>Gov. Haslam challenges the education status quo in his legislative package
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| Gov. Bill Haslam called on legislative leaders to present his package of legislative priorities. –photo by Dru Smith Fuller |
Gov. Bill Haslam presented his legislative package to the General Assembly today. Key education reform proposals make it harder for teachers to get tenure and removes the cap on the number of charter schools created across the state.
“We want to take teaching and treat it like a profession,” Gov. Haslam said of the tightened teacher tenure requirements. ”I don’t know of other professions that have a situation like tenure. We want to have something where the superintendent or the school board can address situations that need to be addressed.
“This is not at all about pointing fingers at teachers,” the governor stressed. ”We’ve had conversations with teachers across the state as well as the Tennessee Education Association. We are going to continue to met with TEA but also with teachers.
“When someone is a professional you reward those who are doing a great job. You help those who are working to get better,” he said. ”You address those who aren’t doing a good job. That’s where we have to move. We’ve got a long way — that’s not just a Tennessee issue, that’s a national issue. We’ve got a long way to get there.
“We’re making the first steps by having an evaluation method for teacher’s to gain tenure. Is it perfect? No, but that evaluation is getting input from a lot of people. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That’s what we are working toward by having a new evaluation method,” he noted.
“We presented those items we think should be the priorities for moving the bill forward. We are going to focus on tenure reform and charter reform because we think they can make the quickest difference. That’s where you’ll see our focus,” the governor told reporters.
His package also places limits on civil liability awards in lawsuits to improve the business climate in the state.
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