“If you can't annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.”
― Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim
Monday, the House version of the Educational Freedom Savings Account bill was heard in the House Government Ops Committee. It was another long, chaotic, and frankly embarrassing committee meeting.
Virtually every committee meeting in Tennessee House this session, in which the arguments for the new voucher plan have been presented, has turned into a master class on how not to run a meeting.
Rules aren't followed. People speak out of turn. Voice votes are held when they are supposed to be roll call votes. Favoritism is granted to preferred parties. it's a shit show, discussing how best to eat a shit sandwich. And there is no reason for it.
These aren't rookies running the committee meetings, the chairmen in charge have been at a day or two. Instead of leading, they waste time glaring at young lawmakers who clearly don't care about their ire. The optics alone are terrible. It's a waste of time and energy that only taints the supermajority.
Christ, it's an election year. You'd think people would be more cognizant.
You can say you don't care about appearances but in this day and age, you probably ought not to subscribe to that theory too deeply.
This week's Gov Ops committee was just the latest example. Instead of keeping order, and leading, Chairman John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) allowed himself to be reduced to looking like the principal on Welcome Back Kotter trying to intimidate his unconventional principal. To what end?
"You will respect the committee", Ragan thundered at Representative Jones (D-Nashville).
Or what?
At this juncture, it's pretty clear that Jones doesn't respect this committee, the body itself, the opposition party, or even his own party. So why even assume that you can browbeat him into submission?
And why should he change tactics, considering that Republicans keep rising to the bait at their cost and his benefit?
Maybe it's time to call a teacher, because they deal with this kind of behavior every single day, and are forced to navigate it. There has to be a better way.
For the life of me, I've never understood why the Republicans continually try to silence The Tennessee Three. it's not like they are tripping pearls of wisdom. It's all T-shirt slogans and unformed questions. The more they talk the less sense they make. So let them talk.
Now if was representatives Love, Parkinson, or Freeman...that's be a different story. I could maybe understand.
At Monday's committee meeting, Jones went on a tirade about ensuring that money would follow a student back to a public school if they left a private school where they were using a voucher. A minimal understanding of school funding and its dependency on 30-day counts makes the concern moot. But that is information Jones doesn't possess, because the press doesn't cover you when you are off doing research.
Representative Johnson (D-Knoxville) gave a long speech about how private schools are only using norm-referenced tests, while public schools are forced to use criterion-based.
First of all, whenever anyone tells you "all", be wary.
Secondly, tests themselves are not inherently criterion- or norm-referenced, rather criterion and norm-referenced refer to how tests are scored. There is nothing to stop the TDOE from calculating scores through norm-referenced methods.I'm not sure how useful that would be, but I'm not sure how useful current methods are either.
But the whole talk around accountability for schools is a canard. Accountability for public schools exists in name only.
Yes, people take test scores and discipline issues and talk bad about public schools, but what else do they ever lose?
Do public schools get closed for underperformance? Rarely.
Do they lose money? Ask former Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, how that worked out for him?
In essence, we are arguing over equal measurement for something that doesn't in reality exist.
Now teachers are held accountable, and principals are held accountable, but past that level, accountability seems to vanish in the mist.
Why do you think school choice continues to grow?
Educators, families, and students are continually ignored and dismissed. Maybe it was always like this, but it just seems to happen with increased frequency.
I'd argue that if you surveyed the people who've left the public school system you would find fewer racists than you would people who felt schools were not accountable to them. Yet the prevailing charge is that people who seek other options do so out of a desire to not be around "those kids".
McDonald's used to have a slogan that read "One million customers can't be wrong", but public school system advocates appear to have embraced the inverse, "One million customers can't be right".
Public schools undeniably provide a great experience for 80% of Tennessee students, maybe even 90%, but if you are in the lesser percentage why should you not have the ability to seek a better option?
