Published by the TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION October 2012 Vol. 44, No. 3 www.teateachers.org

Published by the TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION October 2012 Vol. 44, No. 3 www.teateachers.org

“I Survived Saddam”

Edventurists Attack!A Look at Efforts to Privatize

Public Schools Since 1997page 3

page 5

page 4

teach (USPS 742-450, ISSN 15382907) is pub-lished in August, September, October, Nov/Dec, Jan/Feb, March/April, and May by the Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville TN 37201-1099. Periodical postagepaid at Nashville, TN. The subscription price of $3.65 isallocated from annual membership dues of $258.00 for active members; $129.00 for associate, education support and staff members; $16.00 for retired mem-bers; and $10.00 for student members. Member of State Education Editors (SEE).

Postmaster: Send address changes to teach,

801 Second Avenue North,Nashville, TN 37201-1099.

MANAGING EDITOR: Alexei Smirnov asmirnov@tea.nea.org

ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Carol K. SchmoockPUBLISHER: Alphonso C. Mance

Tennessee Education Association801 Second Avenue NorthNashville, TN 37201-1099

Telephone: (615)242-8392, Toll Free: (800)342-8367, (800)342-8262

Fax: (615)259-4581Website: www.teateachers.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Gera Summerford* (800)342-8367VICE PRESIDENT: Barbara Gray* (901)353-8590SECRETARY-TREASURER: Alphonso C. Mance (615)242-8392DISTRICT 1 Leisa Lusk* (423)928-6819DISTRICT 2 Lauren McCarty (865)385-5220DISTRICT 3 Karen Starr (423)628-2701DISTRICT 4 Tanya Coats* (865)637-7494DISTRICT 5 Michael Plumley (423)749-8228DISTRICT 6 Scott Price (931)455-7198DISTRICT 7 Allen Nichols* (615)653-6501DISTRICT 8 Kawanda Braxton (615)554-6286DISTRICT 9 Theresa L. Wagner (270)776-1467DISTRICT 10 Guy Stanley (615)384-2983DISTRICT 11 Wendy R. Bowers (731)645-8595DISTRICT 12 Suzie May (731)779-9329 DISTRICT 13 Ernestine King (901)590-8188DISTRICT 14 Sarah Kennedy-Harper (901)416-4582 DISTRICT 15 Tom Emens (901)277-0578 ADMINISTRATOR EAST Johnny Henry (865)509-4829ADMINISTRATOR MIDDLE Julie Hopkins (615)569-5742ADMINISTRATOR WEST Charles Green (901)624-6186HIGHER EDUCATION Clinton Smith (731)881-7167BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER EAST Paula Hancock (865)694-1691BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER MIDDLE Kenneth Martin (615)876-1948BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER WEST LaVerne Dickerson (901)416-7122STATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS VacancyESP Christine Denton (931)647-8962TN NEA DIRECTOR Melanie Buchanan (615)305-2214TN NEA DIRECTOR Diccie Smith (901)482-0627TN NEA DIRECTOR Diane Lillard* (423)478-8827STEA MEMBER Marilauren Anderson (731)478-5106TN RETIRED Gerald Lillard (423)478-8827NEW TEACHER Candra Clariette (615)506-3493* Executive Committee

TEA HEADQUARTERS STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Alphonso C. Mance; ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Terrance Gibson ; Mitchell Johnson; Carol K. Schmoock; TEA GENERAL COUNSEL; Rick Colbert; MANAGER OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Stephanie Faulkner; INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & SYSTEMS MANAGER, Galen Riggs; MANAGER OF LEGAL SERVICES: Steve McCourt; STAFF ATTORNEYS: Katherine Curlee, Virginia A. McCoy; MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: Jerry Winters; GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR: Antoinette Lee; WEB MASTER & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Amanda Chaney; MANAGING EDITOR & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Alexei Smirnov; RESEARCH & INFORMATION COORDINATOR: Melissa Brown; INSTRUCTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS: Susan Dalton, Vacancy; COORDINATOR OF MEMBERSHIP & AFFILIATE RELATIONS: Duran Williams.

UniServ Staff contact informationcan be found on page 12 or by scannig

the Quick Response code below.

Gera Summerford, President

On a recent Saturday, I joined my fellow TEA members to “canvas” some neighborhoods on behalf of a Tennessee state senator’s re-election campaign. We carried a list of registered voters and knocked only on doors of residents likely to vote.

The people we met in the neighborhood were generally friendly and receptive as we encouraged them to vote and to support the

incumbent senator. Where no one answered the door, we simply left a brochure to share some candidate information. Since that day I’ve also made phone calls for two other campaigns. Although there were many “no answer” calls, the ones who did answer the phone were congenial and responsive. For one local campaign, the people called are known supporters of the candidate. I was simply reminding them of voting dates and asking if

they’re willing to place a sign in their yard. In each case, I committed only about two hours of my time,

and the phone calls could be made from the privacy of my home. I figure it’s the least I can do to help elect candidates who truly support public education.

While most candidates for public office claim to support children’s education, we know that some of them have ideas for reforming schools that don’t agree with what educators know is best.

When we look back at the 107th General Assembly’s actions for reforming public education, we can’t ignore the importance of electing new representatives this year. We can’t forget that some legislators apparently believe that ending negotiations, reducing educators’ due process rights, and removing TEA representatives from the retirement Board of Trustees can actually improve teaching. We can’t deny the need for extraordinary effort to elect people in 2012 who will actually listen to teachers.

