CALL TO ACTION:Sign the NEW petition on the amended state-wide authorizer bill that will affect all counties in Tennessee. Respect Local Control: Stop the State Charter School Authorizer HB702/SB830.
When you sign the petition you will be urging opposition of the Bill HB 702/SB830, which would allow a newly appointed panel to override our locally elected school boards’ decisions regarding charter schools and then cut local boards of education out of the oversight of those schools. A state-level charter authorizer would increase the reach of state government into local affairs and create additional bureaucracy. We want decisions about opening and funding schools in our district to be made by our local officials, elected by our local citizens, who understand the needs of our unique communities. Please respect the rights of local voters to shape the direction of their community’s schools and vote NO on HB 702/SB830.
By signing this you can automatically send an email to the entire Tennessee Legislature and ask them respectfully to vote no.
This bill has NO cap on how many charters the state may approve and districts will be responsible for funding all charter schools approved by the appointed panel. Sign the petition and ask your legislators to respect local control and vote no on the authorizer panel.
Thank you for supporting Tennessee Public Schools.
If the purpose of vouchers is to close the achievement gap by increasing achievement and improving long term success for the lowest performing students then why does this plan put these children, who are provided food in their zoned schools, at risk of going hungry? Even more alarming, nearly a million dollars has been spent already to advertise for vouchers. PR for a bill still in committee? We feel this is more of an indication that vouchers will be used for private gain, not to help children.
Please help us. Join us tomorrow on the hill, Tuesday March 5th for the House Education Committee meeting at Legislative Plaza, room 16 at 12 PM. They will be hearing the charter authorizer bill and voucher bill (with a likely amendment to expand the program) and we need as many people there as possible. We had a great turnout at the Education Committee meeting on February 19th–we need to fill the room with concerned constituents! As parents, business owners, community members, educators and public school advocates we ARE making a difference and our voices are being heard so let’s show up in force at Tuesday’s meeting.
If you have not done so already, please contact the committee members (copy and paste email addresses below to send your message) or sign our petitions (see links below). Call Governor Haslam’s office (615) 741-2001 to tell him you do not agree with vouchers. Also contact Beth Harwell’s (615) 741-0709 office to express your objection for a State Charter Authorizer as that will be up for vote on Tuesday.
A press conference was held at 3 PM CST , Monday February 18th on steps of War Memorial Plaza in Nashville. Speakers included Metro Nashville Council and School Board Members, as well as members of the Nashville delegation of the TN General Assembly. They spoke out against the State Charter Authorizer bill that is going to be voted on Tuesday (2/19) during a House Education Committee hearing.
This legislation would take the decision to open a charter school away from locally elected school boards in Nashville and Memphis only. A state level charter authorizer would increase the reach of state government into local affairs and create additional bureaucracy. Decisions about opening new schools should be left to local officials, elected by local citizens, who understand the needs of our unique communities. The reach of any state level charter authorizer would also surely expand into more and more counties once this door is opened.
We need your support Tuesday (2/19).
If you can join us we will be gathering in room Room 16 of Legislative Plaza in Nashville at noon. We will have ST4SCS representatives speaking. Use the entrance across from TPAC auditorium under War Memorial Plaza.
If you cannot attend tomorrow (Tuesday 2/19), please contact your elected officials and let them know you are against Charter School Authorizer Bill (HB0702) and keep calling Beth Harwell at 615-741-0709.
To sign a petition that auto emails the House education committee to express your view against the Charter School Authorizer Bill (HB0702) click Stop the State Charter Authorizer.
We want to support Representative John Forgety’s bill (HB0446) to amend the current role of the State Board of Education. It is a good bill.
Need to better understand why you should be against this bad legislation? Here is some helpful reading.
This bill is all about Great Hearts. Another “punishment” from the State of TN for Nashville and Memphis. Here is The Nashville Scene’s Q & A with House Speaker Beth Harwell about her charter school bill. Did you know that MNPS approves on average 36% of all charter applications? Which is higher than the national average. So we are now changing state laws because of one school in Nashville?
Thank you everyone for bringing the real voice of public school families to the State of TN General Assembly.
URGENT CALL TO ACTION! The state charter authorizer bill (HB0702) is scheduled to be voted on during the full House Education Committee at 12 PM on Tuesday, February 19th which is TOMORROW!!!!. The best chance we have of defeating this measure is stopping it in committee, so we need your help:
1) This is Rep. Beth Harwell’s bill–she just asked Rep. White to sponsor it. Today is a Holiday so the Legislators will not be in their offices but you can call Tuesday morning before the House Education Committee meeting to tell her that you are against a state charter authorizer. (Her phone number is 615-741-0709.) If you happen to be one of her constituents, be sure to to let whomever you speak to know. (You can also email her at speaker.beth.harwell@capitol.tn.gov, but phone calls will likely have more of an impact right now. Let’s keep her phone ringing off the hook!)