Much has been made of the school-to-prison pipeline. Prisons in Tennessee are private entities that take public money. So would you rather your tax dollars go to housing an offender, or giving a child an opportunity for a better education and perhaps avoiding the former?
It is a fair question.
I do find it odd that for years the state required (and continues to require) home-school students, who are not currently receiving any public funding, to take the TCAP in grades 5, 7, and 9, yet here we are considering requiring zero state testing for students at schools that are receiving thousands of state public dollars. Now that might be a question for somebody to ask.
This brings me to Representative John Clemmons (D-Nashville). Clemmons used his allotted time at Monday's meeting to play to the cameras by asking, "Are there any rules that outline how our state will reimburse local public schools for the money you are trying to steal from them?"
This one has me scratching my head.
Seeing how lawmakers who send their kids to private schools actually deprive those public schools of funds, will he issue the same charge in their direction?
I further question the use of the term "stealing" in this instance.
Stuff has been stolen from me. In one case, a thief broke in and stole a computer and a purse from my apartment. In taking those items, they did not leave behind a Rolex, Cartier diamonds, and new locks for the door.
Which, arguably is exactly what the House bill does.
Vouchers may cost public schools an undetermined amount of money, but in return, it gives them the tools to protect themselves and improve productivity.
Things like lower health costs for teachers, less professional evaluations, decreased testing, and termination of the Achievement School District - in other words, while critics are screaming for equal accountability, the House bill is providing schools with an opportunity for less accountability.
Seems to me that the proposed amendments give the schools the power to overcome the lure provided by vouchers.
Less teacher evaluations should allow successful teachers the freedom to teach instead of focusing on multiple evaluations, while also freeing up administrators' time to focus on those teachers who are struggling.
Increasing the amount teachers pay for insurance equals a pay raise. Now I would push to make sure the increase doesn't come at the expense of an already agreed-upon teacher raise.
Less testing would allow for more instructional time. I have a kid right not pushing back against the importance of the last semester because it's almost entirely spent testing. He is not wrong in his assessment. Any relief would be welcome.
I remain unconvinced of the catastrophic financial impact vouchers will have on public schools. First of all, monies are being drawn from two separate accounts. In my eyes, that is a fundamental flaw in the bill, but it does ensure funding remains consistent and allows for a safeguard against unfettered voucher growth.
Critics argue that the ESA will primarily go to students already enrolled in private schools. Maybe, but if so, public schools aren't losing anything because they weren't receiving funding based on those kids anyway.
To Clemmons I would say, nobody can steal what you don't possess. Nobody can break into my house and steal a computer that I don't own, nor can they steal a paycheck based on hypothetical earnings.
The concern should be with the potential additional families leaving, and the proposed amendment, if utilized correctly, should mitigate some of that.
A common refrain throughout Monday's proceedings was the questioning of the additional items attached to the Governor's Educational Freedom Account legislation. That shouldn't even be a question.
They may not say it aloud, but every Republican legislation is capable of recognizing a shit sandwich when they see one. You'd be a fool to serve up such a sandwich without a full menu of condiments.
Tennessee still hasn't recovered from the last voucher fight. Who would want to do this again in an election year?
Furthermore, despite Democrats' best efforts to portray them as such, not all Republicans are children eating racist corporate servants, Some have done their homework and have a legitimate desire to improve student outcomes.
When presented with the question of why the enticements were added to the bill, Representative Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville) replied quite succinctly, "Timing". The lawmaker went on to subscribe how he'd unsuccessfully worked since arriving on the Hill to decrease testing. Now, with the Governor's determination to increase school choice, he saw an opportunity to accomplish his desire.
It's not hard. it's like buying a used car. You walk in the showroom when they ain't moving cars, they'll throw all kinds of incentives your way. Show up when they are selling hand over foot, and you ain't getting nothing. That is why it behooves you to strike while you have leverage.