When the new Legislature convenes in January, what can we expect for public education in our state? Will they try to increase class size? Change our fiscally solid retirement system? Institute merit pay for teachers or tie teacher pay to student test scores? Plans are underway to legalize vouchers so taxpayer funds can be used to support private schools. How would that improve opportunities for all children? Can we expect more charter schools and parent triggers? How does that align with local decision-making for public schools?

If you believe as I do, that those closest to children know what’s best for them, that local educators working with community leaders will make the best decisions for students, and that public funding should support only our local public schools, I hope you’ll join me in a commitment to change the state legislature this year. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something, and every effort makes a difference.

On November 7, let’s all be able to say we did our best to elect education-friendly representatives in Tennessee.

I’m working on it!

the door, we simply left a brochure to share some candidate information. Since that day I’ve also made phone calls for two other campaigns. Although there were many “no answer” calls, the ones who did answer the phone were congenial and responsive. For one local campaign, the people called are known supporters of the candidate. I was simply reminding them of voting dates and asking if

Al Mance, Executive Director

Whatever successes the public schools of Tennessee experience are due largely to what happens in classrooms between teachers and students every day. Teachers are the largest educated group in every voting district in the state, and the moral leaders of the drive for a quality education for all. We have an ethical and moral responsibility

to help elect people to office who respect teachers and are dedicated to a quality public education for all boys and girls.

The Constitution of the State of Tennessee, Article XI, Section 12, declares: “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 school.”

Two movements that undermine the state’s capacity to carry out its constitutional mandate are receiving favorable attention in state government: charter schools and education vouchers. One allows groups of citizens to write a proposal or “charter” to establish and operate a tax-funded school for specific groups of students. The second, education vouchers, gives tax-paid vouchers to parents to send their sons and daughters to a parochial or private school of their choice. The funds for these initiatives come from state aid and local funding for students in the public schools where the students live. The vouchers will not cover the tuition for any of the more reputable private schools. In fact, parents will be fortunate if it covers half the tuition. The reality is that both movements are destructive.

Who will use vouchers and what will the resulting schools be like? These schools will be attended by students whose families can afford them and who already receive a quality education in public schools. Some will be students already attending private schools. Students from families for whom education is a priority, and who believe they cannot get the desired education in their current situation, may attend such schools. Others for whom certain elitism and social philosophies are priorities are also likely to attend.

Most Tennesseans will continue to attend true public schools and will have a better chance of receiving a quality education than similar students in charter and private schools. Several reputable research studies support this conclusion.

Equally as important as public taxes being redirected to fund private education, these students will miss the experience of being a part of the institution that, more than any other, Americanizes citizens and advances national unity, understanding and equality.

Neither charter nor private schools are run by local Boards of Education elected by the citizens. Schools receiving vouchers will be neither free nor approved by local school boards. The teachers employed to teach in these schools are not public employees and resign at an average rate of nearly 34 percent per year.

If you believe in a high quality public education for every Tennessee student—if you believe it matters who gets to propose and vote on the laws, rules and regulations that limit your living conditions—then you must go to the polls and elect those who believe in supporting public education and who respect teachers.

For Tennessee’s future, you count.

Our Votes Determine Our Freedoms, Quality of Life. Vote for Education in 2012.

teachers and are dedicated to a quality public education for all boys and girls.

Article XI, Section 12, declares: “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 school.”

We Know What’s Best for Students. Let’s Vote!

Speaking out with you

2 October 2012

3 www.teateachers.org

Edventurists on Track to Privatize Public SchoolsSchools follow private prisons, hospitals in profit-seeking schemesBy Gene Bryant

Just over 15 years ago as an editor for TEA, I monitored a conference in Nashville— “ED-ventures ‘97” —where strategists outlined an ambitious plan to “break up the public school monopoly” and turn education into a profit-making industry. The brashness I observed stunned me.

Someone had sent me a brochure announcing this conference. I mailed in a $170 personal check for registration and received, much to my surprise, a nametag that allowed my admission to the conference. I was not an active participant, but I took notes and prepared a report for TEA News.

As I look back at the last 15 years and review that report, I am astounded with how much of the privatizing agenda has been achieved. The profiteers may not have fulfilled their goal of creating a lucrative industry, but they finally have in Tennessee a legislature and administration siding with them.

At this 1997 gathering of about 200, education entrepreneurs attempted to convince potential investors that market-driven education has the potential of producing hefty returns. “With sufficient capital,” declared Denis Doyle, a senior fellow with the pro-privatization Hudson Institute, skilled business leaders will be able “to bring down the Berlin wall of monopoly.”

The businesses represented included education management organizations (EMOs), charter school operators, management consultants (including “union busters”) and testing and data processing firms. The big push was for charter schools—both for-profit charters and “nonprofit” charters that allow for-profit management. They viewed the emerging charter school movement as an exploitable bonanza. (Tennessee had not instituted charters at that time.)

There was, however, ample skepticism that a taxpayer-supported industry can deliver significant private gain. Mike Sandler, founder of Education Ventures in Boston, acknowledged that many venture capitalists are not convinced that privatizers “will ever be able to pull it off.”

Sandler said he, personally, was more optimistic than many of his clients. “I see a lot of growth opportunity,” he said. “This is a very exciting industry. We’re right in the middle of it.”

Todd Parchman of the Vaughn Company, an investment firm in Baltimore, said he was finding a limited number of big investors who were willing to risk capital on this type of speculative enterprise but the number was growing.