2) Attend the committee hearing on Tuesday, 2/19 at noon. It will be in House Hearing Room 16 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. We will be passing out stickers so you can be visually identified as opponents of the charter authorizer law. Let’s pack out the room! (By the way, thanks to all of your emails and phone calls, we are on the agenda to speak before the full committee during this meeting!)
3) Call and/or email the members of the full House Education Committee and tell them you are against the bill. There emails are as follows: Rep.Harry.Brooks@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.John.DeBerry@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Joe.Pitts@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Harold.Love@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.John.Forgety@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Roger.Kane@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Debra.Moody@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Dawn.White@capitol.tn.gov, Rep.Mark.White@capitol.tn.gov, rep.kevin.brooks@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jim.coley@capitol.tn.gov, rep.lois.deberry@capitol.tn.gov, rep.bill.dunn@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ron.lollar@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ryan.williams@capitol.tn.gov. You can find their phone numbers at the following link: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees/education.html
They are hearing us–so keep speaking up! Thanks to each of you for your support. Upward. Onward. Together!
Today we are seeing an outrageous power grab play out in the Tennessee legislature. Legislation creating a process to circumvent the local school boards of Davidson and Shelby counties that allows charter school applicants to go directly to the state for charter approval was filed yesterday (Feb. 11) and is on the agenda for the House education subcommittee today. This last minute addition of language creating a direct state level path to charter authorization is an obvious attempt to rush this legislation through the committee before the public has any opportunity to review or speak out about this bill. Tennessee parents and taxpayers are being shut out of decisions affecting our schools and our children. Tennesseans know that once this can of worms is opened and public input is silenced, by limiting the authority of locally elected officials in Nashville and Memphis, those advocating this power grab will push to expand it until more and more Tennessee counties find local control of the decision to open schools has vanished. No county will be immune.
If you can, please attend the House Education Subcommittee meeting today at 3 pm in Legislative Plaza room 30. It would be helpful to have folks there to show that we do NOT want such a huge policy decision pushed through without public input. Also, whether you can attend today or not, please email all the members of House education subcommittee and telling them you do NOT want to see locally elected officials sidelined in favor of charter school decisions made by unelected, unaccountable persons outside your community. Here are their email addresses, for an easy cut and paste:
There is so much talk about “choice” these days. Choice, being defined as the opportunity or privilege of making a selection or decision when faced with two or more possibilities, seems to be the new education buzz word. Achievement is so 2011. Americans enjoy the privilege of choice more than any other country and the plethora seems to be as American as apple pie. What clothes to wear and what store from which to get our milk are some of the hundreds of simple, everyday choices we make. Choices such as who to vote for, where to buy or rent a home, and where to send our children to school are big, impactful decisions that are not made daily, nor are they made lightly.
Governor Haslam recently interviewed Governor Jeb Bush, the Chairman of the Foundation for Excellence reform lobbying group, about his role in Florida’s education reform while in office. Toward the end of the interview Bush stated that he was “intolerant and impatient” of people that have an “illogical resistance” to the fast paced implementation of vouchers and charter schools managed by for profit companies. He went on to compare education choice to buying milk saying that there should be as many choices as possible–“I tell my friends to go to the store and look at all the different types of milk.”
By that analogy we can all assume that everyone can choose to buy whatever kind of milk that is available at the store. That’s a bad assumption because availability does not mean accessibility. If I live in the wealthier area of Nashville and my kids need milk, I can just drive to one of three grocery stores that are within a few hundred feet of each other and make my choice between multiple types of regular and organic milk. I even have the option to buy almond or soy milk if my child is lactose intolerant. But what happens if I live closer to downtown in a food desert where there is no grocery store near me? Perhaps I’m fortunate enough to have a car and can drive several miles to the store and buy regular milk since the organic milk is out of my budget. If I don’t have a car I could ride the bus to the grocery store, unless, of course, I am in a wheelchair and can’t navigate the bus and a bunch of groceries in bags. The corner store that sells magazines, cigarettes, and soda may have a ramp for my wheelchair so I can buy the one brand of milk they carry and hope it’s not past the expiration date. My choice seems to have been dramatically reduced, if not eliminated, due to some life circumstances, but ostensibly I have “choices”–I just can’t access them.
Our Governor, Bill Haslam, is now prioritizing the so-called concept of “choice” before actual student achievement. It wasn’t that long ago that he said Tennessee has an “immoral” achievement gap that needs to be addressed. Yet he recently stated that he is going to propose a voucher bill that will go to award “opportunity scholarships” to a hand-full of students living in poverty and attending failing schools. They will, supposedly, then use these vouchers towards private schools, if they can get in that is…
Private schools have entrance requirements that often weed out students with poor performance and those with disabilities–the very students that are the bulk of the cause of the achievement gap. The students that pass the entrance requirements and gain access to the private schools will have to be from families that can get them to and from school, as well as afford to buy them uniforms and books. The local education tax dollars for these children will then go to the private companies that run these schools and, subsequently, be taken out of the budgets of our already underfunded community schools.
