JC Bowman, founder and president of Professional Educators of Tennessee, and Michael Patrick Leahy, editor-in-chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star, debated an audio recording slated to be released by News Channel 5’s Phil Williams supposedly addressing the “origin of school vouchers” in Tennessee.
Read the full storyTag: JC Bowman
JC Bowman Discusses Funding Issue with Governor Lee’s Universal School Choice Plan
Founder and president of Professional Educators of Tennessee JC Bowman joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss funding issues surrounding Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice plan, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship Act.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Says Governor Lee’s Universal School Choice Plan Has a Capacity Issue
Founder and president of Professional Educators of Tennessee JC Bowman joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the leaked draft of Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act.
Read the full storyTennessee House Democrats Want Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds to Resign over Lack of Classroom Qualifications
Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizzette Reynolds is facing calls to resign over her appointment allegedly failing to comply with the Tennessee law governing her office, which was originally written in 1925 which specifies commissioners must be qualified to teach in the state’s classrooms.
A collection of Tennessee Democrats and the statewide party held a press conference on Monday to call for Renyolds’ resignation, claiming she is not legally qualified for her position, citing Tennessee Code Section 4-3-802, which specifies the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) must be overseen by a commissioner who “shall be a person of literary and scientific attainments and of skill and experience in school administration” who is also “qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority.”
Read the full storyTennessee Education Association Files to Dismiss Its Suit Against Law Banning Dues Deduction from Paychecks
A three-judge panel of the Chancery Court for the State of Tennessee Twentieth Judicial District ordered the lawsuit filed by the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) that challenged a new law that prohibits association dues deduction from paychecks “dismissed without prejudice” following the union’s voluntary dismissal.
Read the full storyCourt Denies Tennessee Teachers’ Union Request to Block Law Banning Dues Deduction from Paychecks
A Tennessee law that prohibits teacher association dues from being automatically deducted from paychecks may go into effect after a three-judge panel declined to issue a temporary halt to it as requested by the Tennessee Education Association (TEA).
The Chancery Court for the State of Tennessee Twentieth Judicial District, Davidson County, denied last week the teachers’ union’s motion, ending a previous temporary halt to the practice of payroll deduction for dues for professional employee organizations.
Read the full storyTennessee Education Association Spent Millions on Political Lobbying over Past Decade
The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) has spent millions on political lobbying alone in the state since 2011, having “squandered significant dollars in a lot of losing efforts across our state,” wrote JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association based in Nashville.
Read the full storyBowman: Police Chief Drake Calls Nashville Schools ‘Violent,’ as Metro Nashville Public Schools Slow to Add Basic Safety Measures
Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association John Harris and Professional Educators of Tennessee CEO JC Bowman continue their in-studio discussion of school safety on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with host Michael Patrick Leahy.
Read the full storyCommentary: Political Spending Is Hurting Public Education
I have been critical of political spending in education. For several years, whether it was advocacy disguised as philanthropy or teacher union spending, spending by both sectors has weakened the voice of stakeholders, parents, and educators. Citizens are less willing to get involved because issues are now more contentious. Even within Tennessee, too much education policy is being driven by groups outside the state.
Read the full storyCommentary: Most Teachers Are Not Activists
Historically, unions have done some remarkable work in the private sector. However, union officials in the early 1950s began to capitalize on the many extraordinary powers and immunities that were created by legislatures and the courts. This allowed union bosses to no longer depend on rank-and-file workers’ input or support. Starting in the late 1950s, public-sector unions started to grow, and private-sector unions began to decrease.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Explains Why Indiana Is So Far Ahead of Tennessee in School Choice
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed JC Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee to discuss advances in Indiana’s universal school choice program and why Tennessee is falling behind.
Read the full storyJC Bowman: Recently Appointed Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds to Bring a New Perspective
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed JC Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee in studio to discuss the unique perspective that the new Commissioner of Education Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds will bring to Tennessee.
Read the full storyJC Bowman: Former Rep. Bill Dunn Was a Logical Choice for Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed JC Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee in studio to discuss why Bill Dunn would have been a good choice for Tennessee’s new commissioner of education.
Read the full storyJC Bowman on the Resignation of Penny Schwinn and Appointment of Lizzette Gonzales Reynolds as New TN Commissioner of Education
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed JC Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee in studio to comment on Tennessee’s new commissioner of education.
Read the full storyCommentary: Tennessee’s Conversation About Rejecting Federal Money for Education
Historically, the Federal Government had limited involvement in Public Education. That changed in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) into law.
ESEA doubled federal expenditures for K-12 education and gave the federal government much more input into education. That has been the debate ever since, central control of education versus state/local control.
Read the full storyProfessional Educators of Tennessee CEO JC Bowman Sees Student Discipline as a Major Issue, Urges Teachers to Speak Out Elegantly
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist JC Bowman in studio to discuss school system failures, discipline, and teacher’s needs.