Parchman said his clients were accustomed to “big, blockbuster returns” on their investments. “Most want to quadruple their money in three years. They’re in it to make money. They want to multiply dollars. They want to become zillionaires.”

Michael Podgursky, an economist with the University of Missouri, addressed investors’ concerns. He said if entrepreneurs can gain control of public schools, they will be able to wring profits from them by reducing personnel (increasing class sizes) and phasing out career teachers with younger, cheaper, non-certified instructors with reduced benefits.

‘There is no question in my mind that the private sector can do it cheaper,” Podgursky said. “In private schools, teachers don’t stay around long, and that keeps costs down.”

He added: “Let teachers prove themselves in the marketplace and stop hiding behind credentials. Certification is not protecting the public from incompetent teachers. Let school managers decide who can and cannot teach.”

Mike Ronan, chief operating officer of the Alternative Public Schools, an EMO founded by a group of Nashville businessmen and operating at that time in a few school districts outside Tennessee, said his company had been able to cut back considerably on the cost of teachers because it was able to set salaries independent of collective bargaining.

Joe Murphy, an education professor at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and author of the book Privatization of Education, said public school

teachers with their union leverage make money off government schools. “Teachers make a lot of money selling their services,” he declared.

Under a privatized system, Murphy pointed out, a different set of people would be reaping benefits. Under the current

system, professional educators are making the money, said Murphy, who predicted that situation will change as public school management shifts from school boards to EMOs and as more schooling shifts from government to the free market. “Government imperfection is seen as greater than market imperfection,” he said. “There is a rampant discontent with government.”

Repeatedly, speakers criticized the National Education Association and its state and local affiliates as staunch defenders of “government schools” and a huge stumbling block to privatization.

Joy N’Daou of SABIS International, an EMO and consulting firm, said teacher unions are a major impediment to market-driven schools. “Teacher unions hate us,” she said.

Although the conference was held in Nashville, participants acknowledged that Tennessee was not politically ready for privatization, primarily because of TEA’s influence with the state legislature. They cited many impediments—collective bargaining, union contracts, teacher tenure, seniority rights, teacher certification, class-size limits, etc. —that would need to be relaxed or repealed through legislation. On the other hand, they noted, privatization of prisons and hospitals began in Tennessee.

Also present was Mary Turner, managing director of the now-defunct Wall Street investment firm Lehman Brothers that raised start-up capital for the Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America. Turner said many of her clients viewed Tennessee as privatization-friendly and were ready to invest in EMOs if the state legislature ever cleared the way for them.

Lisa Keegan, Arizona’s superintendent of instruction, said school vouchers are the best vehicle for breaking up “the monopoly.” But Turner of Lehman Brothers said vouchers had become politically toxic, especially with Democrats. “We try not to use the v-word on Wall Street,” she said.

There was general agreement that “school choice” is the appealing phrase to ride to privatization and that charter schools should be branded as “public” schools, even though they are privately operated, increasingly for profit. “The concept of choice—of choosing a school—is becoming an American platform,” said John McLaughlin, publisher of a school privatization newsletter.

The sentiment also seemed to be, from a strategic standpoint, that the privatization push should begin in vulnerable urban areas, where public schools are perceived as failing. Turner said these embattled public schools were “ripe” for takeover.

The conference ended with a session led by David Kilpatrick of the “Coalition of Independent Education Associations.” He introduced edventurists to acquiescing “professional” educator groups, with cheaper dues, that serve to weaken NEA and its affiliates by siphoning off members.

Doug Rogers, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, accompanied by a few Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET) members, said his organization supports both public schools and private alternatives. He said he believes competition will be good for public education in the same way UPS and other private carriers have been good for the U.S. Postal Service.

This conference was hosted by APS, the EMO founded by Nashville investors Bill DeLoache and

“They’re in it to make money. They want to multiply dollars. They want to become zillionaires.” Todd Parchman, Vaughn Co. during 1997 ED-Ventures Conference

Continued on page 11

4 October 2012

Rozhan Sadik calls her father a hero because he disobeyed the law by reading to her and her brother in Kurdish as they hid in mud huts of northern Iraq, on the run from Saddam Hussein’s bombing raids. When she was four, Sadik remembers being awakened by her parents and prompted to pack up and run for another village, almost every night for two years.

It was freezing cold, but sometimes there wasn’t a tent in sight, so she had to sleep in oversized trash bags. When the refugees were lucky to hide in houses made of mud, families dug holes in the ground for more protection from helicopters that searched for their targets.

Twenty-four years later, Sadik is raising her own daughter, Karez, and teaching English to immigrant children at Springfield Middle School in Ashland City. She studied to become an English teacher in Kurdistan after the fall of Saddam’s regime, and came to the United States in 2006 at the invitation of her sister-in-law who had won a Green Card lottery.

At the invitation of her principal, Sadik speaks to Springfield Middle students and faculty about her childhood.

“It was hard for me to talk about these things at first, but I realized that I can influence my students in a positive way,” she says, sitting in her beautifully decorated classroom at the end of September. Nearby, Diana Diaz, one of Sadik’s English Language Learners, works through a Rosetta Stone course on the computer. “I try to encourage them to just go for their dreams and goals. I see a lot of teenagers – they are lost, don’t see a purpose in life.”

Sadik’s passion has always been in languages. With her degree from Tennessee State University, she considers herself lucky to have a career of connecting young minds to the opportunities they have in life, through text and the constantly evolving technological tools at her disposal.