Studies of voucher programs across the nation have not shown consistent increases in student achievement; so TN voucher holders, who will account for less than 2% of TN public school students, are not likely to see significant improvements in their academic achievement. While the voucher holders experience small class sizes and limited testing the low performing and disabled students who are left behind at public schools struggling with even less money than before will continue to experience large class sizes and relentless testing. As a result those students will probably not make significant strides, if any, in their achievement and the gap will, ironically, likely widen. Perhaps the Governor is comfortable with this likely possibility, but we are not.
If we want to see the results of putting choice above achievement, we need look no further than Minnesota: They have had vouchers and charter schools for the past 2 decades and the students who have participated in these programs have not shown significant strides in achievement nor have the district schools improved because of the “competition”. Our children do not have twenty years to spare to take part in the nationwide choice experiment.
We need improved achievement for ALL students NOW and we believe that adequate funding of our schools is necessary to reach this goal. (Tennessee is 47th in the nation for per pupil funding.) Stand with us for strong community schools and tell your legislators that we don’t want vouchers. We want adequate funding so all of our students can reap the proven achievement boost from small class sizes, along with individualized attention and support. We want all students to receive an equitable and excellent education in their community schools. And don’t forget to tell your legislators that WE, as tax paying constituents, are NOT OK with choice trumping achievement.
Click here for your State Representative and email or write them.
Click here for your Senator and email or write them.
We are told by our school administration and our state government we should be engaged parents and citizens. I feel this site gives us a voice. I wonder if lawmakers and policy makers will be listening? Many times we are asked, “What do you want for your schools?” So let’s put together a wish list. Interestingly, I feel most lists made out by any education group might look the same. We need to work together to find a way to make this list a reality. We know what a strong school looks like. We should be able to decide locally how to create it.
Do we need a state-level charter authorizer or vouchers to make this list happen? That is the question we all keep asking ourselves. Why does it take totally dismantling and privatizing to create education quality? And how might those changes affect the good results already happening in system? We feel there are great things on this list that ARE happening at the school and district level in both charter and zoned schools. We hope to bring them to your attention on this site.
WISH LIST
Look for these topics to be addressed in individual posts in the weeks to come.
Smaller Class Sizes
Better Funding
Teacher Training
More Technology Tools
Site-Based Managed Schools
Wellness Programs
Art & Music
Physical Education
Foreign Language
Facilities Improvements
Support for the Disabled
More Recess Time for Elementary School
Strong Academics
Allow all Children to Reach Their Individual Academic Potential
Value Progress Over Benchmarks
True College Prep
True Career Prep
Social Emotional Development
Close the Digital Divide
Safe Schools
Head Start/Preschool Funding
Support for Children of Poverty
Services for Diverse Communities
Mental Health Programs
Mind The Gap
Food Quality
Hands-on help in the classroom to service testing and return teachers to teaching.
Want to add to this list?
Email us. info@strongcommunityschools.com
We are public school supporters organizing against the establishment of a statewide charter authorizer and school vouchers (a.k.a., corporate welfare checks). We feel that implementing a voucher program and allowing an unelected group of state-level administrators to determine which charter schools can come into our individual school districts will cost taxpayers millions, limit competition, and, worst of all, hinder sustainable improvement in education overall at the zoned school level. We feel that if our local school boards cannot choose what charter schools enter our districts, parent and voter voices will be further marginalized, school budgets will continue to shrink, and classroom sizes will continue to swell.
We do not have a shiny office or slick board room. We receive no PAC money. We meet in coffee shops, parks, or other public school parents’ homes. We scramble for child care for our meetings, but when we can’t find it, our children scramble underfoot as we discuss how to ensure that they, as well as all the children of Tennessee, receive the best public education possible. We fear some will take our initiatives out of context, so we choose to craft our message on this website. We want voters and other public school parents to understand that vouchers and unfettered growth of charter schools are not panaceas and, in fact, can effectively weaken our public school systems. We want thoughtful school reform that ensures that good charters enter our school systems–charters that best serve our unique communities and help support and strengthen our zoned district schools. We want other education advocates and public school parents around the state to share their experiences–in their words–with us. And we want parents to connect with us so we can work together to strengthen our schools within our communities.
We hope you can help our voice grow by taking action HERE.