Read the full storyAll-Star Panelist JC Bowman Comments on Tennessee Principals’ Trip to Louisville, Penny Schwinn, and School Security
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist and the CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to discuss the half-million dollar Tennessee principal trip to Louisville, Kentucky, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, and school safety.
Read the full storyProfessional Educators of Tennessee Asks Where’s Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn as State Report Card Shows Problems
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report,host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee’s Founder and President, JC Bowman to the newsmaker line to discuss the recent report card for the state’s education revealing problems for Cannon, Williamson, and Davidson counties.
Read the full storyMarine Veteran J.C. Bowman Relives a Day in the Life of a New Marine on Paris Island, South Carolina
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Marine Veteran JC. Bowman in studio to talk about what it was like arriving at Marine boot camp on Paris Island, South Carolina in the early 80s.
Read the full storyJ.C. Bowman Reflects on Signing Up for the Corps and Walking Those ‘Famous Yellow Footprints’
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Marine veteran JC. Bowman in studio to talk about what it was like signing up for America’s exclusive fighting force—the Corps.
Read the full storyJ.C. Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee Reviews NAEP Scores, Down Across the State
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee’s head, JC Bowman in studio to take a closer look at Tennessee’s NAEP scores which reveal Davidson, Shelby, and Madison County public schools failing.
Read the full storyJ.C. Bowman Interprets National Assessment of Education Progress as ‘Flat Line’ Since 1970
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee’s head, JC Bowman to review the recent NAEP scores revealing little progress since 1970 inception.
Read the full storyProfessional Educators of Tennessee President Cites Alarming Dropout Rates for State’s Public Schools
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee President JC Bowman in studio to examine the large percentage of public-school student dropouts across the country.
Read the full storyTennessee Joins Other States in Significant Declines in Math and Reading Tied to Pandemic School Closures
Results of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, show Tennessee’s scores reflected the unprecedented national declines in student achievement tied to the extended school closures demanded by teachers’ unions and their allies in government.
Read the full storyCommentary: Tennessee’s National Assessment of Educational Progress Results Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Like any other test, I am careful about reading too much into the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results. With NAEP, representative samples of students rather than the entire national, state, or district populations take the test every two years and only in 4, 8, and 12th grades.
National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said “specific pandemic-era local decisions, like how long to keep a school or district shuttered, aren’t solely the cause of these results. Exploring that deserves more research.” My response: “Why?”
Read the full storyFederal Department of Education Threatens to Ask for Money Back from Tennessee Department of Education
A late September letter from the Federal Department of Education (DOE) to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) threatened to pull TDOE’s federal funding over what the federal government describes as failure to comply with federal assessment reporting standards in 2021.
“The assessment and accountability compliance issues are significant because they not only impact the State’s ability to provide clear and transparent information to the public about school performance, but also result in the State using information that is not comparable across schools in TDOE’s statewide accountability system,” said the letter addressed to Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Peggy Schwinn.
Read the full storyJ.C. Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennesse: Feds Are Troubling the Waters of Tennessee Education
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the head of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to comment upon the recent letter from the US Department of Education regarding the missing implementation of assessment and accountability requirements.
Read the full storyJ.C. Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee on Williamson County School System’s Insistence That Teachers ‘Stick to a Script’
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman in studio to discuss the implementation of the Instructional Practice Guide for only Williamson County public school teachers forcing teachers to stick to a “script.”
Read the full storyLeahy and Bowman Talk About Tennessee Education Commissioner Schwinn’s Trip to the White House
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman in studio to comment upon Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education, Penny Schwinn who made a special trip to the White House on Wednesday.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Comments on Tennessee Public Education Lacking Local Control and Disbanding the Department of Education
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman in studio to discuss the lack of local control Tennesseans have on their public school education and doing away with the federal Department of Education.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Discusses the Components of a Successful Public School System
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO J.C. Bowman in studio to discuss the factors that pertain to a successful public school system and national educational reports.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Discusses Shelby County Schools Superintendent’s Firing and the Problems with Jamming Through ESAs
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman to the newsmaker line to discuss the recent firing of Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray and the pitfalls of jamming through Educational Savings Accounts to parents and their students.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Weighs in on Comments Made by Governor Bill Lee’s New Education Advisor Larry Arnn of Hillsdale College
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee JC Bowman in studio to comment upon the recent statements made by Hilldale College’s Larry Arnn at an event with Governor Bill Lee regarding education.
Read the full storyCommentary: Education in the Pursuit of Happiness
People should make decisions that result in their best life possible which should include intellectual and moral effort. The Declaration of Independence identified our national identity and the moral standard by which we would live as a nation. The Declaration of Independence was identified by Harry Jaffa as the soul of America, and the Constitution as its body.
The critical elements needed in society today are virtue and character. Aristotle warned that educating the mind without educating the heart is “no education at all.” Although Thomas Jefferson never explained the phrase “the pursuit of happiness” found in the Declaration of Independence, he used a concept put forth by both John Locke and George Mason.
