“The horse is brown or chestnut or one of those other technical terms horsepeople use to make it clear that they know stuff other people don’t; the freemasonry of the hoof.”
― Nick Harkaway, The Gone-Away World

Last night, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee delivered his 7th annual State of The State speech. Which is one more closer to nymber 8 – the one I’m waiting for, but I digress.

Over the last 7 years, the good Governor has gotten real good at talking alot without really saying anything.

This year’s speech hit all the high points, pay raises for teacher, expanding daycare, expanding civics instruction, along with a push to connect today’s students with tomorrow’s jobs. He treated them all like mini-Beetlejuice. Just say the name and they’ll magicly appear.

As long as you didn’t look to close, it all sounded fantastic.

Case in point, teacher salaries.

Lee announced that the minimum annual teacher salary would increase to $47,000 for the 2025-26 school year, up from $44,500 currently. Remember, the Gov pledged in 2023 to gradually get teachers’ base pay to $50,000 by the fall of 2027, his last full year in office. This is just the latest step.

However, if you take a look behind the numbers, you’lll find that Tennessee teachers are earning less than they were a decade ago, adjusted for inflation, and the state continues to trail most of the nation in student funding, according to the latest data from the National Education Association.

You can go through just about every item on Governor’s Lee list and conduct the same compare and contrast and and arrive at the same evaluation. It’s what Lee. does. He’s like that friend who always promioses to eat at your favorite restaurant, but somehow you always eat at their favorite place.

As part of his speech, Lee took a victory lap on his newly passed voucher legislatio, as well he should, he’s earned it.

As part of his recently passed legislation, vouchers are budgeted at $148 million and are expected to increase to $167 million in the second year as more sign up for the  $7,300 vouchers to enroll in private schools. Critics claim that two-thirds of the 20,000 students slated to accept vouchers in the first year are enrolled in private schools already.

I’ve yet to figure out how this number is arrived at, other then through a comparison with other states. I’m equally baffled as to why critics feel this a stong argument, other then the belief that if you’ve found a way to somehow pay tuition, then you can just go right on paying. As if there are no working class families sending their kids to private schools?

Maybe, this will prove to be true.

I can almost guarentee you one unintended consequence, you will see is an increase in private school tuition for those schools that accept vouchers. Before you start screaming. let me walk you through the math.

Say as a parent you’ve been paying 12K annually. Remember, these are hypothetical numbers.

Tuition is practically breaking you, but you are pulling it off.

You get a voucher for 7k, now you are only paying 5k a year. You are likely pretty stoked about it.

The private school probably needs a little more cash, so they raise tuition to 15K. That means you are now paying 8k a year, which probably doesn’t thrill you, but it is still better than 12K a year.

Who’s going to hold the private school accountable?

Now there are probably some constraints written in the bill about how much of a tuition increase schools can make, but remember tuition isn’t the only place to siphon off some voucher cash. Books and activity fees, also provide effective vehicles for increasing costs.

It had been my hope that passage of the voucher bill would quell the public conversation over vouchers. Alas, I think we are destined to carry on for another decade.

Getting back to last night, the only thing less impressive then the Governor’s speech, was the walkout staged by 12 Democrat legislators. The Democrats later told The Tennessean that it was in protest of Lee’s special session legislation that included a private school voucher program and an immigration enforcement plan that Democrats have criticized as anti-democratic.

Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, criticized Republicans for starting every House session off with a prayer before doing “some of the most unChristian-like things in that chamber.”

“Jesus would do none of the things that they’re doing. We’re here to protect the least among us, the unhouses, the people who are the most vulnerable,” Dixie said.

I get it, but how is this effective?

Did anybody in chamber even noticed they walked out?

How about the people that are expected to show up at the polls in two years? Did any of them say, “Hey I didn’t know that legislation was bad, until the democrats walked out. ‘m voting for them next time”? Yea…not likely.

The politics of outrage are so ineffective. If you are truly outraged, work to get different people elected.

I understand that doing so is hard, but it’s a damn sight more effective then a dozen folks standing around yelling, “dammit, ref I’m mad”, into a microphone in fromt of the cameras.

Especially in a state where recent election results show that most people don’t share your views.

With the Governor’s speech in the rearview mirror we can now move into the people’s business, and damn it’s going to be an interesting one.

– – –

Two bills up early in the game are ones that I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out.