“The newcomers are the most challenging, because some of them can barely speak, but I love working with them,” she says. “I get to use the total physical response method and other techniques.” While teaching English, Sadik always tries to encourage her students to keep their native language as a foundation for all future learning.

This is a field where Sadik would like to pursue a PhD. She is constantly thinking of the next step, having accomplished much by the time she turned 30.

“My passion is learning languages and learning about people from different cultures because we are all people in the end,” Sadik says. “Conflicts stem from differences, but our human characteristics are the same.”

To realize that, one has to look no further than Sadik’s classroom, where in a span of one hour she manages to work with students from Guatemala, Mexico and Yemen.

When she says she’s lucky to be alive, Sadik is reminded of the buzzing sound that was imprinted in her memory as a mine exploded when she and her friends played in a field. One of her friends was wounded, another one died. This sound is always with her.

Even when she describes the atrocities and hardships that no child or parent deserves to experience, Sadik exudes such optimism and vitality that could be the envy of fellow Tennesseans with peaceful and bucolic upbringings.

This November, Sadik and her husband Murad will vote in the general election for the first time since becoming U.S. citizens last year.

“We didn’t have the right to vote back home during Saddam Hussein’s regime,” she says. “It’s an amazing opportunity. People should vote. After the regime collapsed in Iraq, I could vote. But this is my first time voting in the United States.”

Sadik is just as elated when she describes her citizenship ceremony at the U.S. Middle District Court in Nashville.

“It was an amazing feeling. If you live and work here, it’s an honor to become a U.S. citizen. It was a very smooth process. We drove to interviews in Memphis. They gave us the study guide with 100 questions about the history, geography and government of the United States.”

“My principal, Dr. Morris, was there even before us, with his camera,” Sadik says. “I cried because he reminded me of my dad. A person from a different culture who loves you for who you are. It was wonderful to have him there. It was amazing to take the Pledge of Allegiance. I saw the greatness of America. It’s a unique country and it has an open heart. Everybody can fit in, if you’re willing and accepting.”

Sadik saw the importance of joining Robertson County EA as soon as she began teaching three years ago. She wishes she could attend more meetings, but she’s always ready to share recipes and bring tasty treats to her colleagues.

From her parents to her current principal, Dr. Bell, to colleagues and her growing family in Nashville, Sadik is grateful for so much in her life. Igniting a similar passion for learning and discovery in her students, she leaves no doubt that America’s current and future citizens will remain grateful to Ms. Sadik for the rest of their lives.

“I’m Lucky to Be Alive”Springfield Middle School teacher prepares to cast her first vote as U.S. citizen

Rozhan Sadik (third from left), Robertson Co. EA member, with her ELL students at Springfield Middle School in Ashland City. On the cover: Sadik explains conjunctions and interjections to Merlin Morales in September.

Rozhan’s Kurdish Rice KubehIngredientsDough 2 cups rice ½ cup flour ½ tsp turmeric 3 cups water Filling½ lb ground beef 2 chopped onions ½ tsp paprika ½ tsp black pepper 4 tbsp canola oil Some parsley Frying oil DirectionsDoughSoak the rice for two hours and drain.Mix the rice, the turmeric and the water, bring to boil.Lower heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes until rice is soft and water is absorbed.Sprinkle flour over the rice and set aside to cool down.FillingFry the onion to golden color.Add the beef, paprika and black pepper, mix and fry for 10-15 minutes, turn off heat and set aside to cool down.Knead the dough until smooth.Make dough balls about the size of a tennis ball.Poke the ball with a finger to make a kind of a bowl.Fill about 2 tbsp of filling and close the top.Press carefully on top to flatten the filled ball.Heat oil in a pan and fry the kubeh on both sides until golden.

5 www.teateachers.org

Election 2012You Decide: Barack Obama & Joe Biden or Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan?

How Do Candidates Receive the TEA and NEA Fund Recommendations?

The federal and state candidates presented in this special section are true friends of public education. They are recommended by both the TEA and NEA Funds for Children and Public Education (TEA-FCPE and NEA-FCPE).

The candidate recommendation process for national office includes several steps that involve local, state and national political action units (local PACE, TEA-FCPE, NEA-FCPE), as well as concurrence by TEA and NEA governing bodies. No dues dollars are used to support candidates.

Before they receive our endorsement, candidates for state and national office are interviewed on education issues and usually asked to complete written questionnaires. Every TEA member has the opportunity—

through their locally affiliated FCPE unit—to give input into the Association’s candidate recommendation process at every level.

Recommendations are based on candidate support for, and commitment to, education issues supported by the Association. Our inclusive, transparent, bi-partisan recommendation process starts with our members at the grassroots, not from the top. The determining factor always is the candidate’s support for education, not his or her party label.

The candidates listed in this report have committed themselves to key Association issues. They need your support to make that commitment count. What happens to you and your students in 2013 and beyond depends on your choices on Nov. 6.

Additional information is available in the Member Center at www.teateachers.org.

Using Our Voice to Elect Friends of Public Education

• PresidentObamabelievesagoodeducationisaneconomicnecessityfor everyone and a key part of creating an economy built to last. The Obama Administration fought to save the jobs of educators and support professionals across the country, protecting over 450,000 jobs in total from layoffs and keeping class sizes small.

• PresidentObamadoubledourinvestmentinscholarshipsandfinancial aid so middle-class and working-class families can achieve the dream of a college education. He’s spurring reform across the country and helping millions of students pay for college.

• RomneyandRyanwouldcutteachers’jobsandcollegescholarshipsso they can give tax breaks to millionaires like Romney, just like Romney did in Massachusetts.