A new TN state law now allows charter schools to serve all students, not just low-income students in failing schools. The State of Tennessee must understand the long-term impact of charter schools set up to serve all communities, not just those at risk or failing. Metro Nashville Public School District (MNPS) witnessed the outcome of the State’s vision on charter schools during their fight against Great Hearts Academies–it is an example of how any elected TN school board could be punished for making a decision for their community that the appointed TN Board of Education does not agree with: MNPS was arbitrarily penalized $3.4 million dollars–denying schools, teachers, and students of necessary funding. Is this an example of how the proposed TN State Charter Authorizer would work? How much do we want the state to decide our local needs? In the case of Nashville, MNPS wanted charter schools to reflect the needs of the community and ensure all students have access to this new charter school. If diversity policy is not planned and transportation is not provided with these new “serve-all” charters, a new system of segregation will be set up–skimming the best students who can afford fees and provide their own transportation, leaving only the children unable to provide transportation, pay fees, or navigate the application process left in the zoned schools.
There are charters in other states that do not see a problem with this “new segregation”. This quote from the Nashville City Paper during the Great Hearts debate illustrates the potential:
“We have schools that land all over the map [in Phoenix],” Heiler [Great Hearts board President] says. “Some would be serving very middle-class folks by and large, we have one inner-city school that serves ethnic minority kids, and we have another one that would open that would be similar to that. In Tennessee it seems like there was more of a focus of bringing diversity into each school, whereas here we try to serve a diversity of communities.” [boldface added for emphasis]
The majority of Nashville’s school board members stood strong and decided this was not the type of charter school that would best serve the MNPS district. (They also expressed concern that the Great Hearts’ charter proposal did not meet the diversity contingencies included in the TN State BOE mandate to approve Great Hearts.) A district consisting of 75% free and reduced lunch would be little helped unless they were offered transportation and fee waivers. Great Hearts transportation proposal was weak at best–offering to transport students for only two years. Here is a quote from Ed Kindall, former MNPS School Board member, concerning great Hearts:
“What I worry about is that if there is [a charter school] that opens in an area that has a large population of middle- or middle-to-upper class parents, what is that school going to really look like?” MNPS school board member Ed Kindall told The City Paper in a Nov. 8 article. “I think if we don’t find a way to ensure that these are diverse schools — socioeconomically, racially, etc. — we’re going to deepen the isolation within our school system.”
Tennessee’s Commissioner of the Department of Education, Kevin Huffman, is quoted in his own 1998 New York University Law Review saying:
“Opponents of charter school reform believe that loose regulation will allow charter schools to siphon the wealthiest and best-educated families from traditional public schools. These opponents fear that traditional neighborhood schools will deteriorate and that the charter school movement will disproportionately burden lower classes and children of color…Implemented on a large scale, charter schools have the potential to tilt school choice, leaving children of poor and ill-informed parents behind, consigned to suffering the deterioration of neighborhood schools.”
If this loose regulation is possible, how do we ensure that school resegregation will not happen? If even Commissioner Huffman himself recognizes this potential inequity, then why didn’t the state of Tennessee do more to require Great Hearts to provide transportation and insure access to a diverse population? The MNPS school board feared the outcome of a Great Hearts arrival would not serve the best interests of the district and they believed that the Great Hearts application did not meet the diversity contingencies set forth in the State BOE mandate, so they decided that they could not accept the Great Hearts charter. (The Nashville board wanted to ensure equal access by providing transportation and a location that could serve a diverse population.) Local school boards are elected to determine local educational needs. If the Charter Authorizer Law is put in place, the outcome for MNPS will be “new segregation”. What will the outcome be for your community school decisions? And if you do not agree with the State of Tennessee, what will your penalty be? Now is the time to stop the state charter authorizer and keep our community schools strong to better serve ALL children equally, and keep our decisions local. Please write your TN legislature and tell them how you feel about this issue.
Standing Together for Strong Community Schools is a grass-roots, nonpartisan coalition of parents and community members who value public education and are committed to strengthening and protecting Tennessee’s public schools. For too long, discussion of public education in Tennessee has been dominated by negativity and manipulated by well-funded special interests intent on dismantling our school systems, diverting public money from public schools, and limiting the voices of Tennessee citizens by attempting to usurp the power of locally elected school boards. It is time for those who value and appreciate public education in Tennessee to celebrate our successes, become more informed on the various challenges our public schools face today, share ideas on supporting and improving our schools, and join forces to speak up on laws that impact our schools.
We want improvement in Tennessee schools driven by the voices of Tennessee parents and citizens, not by the out-of-state special interests that poured over $250,000 into our last election cycle to advance their agenda. Two legislative ideas already being discussed for 2013 will negatively affect the stability and strength of our schools:
1) A statewide charter school authorizer
2) Diverting tax dollars to private schools through vouchers
Join us as we “Stand Together for Strong Community Schools” and help shape education reform that truly serves ALL students and ALL communities.