Read the full storyJC Bowman of Professional Educators Discusses Change of BEP to TISA, Education Funding Creating Even More Bureaucracy
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman to explain the change of the Basic Education Program to the new TISA (Tennessee Investment and Student Achievement) and how it will create another level of bureaucracy.
Read the full storyProfessional Educators of Tennessee to Hold Leader U Professional Development Conference June 7 at Middle Tennessee State University
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to talk about how they differentiate from teachers’ unions and the upcoming Leader U Professional Development Conference event, Tuesday, June 7th at Middle Tennessee State University.
Read the full storyFlags Unfurled: Presley O’Bannon – Tripoli Hero to Marine Corps Legend
Growing up with the name O’Bannon I was vaguely aware that there was a famous person named Presley O’Bannon who was important in American History. When I got married 37 years ago to a Marine Corp veteran who has a degree in history, I was informed that not only was Presley O’Bannon an important figure in history, he was especially important to the Marines. The United States Marine Corps hymn opens with “From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles on the land and on the sea.” Presley O’Bannon was the man who led battles on the shores of Tripoli from whence the song lyrics came.
Read the full storyData Show Public Sector Union Membership In Decline in the United States
Data available from state and local government payroll records – not readily available to the public – show “substantially steeper declines in public-sector union membership” in the United States.
“The best data available are state- and local-government payroll records,” Daniel DiSalvo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, wrote at City Journal Wednesday.
Read the full storyCEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, J.C. Bowman Has Not Endorsed the Tennessee Investment for Student Achievement Act
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to comment upon the Tennessee Investment for Student Achievement and Governor Lee’s relationship with Bill Gates.
Read the full storyExecutive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee J.C. Bowman Makes Predictions on TISA Passage in House and Senate
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to give his predictions on the passage of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement act scheduled for a vote in both the House and Senate.
Read the full storyExecutive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, J.C. Bowman on Basic Education Funding, Dispersement, and Equity
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Executive Director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman in studio to discuss the equity and mechanics of the Basic Education Program funding and how it will be dispersed.
Read the full storyTennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Anticipates Proposed Titans Stadium Sales Tax Winner for K-12 Education
The anticipated sales tax revenues associated with proposed upgrades to Titans Stadium could be a good idea, says JC Bowman, executive director & CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, but whether such a plan is “sustainable” in the long term remains a question.
In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Bowman assessed recent statements by Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton about the state investing in upgrades to Titans Stadium with the expectation that sales tax generated from major events could be invested in K-12 education, particularly in the state’s rural areas.
Read the full storyTennessee Public School Students Required to Praise School Board Members for School Board Appreciation Week
Public school students throughout Tennessee last week celebrated School Board Appreciation Week, where students were encouraged to praise their local school board members. Staff, students, and parents at public schools were asked to adopt a board member. They sent cards and artwork to board members. They were also asked to create school board appreciation posters or ask students to draw posters of them.
Read the full storyCEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, JC Bowman, Explains How Group Differs from Teachers Unions; Says Achievement School Districts Failed
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed JC Bowman, CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee in studio to dicuss who they are and the the failed concept of Achievement School Districts.
Read the full storyTennessee Takeover of Four Struggling Memphis Schools Backfires with Even Worse Results
Tennessee state officials took charge of four Memphis schools a decade ago that struggled academically, and those same state officials hoped to perform better than the local school systems had. But that did not happen.
Read the full storyDuring COVID-19, Tennessee Teachers Say In-Person Learning Poses Fewer Challenges Than Remote Learning
Some of the Tennessee’s educators said in a new survey that they worried about students missing class time during the time of COVID-19. Officials with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) on Sunday released what they said were key findings and responses from the 2021 Tennessee Educator Survey from 40,000 educators.
Read the full storyTennessee Officials Propose Rules on Teaching Critical Race Theory in Public Schools
A new state law that limits teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) has prompted the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) to propose new rules as it pertains to teaching on the subject of race in public schools. According to state of Tennessee’s website, educators may not teach that one race is superior to another race. They also cannot teach that an individual is privileged due to race or sex, whether consciously or subconsciously. They also may not teach that the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Commentary: Grow Your Own Teachers
Tennessee is a unique state, not only because we have the greatest citizens, but because of our geography. We border eight states. That can be an advantage and a disadvantage at times. When economic times are good, people want to relocate to our state. When economic times are difficult, it allows residents to move to a neighboring state and pursue more money in their chosen occupation. In education, we lose teachers to our border states on a regular basis.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Commentary: The Looming Changes in Student Teaching
As educators, we are concerned about the quality and quantity of applicants entering the field of education. Our members have often been catalysts for innovative solutions to the many challenges facing education. That is why we take an interest in the next generation of educators and why our focus is on how to improve their experience and support as they transition from teacher candidate to classroom teacher.
Read the full storyTennessee Education Association Lost 44 Percent of Members in Past Decade, Expert Says
The Tennessee Education Association has lost 44 percent of its members in the last decade.
Read the full story