I've heard several state superintendents dismiss the incentives out of a belief that they don't deliver much for them. Funny how it's always about the system until it's about individuals, and then it's all about the individuals.
The reality is, presently there is an opportunity to secure real benefits for schools at a hypothetical cost.
That opportunity may not be there again for another decade.
The Governor's wishes may be denied. But this is an election year, and who knows how it'll turn out. Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if voucher legislation shows up again. If it passes at that time with no enticements, what was won by defeating it this year?
Haston was asked if he would vote for this bill if the enticements were stripped from it.
"No", he answered.
That's about as honest an answer as you'll get.
I don't know about y'all, but as a parent, I eat a lot of shit sandwiches for the benefit of my kids. Not all of those sandwiches include as many condiments as Governor Lee's.
Not fond of shit sandwiches, but kids and my wife always come first.
All of this deserves, at minimum, a real conversation.
To have that conversation, the committee chairman must conduct fair and orderly meetings. You can't have frank conversations where trust doesn't exist, and you can't grow trust without careful cultivation.
At a point in Monday's meeting, Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) called for the question. He did so despite not being recognized by the chair, nor having the floor.
I'd argue that Faison and Jones are two cats cut from the same cloth. Both are driven by hubris.
Provided with an opportunity to demonstrate a willingness to hold his own members to the same level of compliance, Ragan failed to seize the moment. He tried to allow a voice vote that should have never been allowed to happen to stand, and as a result, chaos ensued.
I often tell my son, when it comes to sports, if you want to be the "MAN", you got to be the "MAN" during the most difficult times. If you take shortcuts and the easy way out, your teammates will follow and ultimately you'll be a team defined by shortcuts and an unwillingness to do difficult things.
To Faison and Ragan I would say, if you want to demand respect for the committee, do so by respecting the committee - a place where rules are followed to best serve Tennesseans through the crafting of legislation.
I'm sorry to appear to be picking on Ragan because I like him, but he's better than Monday showed. Faison...his body of work speaks for itself.
Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director JC Bowman echoes the need for deeper conversation in a recent piece for the Tullahoma News.
"Political discussions lack critical thinking in the current climate, negatively impacting discourse. It is hard to engage in thoughtful debates. Bowman writes in his opening paragraph, "Lawmakers rush political discussions without much discussion, undermining transparency, accountability, and thorough consideration of the issues. This often leads to poorly crafted legislation with unintended consequences."
He ain't wrong.
Let me wrap this up with one thought.
In an effort to take an honest look at voucher legislation, I did a dive into research around the country's oldest voucher program in the country.
Wisconsin has had vouchers for almost 30 years, and they are still arguing over the effectiveness of the policy. Evidence falls short of producing a clear victory for either side.
However, a line in an article by Wisconsin Examiner Editor-in-Chief Ruth Conniff summed it all up for me.
"More than a math problem, we have a giant cultural divide on education."
Until we find a way to breach that divide, we are going to just spend more time yelling at each other, and less time doing what's best for kids.
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Speaker of the Tennessee House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) owes a debt of gratitude to Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood).
Up until recently, Sexton was the target of everyone's slings and arrows. But to his benefit, Bulso has stepped in and presented himself as a target, redirecting the majority of those previously directed at the Speaker.
The Brentwood lawmaker, through the introduction of legislation that would ban the Pride Flag from classrooms and a bill requiring all kids in the state to watch a video called “Meet Baby Olivia.” Critics call the video anti-abortion propaganda. Combined, the two bills have earned Bulso the title of most unpopular lawmaker in the House. A title that is clearly subjective.
Apparently, Bulso has joined the Speaker in the rapidly growing Nazi party. Last year it was the Fascists, this year it's the Nazis. Hard to keep up sometimes.
At some point, the hyperbole has to chill, but seeing as Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) recently referred to Rep Johnson as a "communist", it probably won't be anytime soon.
Bulso does deserve credit for holding a town hall meeting this past week, not many would've undertaken that endeavor and I don't think he had a lot of fun doing it.
