The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) condemned recent remarks by Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn at a Williamson County event.
According to audio captured by NewsChannel 5, Arnn said that “The teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.”
The comments have led to intense backlash against Arnn and Governor Bill Lee, who attended the event.
“Unfortunately for Mr. Arnn, a public school critic, a public school education also confers the ability to listen, analyze, discern, and comprehend. It is clear that the motive for Mr. Arnn’s criticism of public schools and public school teachers is driven by his desire to expand his charter school empire into Tennessee. And from all indications, he has the assistance he seeks in this endeavor. The value of public education and public school teachers cannot be adequately stated in any single writing,” the group of education officials in the state said in an emailed release.
According to the press release, the group met and approved the condemnation unanimously.
“Rather, the value of public schools and public school teachers is demonstrated in the daily lives of Tennesseans who worship, work, give of their time and resources, assist their neighbors, and vote. The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents gives its profound thanks to all of those in public education who strive daily to make this state a better place to live for all of its residents.
In the fallout of the event, Ivy Academy’s Skillern Elementary in Hamilton County ended their partnership with Hillsdale College, which provided curriculum support to the teachers and students.
Previously, Governor Lee detailed a plan to expand the number of Hillsdale-connected charter schools across the state.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Larry Arnn” by Hillsdale College. Background Photo “Hillsdale College” by Hillsdale College.
“… a public school education also confers the ability to listen, analyze, discern, and comprehend.” Oh, really! Since they no longer teach critical thinking skills, they are not able to analyze and discern. What they do produce are children who listen to and follow the dogma, the propaganda that they have been fed in the classroom and trust those sources that they have been taught to trust; in other words, MSM and propagandists.
Michael Patrick Leahy can disagree with the words Dr. Arnn chose to use, or to call them inflammatory, but he can’t disagree with the truth Dr. Arnn was pointing out regarding public education itself. TN is ranked 30 to 35 (depending on which list you look at) when compared to other states. I think Dr. Arnn knows what he is talking about and TN educators need to accept criticism and work to improve the quality of education and cut out the indoctrination and woke agenda of upper management. Sometimes a broad-brush approach is more effective in getting the entire industry to see that they have systemic problems.
Good for the school superintendents! Now, let’s go after Governor Lee for failing to chastise Arnn for his caustic and un-called-for remarks.
It appears “TOSS” doesn’t recognize, or at least “admit”, to the “Dumbing down” of students that people have been warned about since back in the sixties, early seventies.
Of course you will never get a Liberal, Democrats or progressive to admit that their ideas are some of the dumbest ever conceived.
But rather that stand up together against this “EVIL” most people would rather bail out of the system for a private school and let the rest go to hell,
Of course their kids they are trying to education will have to live is the hell with all the others.
So who really is to blame,??????