A second member of the Grundy County School Board has resigned in the wake of the board’s controversial decision earlier this year to reject state funds intended as one-time bonuses for teachers.
The money—provided by the Education Freedom Act which state lawmakers passed this past legislative session—would have granted local teachers a $2,000 one-time bonus.
In order for teachers to receive the funds, local education agencies and public charter schools were required to adopt and submit a resolution to the Tennessee Department of Education by June 1 affirming their participation.
On May 29, the Grundy County School Board rejected the state-provided funds by a 5-4 vote, becoming the only county in the state to do so.
While an emergency board meeting was held on May 31 to revisit the issue due to immense public backlash, it ended without a quorum as only four of the five required members attended.
Board Member Eric Birdwell, who submitted his resignation last week, was one of the members who voted against the measure to provide teachers with the bonuses.
Birdwell (pictured above) said in his resignation letter that his decision to vote against the teacher bonuses stemmed from his stance against school vouchers.
“One matter that has been widely discussed is my vote on the Education Freedom Act teacher bonus. While many saw this as “free money,” I could not in good conscience support legislation tied to measures I felt were harmful to public education,” Birdwell said.
Birdwell’s resignation letter reiterated earlier concerns he had expressed about the Education Freedom Act, specifically regarding the 20,000 scholarships.
At the time, he cited moral reservations about the broader legislation, saying, “It’s just a gut moral feeling, I feel school vouchers are wrong.”
Board Member David Dickerson was the first person to resign from the board in June after also voting against the bonuses for teachers.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Eric Birdwell” and “Grundy County Schools” by Grundy County Schools.