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A recent column by professional educator Peter Greene takes a look at Education Week's Teacher Morale index. Greene praises the publication's efforts.
"The beauty of this index is its elegant simplicity. It's based on three questions from their State Of Teaching survey, each with three simple choices.
1) Compared to one year ago, my morale at work right now is worse, the same, or better.
2) Right now, my morale at work is mostly bad, equally good and bad, or mostly good.
3) One year from now, I expect my morale at work will be worse, the same, or better. Each answer has a value (-100, 0, or +100). Answers are collected, and the crunching begins.
Overall teacher morale is low. (-13)."
Greene goes on to extrapolate various data points, which shed light on the growing crisis. Among them is evidence that administrators believe that the morale situation is far better than it actually is. The survey also shows that administrators favor structured consistency over teacher autonomy-- and value teacher autonomy far less than teachers do.
"And in other unsurprising findings, way more administrators (84%) think professional development is relevant than teachers do. Not only do over half of all teachers find PD irrelevant, but about half also think there's too much of it (only 15% of admins agree)."
While those data points are important, it is his concluding paragraph that bears repeating.
"These aren't big surprises. Morale is down, and an awful lot of administrators are out of touch with their own staff. That's bad news-- an administrator's Number One Job is to create the conditions that help classroom teachers do the best work they can. If administrators are disconnected, that's a problem for everyone in the system (and given the state of morale, the problems reported with safety and management in buildings, and the pandemic destabilization issues, it's evident that many administrators are, in fact, on some different planet from their staff). Note to principals everywhere: everything is not fine."
Can somebody print a copy of that paragraph up for MNPS Chief Academic Officer Mason Bellamy? Maybe he could share it at his upcoming collaboration with AVID ( AVID-Supervisor-Academy-Nashville-2024)
After all the event is billed as an invitation to "Join us in Nashville, TN as we explore the relevant and impactful work of supervisors of principals.
The week after this Academy, I will be hosting an Academy on flying for all interested parties. At $1000 a person it will be a fraction of the $4500 charged to supervisors of principals. I'm tilting it - Flying: The Art of Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing.
For some reason, I keep finding myself thinking about former MNPS official Mo Carrasco and his Principal Academy in Montgomery County before he arrived in Nashville.
Per Silver Chips online:
Carrasco leads Executive Coaching Services (ECS) LLC, a consulting service that offers seminars for school principals, according to MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast's chief of staff Brian Edwards. Carrasco is being investigated for possibly conducting seminars on school time by taking sick leave or otherwise leaving school grounds for ECS purposes. "Whether his other company interfered with his ability to execute his duties as principal is precisely the matter we are investigating," Edwards said.
Totally different circumstances, right?
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As always, I need to rattle the cup a little bit before I head out the door.
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Hey there, homeschool parent here, opposed to the voucher bill. I recently found your blog and have appreciated your perspective. I have one thought regarding your point on the public school enticements in the House version being just good politics and the idea that this is sheer compromise, I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine. I think the problem with Rep Haston’s explanation that this is a timing issue is that it glosses over the fact that they’ve been trying to pass these changes for years with no movement, translated: no votes. No one would vote for these changes before the voucher bill. Why? If these changes are necessary and great, which I believe they are, why have they never been supported by our GOP majority legislature til now? I was in the hearing that day when Rep Clemmons asked if they would still vote for the bill if the enticements were removed. It sounded like Haston said “I would” so I went back and watched the video and just barely discerned “I wouldn’t”. So I’m glad to know that now, but Clemmons question was, “if ANY of these items are removed, would you vote for the bill?” I have a hard time believing the senators on the conference committee will let ALL of these items remain in place given that none of them are in their version. And I have a hard time believing that the house will not compromise and pass a version that lets at least some of them go. Just some food for thought. Again, appreciate your perspective on this topic. Thanks for writing!