Article XI, Section 12 the Tennessee State Constitution states, "The state of Tennessee recognizes the inherent value of education and encourages its support. The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools."
Behind Health Care, Tennessee has dedicated more funding to Education than any other Department in the state - to the tune of 5.6 billion dollars. All too many times funding has not turned into results. While we have gained in education over the past few years there is so much more we can do. It is crucial we maintain support and funding for high quality education, especially now as it is a key component to rebuilding our economy during a pandemic.
Below are issues and topics I feel will improve education in Tennessee. If there is an issue I have not addressed below, please email me with your questions or concerns at darren@darrenjernigan.com and I will do my best to address them.
Vouchers
Recently, Chancellor Anne Martin ruled the voucher legislation unconstitutional. The Governor's Office immediately appealed the decision. Until there is a final court ruling on the appeal, the voucher program will not be implemented.
When the vouchers legislation came to a vote on the House floor, I voted No. Unfortunately, it passed by one vote.
I support efforts to repeal the voucher legislation as I do not believe public funds should be used to pay private school tuition. I also voted against the State Charter Commission because I believe education policy should be determined at the local level. In March, the emergency budget passed with nearly $40 million set aside for the school voucher program and cut teacher pay raises from 4% to 2%. I will be co-sponsoring an amendment to the budget to remove this funding and apply it to priority legislation geared to reducing the budget shortfall our state is experiencing due to COVID-19.
School Safety
Our children, teachers and staff need and deserve to be safe and feel secure at school. They all desire to learn and work in a positive environment. This can be achieved without arming teachers. It will take law enforcement, mental health providers and educators within each school working together with the support of the community and government to provide the sponsorship and resources necessary to promote productive classrooms and a safe work space.
We need to establish community partnerships, acknowledge and address the lack of discipline in the classrooms, and prevent the bullying of fellow students. The goal is to get to the student before the student gets to a gun or other weapon.
I am in favor of improving mental health services for students by funding salaries for school counselors and child psychologists.
School Construction
As Davidson County continues to grow, our schools will continue to become more and more overcrowded. The State needs to tie financial assistance to the growth percentage of a county to help with the construction of new schools easing the financial burden on local governments. I am in support and will be co-sponsoring HB 2122, creating the Tennessee Rapid Growth School District Fund.
The fund will provide moneys through capital improvement grants to Local Education Authorities (LEA) with a minimum average growth of two percent in average daily membership (ADM) over the five fiscal years immediately preceding fiscal year 2020- 2021. The grant money will allow other crucial local funds go to daily operations.
Early Education
Early education is the building blocks to all learning. I continue to support early childhood education with efforts to provide quality universal pre-kindergarten in Tennessee to help prepare our young children for school so they can begin to learn on day one of Kindergarten. If a student is not proficient by third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of high school and 60% less likely to pursue a post-secondary degree.
One step I would like to promote is to expand evidenced-based home visiting programs to provide early parenting support for families in need. These home visits provide an unprecedented opportunity to reach families and communities at-risk for health disparities, but also can include an education assessment creating a path of travel for a child. Educating parents on best practices can get a child on the right course and change their future.
Basic Education Program (BEP)
Tennessee uses the Basic Education Program (BEP) to fund school districts across the state. The BEP formula is also exceedingly complex, with 46 different components that generate funding and an equalization process that sets state and local shares of funding. The BEP needs to see at least a 1.5 billion dollar increase to the fund to assure teacher pay, the number of nurses and social workers in schools, and the student-to-staff ratios in the classroom.
However, throwing money at the problem will not fix a BEP formula that is antiquated and not currently meeting the needs of Tennessee's one million students. The formula picks winners and losers and urban cities like Nashville are losing. More and more of our counties, especially urban counties with large suburbs, are taking on the burden of fully funding the school system. Nashville schools are severely underfunded relative to the state's funding formula.
Teachers get hit hard as well. When the state announces it will be funding a teacher pay raise for the fiscal year it is very misleading. The money goes into the BEP fund and then distributed to local governments using the current formula. Local school boards then determine a teacher pay raise. Because the BEP is so misaligned many times the Davidson County Board must use the teacher pay raise money to fund operations. Too often teachers never see money directly applied to their paychecks.
I am in favor of fully funding the BEP, after first restructuring the formula to reflect more equalization to be proportioned appropriately among counties, and to separate teacher raises from the BEP and have them see the money directly applied to their paychecks.
Dreamers
"Dreamers" are young people who were brought to this country by undocumented parents and are American in every way, except on paper. There are over 8,000 Dreamers in Tennessee. Dreamers have grown up in this state and consider themselves to be Tennesseans. These young people speak English, are educated here, and most have never stepped foot in the country of their birth after coming here with their parents. They are friends with my children and have been in my home.
It is time we extend "in state" college tuition to these young people. It makes no sense for society to invest in these children k-12 and then abandon them when they seek a higher education to create better opportunities for themselves and for society. To deport a Dreamer who will eventually start a business and employ people in another country instead of here in Tennessee is illogical.
The federal government without question should be able to create a path of travel to citizenship and have the Dreamers come out of the shadows, work legally, and live without fear of deportation. They can help drive economic growth, keep families together, promote education and community integration, and strengthen civic ties.
I will support and co-sponsor a resolution requesting the federal government to make this happen.