Schools has formed a task force to address a bus driver shortage, a problem that is plaguing school districts across the nation. The problem is so bad in Wilson County that routes sometimes have to be canceled because there aren’t enough drivers, according to WKRN News 2. The district has 142 bus drivers, but needs 20 more to be at full staff. The district hasn’t been fully staffed since 2012. “We’ve just had a hard time keeping drivers,” district spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson told WKRN. “It’s certainly not an ideal situation. We don’t like it. We’re frustrated by it, too. Only 8 percent of school districts that responded to a 2015  survey by School Bus Fleet magazine said they did not have a bus driver shortage, meaning 92 percent did. Pay is an issue, but there are other factors as well, according to an article in the magazine in November 2016. “The job is getting more complex all the time,” the article said. “In addition to driving safely and meeting a schedule, drivers must handle disciplinary issues, be vigilant about security along their routes, make sure seat belts are used (and used correctly), and more.” “A school bus driver has very…

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Randy Boyd Uses Haslam’s ‘Leadership Tennessee’ to Advance His Gubernatorial Platform

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Leadership Tennessee, a program funded by Governor Haslam and his allies, was launched to promote “collaborative leadership” across political, cultural and business lines that could problem-solve for the “common good.” Complete Tennessee is gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s initiative to “complete the mission of education and economic development initiatives” of the Haslam administration. According to the President of The Cornerstone Foundation a funder and early promoter of Leadership Tennessee, a “terrific example of collaboration in action” was SCORE’s Executive Director Jamie Woodson, the biggest and most well-financed lobbyist for Common Core in Tennessee. Common Core standards championed by the Obama Department of Education, the Gates Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was a cornerstone of Haslam’s education reform platform during his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Haslam’s plan to fully embed these standards into Tennessee’s K-12 system was derailed in 2013 by House conservatives. Five months before announcing himself as a gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd who describes himself as a  political “moderate,” launched Complete Tennessee, “a nonprofit 501(c)3 education advocacy organization focused on increasing postsecondary access and completion in Tennessee.” Boyd is getting help in his “complete” mission from fellow Leadership Tennessee classmate, Janet Ayers who is a Complete Tennessee and SCORE board…

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