State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) has an “Anti-Road Rage Act” HB1191. it would make shooting inside of a car a Class E felony, which carries a one to six-year sentence. Brandishing a gun would be made a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a sentence of up to a year. I’m all for this one, though I’d argue that just brandishing a gun in a car should be considered a felony.

I was brought up that just showing a gun or knife, is the same as using it. Off the top of my head I can’t think of a single instance during my 60 years on this earth that I needed to wave a gun while in a car. Furthermore the bridge from waving to firing, is a bit short for my liking.

It’s a law that is needed in Tennessee. WSMV reports that In 2023, Tennessee averaged over three people shot per one million people in road rage shootings. We ranked third in the country for such an incident.

The other bill is one filed by Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) Barrett’s bill would seek to fundamentally secure the right to homeschool in Tennessee per the  state constitution and would restrict the government from abrogating that right in any way. It would restrict the government from employing any and all regulatory schemes over a homeschool even in the case that state funding is eventually extended to homeschools (with the current ESA program, for example).

To quote Tennessee Stand, “It’s very simple. HJR 92 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would secure a parent’s inherent right to homeschool their child, free from any government restrictions. Period. In fact, if successfully amended to the constitution, it would require all current statutory regulations to be repealed.

So, this amendment clarifies that even in the instance that a homeschool family might accept any government funds in any form in the future, the state still has no authority to regulate that homeschool, regardless of any state funding mechanism in place. In other words, the parent’s fundamental right to homeschool can not be infringed upon by the state in any circumstance.”

At it’s core, what this bill does is remove homeschoolers from any kind of government oversight. Are their really people out there in 2025 that think the government is just going to let you educate your kids willy0nilly, how you see fit with no oversight or guidance? And, that in some cases taxpayers will pay for it?

I can’t tell if Barrett is serious or if this is just him fucking with his fellow Republicans.

Either way, it has little chance of passing since the Democrats don’t really like him, and he’s pissed off all the Republicans with his vocal anti-voucher position.

– – –

Tonight, the Metro Nashville Public School’s Board is slated to consider installing a concealed weapons detection system into all district high schools. The action comes just weeks after two students lost their lives in a school shooting incident.

In the wake of the shooting, Antioch High reopened with a new concealed weapons detection system in place known as Evolv. The system includes scanners at the entrance of the school similar to what a stadium or arena might use for entry into an event. System Integrations, which owns Evovl, loaned a system to Antioch High for a monthlong pilot as students returned\

According to a MNPS press release, “that system has proven effective in screening for potential weapons while quickly moving students into school to begin their day. Each day this has been implemented, students were able to enter the building in time to grab breakfast and get to their classrooms before the first morning bell.”

I’m hoping at least one board member asks for data that supports this district statement. What are the data points utilized to realize this conclusion, or is this just some prounncement made to quell critics?

I would also hope that at least one board member asks for a copy of the contract in question and a time line going forward that includes implementation in middle and elementary schools.

Another point of contention for me, would be the contract itself.

MNPS is attempting to expand off of a contract already in existence with Systems Integration, inc. That contract was entered into this past summer. It was a four year contract for $3,000,000 this year and not to exceed $15,000,000 for the duration of the contract.

The purpose of that contract was to purchase, install, maintain, and repair of video surveillance and threat detection systems. If I’m not mistaken, these are the camera’s that failed to detect a gun at Antioch HS. At least I think it is. MNPS has no contract with Evovl or Omnilert.

In digging through the current contract, it appears that MNPS’s contract is with Systems Integration, inc who uses Omnilert products, including those under Evolv, in the instalation of security systems. While there is nothing nefarious at play here, for the sake of transparency, all of this should probably be clarified, along with an explanation of what went wrong with the current configuration that cost MNPS $3m and two students there lives.

MNPS Director Adrienne Battle has said, expanding Evolv is “an important step forward” and would take time to implement effectively to make sure the transition is smooth.

I would love to hear a little bit more about why she thinks that and how we are going ensure that a failure doesn’t repeat itself.

It would probably be a good idea for a board member to publicly ask, where the funds for the contract are being drawn from.

The boar agenda says, Various Operating Budgets, Grant Funds, and Potential Capital Funds. In other words we are going to search through the sofa cushions?

For any of that discussion to happen, the contract will have to be pulled from the consent agenda, where it currently lives with maintence contracts, teacher tenure, and FY 2025-2026 financial goals.

We shall see.

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Categories: Education