School board members promote public education at state capitol

Members of the Haywood County Board of Education joined school board members from across the state Tuesday, February 26, for a day of legislative networking at TSBA’s annual “Day on the Hill.” This year, featured program speakers included Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, Senate Education Committee Chair Jamie Woodson, and House Education Committee Chair Les Winningham. “Day on the Hill” is designed for school board members and directors of schools to study pending education legislation and discuss priorities with local legislators. The event began with a breakfast at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel and was followed by visits
to legislators’ offices and committee hearings.

“Day on the Hill provides a terrific opportunity for school board members throughout the state to promote public education and seek assistance from the General Assembly with one collective voice,” said Amy Martin, TSBA President and Bedford County school board member. “We look forward to partnering with the General Assembly to continue to improve the quality of our schools in Tennessee.” TSBA’s 2008 legislative priorities include addressing issues related to local funding of schools and securing maximum flexibility for local boards of education in managing schools.

Last year’s adoption and first phase-in of the Basic Education Program (BEP) 2.0, provided much-needed revenue to school systems and a substantial step toward more appropriate funding for education in the state. However, according to Stephen Smith, TSBA’s Assistant Executive Director, the initial implementation of the program has brought to light serious questions in terms of the authority and actions of local funding bodies.

“Unfortunately, several local governments throughout the state used last year’s increase in state funding to reduce the portion of local taxes going to schools and shift previously dedicated education funds to other areas of government,” said Smith. “Certainly, the intent of the General Assembly was not to have local governments reducing their effort to schools at the same time the Legislature was making a substantial investment.”

Smith added that the association will continue to urge legislators to recognize the importance of local management of schools and resist attempts to remove local flexibility. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution in public education,” said Smith. “All of our priorities are designed to give school boards the flexibility, authority and tools they need to do the best jobs for their individual students and communities, all of which have their own unique strengths and challenges.”

Local school board members attending the event were Patricia Gruenewald, Harold Garrett, Joe Barden IV, Pearlie Hess, and Robbie King. Haywood County Director of Schools George Chapman and Assistant Director Doris Battle also attended the meeting. Legislators attending as their guests included Senator John Wilder and House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh.

Representative Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) received the “TSBA Legislative Award” for his support of public schools and local boards of education. Award winners are nominated by local school boards or school board members and chosen by the board of directors of TSBA’s Legislative Network.

The Tennessee School Boards Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization, is a federation of the state’s local school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessee’s public school students and school districts.