President Obama believes better education is critical to creating an economy built to last, keeping America competitive and growing our economy from the middle class out.

• He’sofferingrelieffromNo Child Left Behind’s top-down mandates so states can use local solutions to improve schools and prepare students for success.

• Hiscollegetaxcredithashelpedmorethan9millionstudentsandfamilies pay for college. He took on big banks and cut out the middlemen to reform student loans, using the savings to double our investment in Pell Grant scholarships. That’s helping millions of students pay for college and repay their student loans.

• Obamapreventedmorethan400,000teacherlayoffsthatwould’veincreased class sizes. He’s urging Congress to prevent 325,000 more, which would accelerate the recovery and keep classrooms from getting even more crowded.

In Massachusetts, Governor Romney made cuts that led to teacher layoffs and higher college costs while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest. He’ll do that again if he’s elected President.

• RomneyforcedMassachusettsschoolstotakethesecond-largestpercentage cuts in the country, which led to teacher layoffs. That was during his first year in office.

• Romneyalsomadedeepbudgetcutstohighereducationandslashedfinancial aid that could’ve helped lower-income students cover the higher costs.

• BythetimeRomneyleftoffice,collegecostshadskyrocketed.Feesat state colleges and universities had gone up 63 percent while tuition at Massachusetts’ public colleges and community colleges had risen above the national average.

Romney wants to cut taxes for millionaires but says we don’t need more teachers. The top-down Romney-Ryan plan cuts critical investments and reforms when students need them most to help pay for budget-busting tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.

Scan

to w

atch

Oba

ma

vs.

Rom

ney

com

pari

son

vide

o

6 October 2012

Election 2012 Vote for These Friends of Public Education

Eric StewartCongressional District 4

Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Maury,

Meigs, Moore, Rhea, Rutherford, Se-quatchie, Van Buren & Warren Counties

U.S. House of Representatives

Jim CooperCongressional District 5

Cheatham, Davidson & Dickson Counties

Steve CohenCongressional District 9

Shelby County

Tennessee State Senate

Doug OverbeyDistrict 2

Blount & Sevier Counties

Evelyn GillDistrict 6

Knox County

Maria BrewerDistrict 18

Davidson, Sumner & Trousdale Counties

Jim Kyle District 30

Shelby County

Phillip NorthDistrict 20

Davidson County

Tim BarnesDistrict 22

Houston, Montgomery & Stewart Counties

Brad ThompsonDistrict 24

Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Obion & Weakley

Counties

Meryl RiceDistrict 26

Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin,

Haywood, Henderson & McNairy Counties

Ty CobbDistrict 28

Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Perry & Wayne

Counties

“Coming out of a classroom, with the education I have, I could help direct the policy instead of some of what this current Legislature has put on the table for Tennessee.” Evelyn Gill (Metro Pulse, October 3, 2012)

November 2010 January 2011

A full-

fronta

l assa

ult

on teach

ers and th

eir

rights

begins with

introducti

on of seve

ral

bills, in

cluding H

B 130/

SB 113, which

repealed

the Pro

fessional

Negotiatio

ns Act.

March 9, 2011

Tennesse

e Senate

votes 2

0-13 to

strip

organize

d teach

ers

of their v

oice on th

e

Tennesse

e Consolid

ated

Retirement S

ystem

Board of T

ruste

es.

April 6, 2011

By a vo

te of 7-4

, with

one member a

bstaining,

House Educa

tion

subco

mmittee passe

s

HB 1989, an act

to

greatly expand ch

arter

schools

in Tennesse

e.

May 4, 2011

By a vo

te of 7-2

, the

Senate Educatio

n

Committee appro

ves

SB 874, t

he Virtual

Public Sch

ools Act,

further u

ndermining

Tennesse

e’s tra

ditional

public sc

hools.

May 25, 2011

TEA Member

Senate Speaker R

on

Ramsey d

eclares:

“We

are now showing w

hat

we can do. T

his ye

ar was

just an appetiz

er. Next

year, a

nd in ye

ars to

come, y

ou will

see th

e

main course

.”

107th Genera

l Asse

mbly

voted in

to offi

ce.

7 www.teateachers.org

Election 2012 Vote for These Friends of Public Education

Gloria JohnsonDistrict 13

KnoxCounty

Kent WilliamsDistrict 4

Carter & Unicoi Counties

Michael HarrisonDistrict 9

Hancock & Hawkins Counties

Joanne FavorsDistrict 28

Hamilton County

Joe ArmstrongDistrict 15

Knox County

Andrew FarmerDistrict 17

Jefferson & Sevier Counties

Anthony HancockDistrict 18

Knox County

Bob RamseyDistrict 20

Blount County

Sarah Marie SmithDistrict 40

DeKalb, Smith, Sumner &

Trousdale Counties

Jim HackworthDistrict 33

Anderson County

Luke DickersonDistrict 34

Rutherford County

Doug ClarkDistrict 39

Franklin, Marion & Moore Counties

Mike Turner District 51

Davidson County

John Mark Windle

District 41Fentress, Jackson, Morgan & Overton

Counties

Charles CurtissDistrict 43

Grundy, Warren & White Counties

Steve Glaser District 44

Sumner County

Scott PriceDistrict 47

Coffee & Warren Counties

Mike WilliamsDistrict 49

Rutherford County

Bo MitchellDistrict 50

Davidson County

Tennessee House of Representatives,

Jason PowerllDistrict 53

Davidson County

January 10, 2012 February 9, 2012

Speaking to th

e

Tennesse

e Press

Associa

tion, S

enate

Speaker R

on Ramsey

says h

e was u

nmoved

by teach

ers’ effo

rts to

dissuade la

wmakers

from a sc

heme to

increase

class

size and

cut m

ore than 5,000

teaching posit

ions.

February 15, 2012

After t

eachers,

school

distric

ts, parents

and

moderate la

wmakers

unified against

Gov.

Haslam’s

scheme to

raise

class

sizes,

Haslam

withdraws h

is plan, b

ut

says h

e’ll re-in

troduce

it

in 2013.

March 14, 2012

Taking th

e position

that n

o form

al training

in the te

aching of

child

ren is nece

ssary

to te

ach in

Tennesse

e,

the Senate Educa

tion

Committee appro

ves

HB 3059/SB 2298,

a bill th

at flagra

ntly

attack

ed and

undermined educa

tion

professi

onals. Th

e bill

is referre

d to “s

ummer

study”

for f

uture

consid

eratio

n.

November 6, 2012

“I’m running because good teachers can no longer sit quietly and watch bad politicians destroy our schools and shortchange our children’s future.” Gloria Johnson (teach, May 2012)

TEA Member

TEA MemberTEA Member

“Educators deserve dignity and respect, and children deserve access to high-quality instruction guided by the curriculum.” Anthony Hancock (teach, September 2012)

Mike StewartDistrict 52

Davidson County

Brenda GilmoreDistrict 54

Davidson County

TEA Member

“My campaign is about bringing the community and parents back into the classroom.” Luke Dickerson (teach, May 2012)

Make yo

ur voice

heard

on Election Day,

or vote

early betw

een Octo

ber

17 and November 1

.

Gov. Bill

Haslam

propose

s to in

crease

class

sizes,

cut m

ore

than 5,000 te

aching

positions i

n K-8 alone,

and eliminate th

e

state’s

minimum sa

lary

schedule.

Senate Speaker R

on

Ramsey d

eclares:

“We

are now showing w

hat

we can do. T

his ye

ar was

just an appetiz

er. Next

year, a

nd in ye

ars to

come, y

ou will

see th

e

main course

.”

8 October 2012

Jim ColeyDistrict 97

Shelby County

Steve WrightDistrict 75

Benton, Henry & Stewart Counties

Harold Love, Jr.District 58

Davidson County

Sherry JonesDistrict 59

Davidson County

Darren JerniganDistrict 60

Davidson County

Brian BrewerDistrict 64

Maury County

Joe PittsDistrict 67

Montgomery County

David ShepardDistrict 69

Dickson, Hickman & Maury Counties

Calvin MooreDistrict 70

Giles & Lawrence Counties

John TidwellDistrict 74

Houston, Humphreys & Montgomery

Counties

Mark MaddoxDistrict 76

Carroll, Obion & Weakley Counties

Mark OakesDistrict 77

Dyer, Lake & Obion Counties

Tommy HillDistrict 81

Tipton County

Joe Towns, Jr.District 84

Shelby County

Tennessee House of Representatives, Part 2

Election 2012 Vote for These Friends of Public Education

Gary OdomDistrict 55

Davidson County

“After the 2011-12 legislative sessions, I didn’t feel that our elected officials represented the interests of teachers in our area... I would like to take a real teacher’s perspective on education reform to the state House.” Scott Price (teach, May 2012)

Ron LollarDistrict 99

Shelby County

Larry Miller District 88

Shelby County

Barbara CooperDistrict 86

Shelby County

Karen CamperDistrict 87

Shelby County

John DeBerry, Jr.District 90

Shelby County

Lois DeBerryDistrict 91

Shelby County

G.A. HardawayDistrict 93

Shelby County

TEA Member

Johnny ShawDistrict 80

Hardeman & Madison Counties

Craig FitzhughDistrict 82

Crockett, Haywood & Lauderdale

Counties

“I believe that a locally controlled, quality education is the strength of thriving communities. That kind of education is basic to a workforce that will attract high-wage jobs.” Mark Maddox (repmarkmaddox.com, October 2012)

Johnnie TurnerDistrict 85

Shelby County

Antonio ParkinsonDistrict 98

Shelby County

TEA Member

“We need to give struggling students more after-school support. This is where I want to see our state spend more money, not on evaluation and testing. We have enough of that already.” Luke Dickerson (teach, May 2012)

9 www.teateachers.org

10 October 2012

11 www.teateachers.org

Chances are, by the end of October you have heard plenty about “Won’t Back Down,” a full-length feature film financed by the school privatization movement whose goal this time is to promote so-called parent-trigger laws.

In order to spare you the disappointment, we’ve compiled some reviews of the film below. The Hollywood Reporter: “Pedestrian & insultingly tendentious... condescending... dumbed-down agenda film…

Given the disingenuous way in which this lumbering movie pushes obvious buttons and manipulates the audience’s emotional investment while conveniently skimming the issues, it’s a mystery how some of these names got roped in.”

Associated Press: “’Won’t Back Down’ fails to make the grade… Theaters should install glow-in-the-dark versions of those old clunking classroom clocks so viewers can count the agonizing minutes ticking by as they watch the movie.”

NPR: “Something less honorable...propaganda piece with blame on its mind.”Salon: “ …the movie is unbelievable crap and the whole project was financed by conservative Christian

billionaire Phil Anschutz, also the moneybags behind the documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” …“simpering, pseudo-inspirational pap, constructed with painful awkwardness and disconnected from any narrative plausibility or social reality... script that has that disconnected, amateurish quality distinctive to conservative-oriented entertainment and plays written by fourth-graders…. a set of right-wing anti-union talking points disguised (with very limited success) as a mainstream motion-picture-type product. Someone needs to launch an investigation into what combination of crimes, dares, alcoholic binges and lapses in judgment got Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal into this movie…”

Variety: “Disingenuous pot-stirrer... taking public for dummies... cardboard characterizations.”New York Observer: “This is Norma Rae with chalk and erasers in place of a sewing machine, except for one major

difference—this time it’s the unions that stand in the way of progress. With that in mind, it’s little surprise that political conservatives at the press screening I attended booed loudly... For the most part, the direction by Daniel Barnz is clear and substantial, and the screenplay, by the director and Brin Hill, is meticulously researched and stumble-free. As a message picture, its heart is in the right place. Too bad it doesn’t always manage to rise above a swirl of predictable Hollywood clichés.”

Edutopia: “The bottom line is that, while any filmmaker has the absolute right to present his or her point of view, this emotionally manipulative and dramatically effective film is a piece of propaganda that further polarizes parents and educators, distorts educational issues, and presents simplistic, misguided solutions. It doesn’t help solve our educational problems; it magnifies them. “

John Eason. While I’ve been retired for more than a decade

and haven’t kept up with APS, a quick online search indicates that APS evolved into Beacon Education Management and has managed charter schools in a half-dozen states, plus the District of Columbia.

I notice that DeLoache and Eason are back in local news. With new friends in high places, they have organized a pro-charter political action committee named “Great Public Schools.” It is attracting both in-state and out-of-state contributions.

DeLoache—a cousin of Anne Davis, wife of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean—serves as an education adviser to the mayor. DeLoache is a trustee of a Davis family foundation, a source of funding for Mayor Dean’s charter “incubator,” which aims to hatch new charter schools.

DeLoache is also a resource for Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman, according to The (Nashville) City Paper. Through the state public records act, the newspaper obtained an exchange of emails between DeLoache and Huffman. These emails indicate that DeLoach is urging Huffman to convince Gov. Bill Haslam to support legislation that would give the state full reins in authorizing charter schools, thereby bypassing local school boards.

Eason, who served as president of Beacon, is a board member of the Tennessee Charter Schools Association (TCSA), a lobbying group with immense clout with legislative leaders.

TCSA successfully lobbied two major bills through the last legislative session. One gives the State Board of Education the authority to override local school boards that reject charter applications. The other—known as “the parent trigger law,” a product of the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council—allows a charter operator to take over a public school if 60 percent of the parents can be persuaded to sign a petition urging such a takeover.

TCSA and Mayor Dean recently hosted an invitation-only audience in Nashville for the showing of a fictionalized, highly propagandized movie, “Won’t Back Down,” promoting “the parent trigger law.” Billionaire capitalist Philip Anschutz financed the movie’s production.

With tentacles springing from the 1997 conference, edventurists new and old continue with their master plan of taking over public schools and privatizing the teaching profession. In the meantime, teachers and education support professionals have precious little time to focus on the big picture because they are so burdened with high-stakes testing, evaluations and the absence of collective bargaining. Unless we can begin to turn the tide by electing pro-public education politicians in November, the privatization train will continue gaining momentum.

And if massive dropout rates at America’s for-profit universities (coupled with egregiously excessive compensation packages of their CEOs) are any indication, you won’t need a complex formula to predict what will happen with Tennessee’s students.

Gene Bryant is a former editor of TEA News.

Edventurists Attack,continued from page 3 'Won’t Back Down’ Doesn’t Stand Up to Criticism

Fictional account picks up where “Waiting for Superman” left off

12 October 2012

Need information, services?Tennessee Education Association

801 Second Avenue N., Nashville, TN 37201-1099

(615) 242-8392, (800) 342-8367, FAX (615) 259-4581

UniServ CoordinatorsDistrict 1 — Harry Farthing, P.O. Box 298, Elizabethton,

TN 37644; phone: (423)262-8035, fax: (423)262-8053;

Assns: Carter, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan. District 2 — Jennifer Gaby, P.O. Box 70, Afton, TN

37616; (423)234-0700, fax: (423)234-0708; Assns: Cocke, Greene, Unicoi, Washington, Johnson City. District 3 — Tina Parlier, P.O. Box 74, Corryton, TN 37721;

(865)688-1175, fax: (865)688-5188; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Sevier, Union. District 4 — Jon White, Knox County Education Association, 2411

Magnolia Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917-8289; (865)522-

9793, fax: (865)522-9866; Assns: Knox, TSD. District 5— Jason White, P.O. Box 5502, Oak Ridge, TN 37831;

(615)521-1333, fax: (865)200-5254; Assns: Anderson, Campbell, Blount, Morgan, Scott. District 6 — Jim Jordan, P.O. Box 4878, Cleveland, TN 37320; phone/fax:

(423)472-3315; Assns: Rhea, Roane, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, Loudon, Bradley, Polk. District 7 — Theresa Turner, 4655 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411;

(423)485-9535, fax: (423)485-9512; Assns: Hamilton County. District 8 — Jeff Garrett, P.O. Box 1202,

Lebanon, TN 37088; (615)630-2605, fax: (855)320-8755;

Assns: Coffee, Cannon, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Manchester City, Marion, Sequatchie, Tullahoma City, Van Buren, White, Warren. District 9 — Shannon Bain, 1001 Rhett Place, Lebanon, TN 37087; phone: (615)547-

7769, fax: (855)715-0824; Assns: Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Trousdale. District 10 — Jackie Pope, 2326 Valley Grove Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37128; (615)

898-1060, fax: (615) 898-1099; Assns: Bedford, Marshall, Moore, Williamson. District 11 — Susan Young, P.O.

Box 422, Madison, TN 37116-0422; phone: (615)865-

9700, fax: (615)865-9701; Assns: Rutherford, Sumner. District 12 — Cheryl Richardson-Bradley, 801 Second

Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201; (615)630-2601, fax:

(888)519-4879; Assns: Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Wilson. District 13 — Forestine Cole, Ralph Smith, Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN

37211; (615)726-1499, fax: (615)726-2501; Assns: Metro Nashville. District 14 — Rhonda Thompson, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201; phone:

(615)242-8392, ext. 321, fax: (615)259-4581; Assns: Clarksville-Montgomery, Robertson. District 15 — Miley Durham, P.O. Box 10, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464;

phone: (931)766-7874, fax: (913)762-9391; Assns: Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Hardin, Lewis, Maury, Wayne. District 16 — Maria Uffelman, P.O. Box 99, Cumberland

City, TN 37050; phone: (931)827-3333, fax: (931)827-

3330; Assns: Benton, Carroll (West Carroll) Central, Henry, Stewart, Weakley, FTA, S.S.D. Decatur, Houston, Humphreys, Perry. District 17 — Lorrie Butler, P.O.

Box 387, Henderson, TN 38340; (731)989-4860, fax:

(731)989-9254; Assns: Chester, Hardeman, Henderson, Jackson-Madison, McNairy. District 18 — Karla Carpenter, P.O. Box 177, Brunswick, TN 38014; (901)590-

2543, fax: (901)382-1433; Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Tipton. District 19 — Zandra Foster, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis,

TN 38128; (901)377-9472, fax: (855)320-8737; Assns: Fayette, Shelby. District 20 — Memphis Education Association — Ken Foster, Executive Director; MEA UniServ Directors: Marilyn Baker, Susanne Jackson, Terri Jones, Tom Marchand, Herman Sawyer, MEA, 126

South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)454-0966,

fax: (901)454-9979; Assn: Memphis.

www.teateachers.orgwww.nea.org

Scan this Quick Response code for UniServ contact information

For a full-time teacher, managing a state senator’s re-election campaign is just another project she has to monitor and adjust.

Kim Smith Taylor, member of Clarksville-Montgomery County EA and ELL teacher at Northeast Middle School, never saw herself as a campaign manager until her dissatisfaction with the political status quo caused her to reconsider.

It was 2008, and Tim Barnes was weighing a run against an incumbent candidate who had considerable name recognition.

“I saw Tim as a viable candidate, and we wanted somebody we could trust,” Smith Taylor says. “I wanted a senator who would be honest, someone who would tell you the truth even if it’s something you wouldn’t want to hear.”

That’s when Smith Taylor approached Barnes and encouraged him to run. “If you do,” she told him, “I’ll be your campaign manager.”

During the 2008 race, Smith Taylor and her team spent plenty of time on name recognition, so now they have more time to promote and educate the electorate about Barnes’ pro-teacher voting record.

As someone who supported teachers and voted in the best interest of public education in Tennessee, Barnes is eager to show teachers that he will continue to fight for them in the next General Assembly.

That’s why Smith Taylor and her team of interns and volunteers are focused on going door-to-door, sharing with people what’s at stake in the upcoming election.

One day in early October, some 25 labor supporters and CMCEA members came out to canvas neighborhoods in support of Sen. Barnes, knocking on 1,750 doors.

“When you are a politically active person, it’s hard to understand why people aren’t keeping up with politics, which is why going door-to-door is important,” Smith Taylor says. “That face-to-face contact, if you get that person to commit, they are likely to go and vote. Talking to your friends and neighbors — that’s what turns out the vote more than mailers and phone banking, even though they are important.”

In her 14th year of teaching, Smith Taylor is willing to stay up late and do what needs to be done for her profession—and she’s quick to encourage her colleagues to do the same.

“If we’re not willing to stand up for the students in our classroom and ourselves, who is going to stand up for us?” she says. “It’s in our best interest to make sure that our vote counts and we have to make sure it’s counted in November. If we stick together, if we’re united, that’s a lot of votes. We will make a difference.”

Smith Taylor is convinced that politics is not about parties anymore. “We have to think

about what happened to the education profession after the 2010 election,” she says. “If we want to protect the students in our classroom, we are going to have to focus on the candidates who are public-education friendly. In my opinion, if your home economic situation is good, everything else will fall into place.”

Smith Taylor is convinced that politics play a vital role in attaining personal and professional success.

“We have to move beyond party affiliation,” she says. “It’s no longer Republican vs. Democrat. It’s whether your candidate is friendly to our profession and understands what’s at stake when it comes to the future of our state.”

Download the MyTEA app @App store or Android market

“We Monitor and Adjust”Running a campaign is not much different from teaching

“It’s no longer Republican vs. Democrat. It’s whether your candidate is friendly to our profession.”

Kim

Sm

ith Ta

ylor

(lef

t) o

f Cla

rksv

ille-

Mon

tgom

ery

Co. E

A an

d Se

n. T

im B

arne

s (se

cond

from

left

) tal

k to

supp

orte

rs

and

cam

paig

n vo

lunt

eers

in e

arly

Oct

ober

.