Tennessee School Board Model for Resistance to CorpEd

RESOLUTION OF THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

IN OPPOSITION TO  LEGISLATION

THREATENING A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

WHEREAS, Rutherford County Schools are not for sale; and

WHEREAS, a number of bills are being advanced before the State of Tennessee’s legislature by private lobbyists and for profit companies aimed at privatizing the State of Tennessee’s free public education system; and

WHEREAS, a number of out of state companies and alleged non-profit organizations are lobbying our State Representatives and our State Senators to obtain funds from the public education system to benefit their private companies and organizations; and

WHEREAS, paid lobbyists are lobbying our State Representatives and our State Senators to propose and vote for legislation seeking to move the State of Tennessee in the direction of allowing private companies and organizations to take control of our State’s free public education system; and

WHEREAS, many of these companies and organizations are out of state companies and organizations who are spending significant sums of money to advance their agenda through television advertising and lobbying; and

WHEREAS, the public education system of Tennessee is best managed by Tennesseans for which it serves and not by out of state companies and organizations; and

WHEREAS,  paid lobbyists routinely appear before State of Tennessee legislative committees seeking to advance the causes of their private companies and organizations; and

WHEREAS, the taxpayers of the State of Tennessee do not have any lobbyists to protect the interests of Tennesseans in the State’s free public education system; and

WHEREAS, HB 2293 seeks to restrict the ability of Boards of Education across the State of Tennessee to provide information and communication to State legislators and legislative committees regarding education related matters; and

WHEREAS, legislation has also been introduced seeking to enlarge State government’s central control over local school systems and remove decisions from locally  elected  Boards  of  Education  to  appointed  State  of  Tennessee  officials  in Nashville; and

WHEREAS, local Boards of Education who are familiar with their local area, demographics, schools, citizens and employees are able to make better decisions utilizing their taxpayer’s dollars than State appointed officials; and

WHEREAS, Rutherford County continues to have one of the highest achieving school systems in Tennessee and proposed legislation is threatening the school system; and

WHEREAS, the success of the Rutherford County School System is one of the primary factors attracting new employment and businesses to Rutherford County and growing the Rutherford County economy; and

WHEREAS,   proposed   legislation   also   threatens   the   economic   future   for

Rutherford County;

NOW,  THEREFORE,  be  it  resolved  by  the  Rutherford  County  Board  of

Education:

1.    The Rutherford County Board of Education opposes HB 2293 seeking to limit Boards of Education ability to participate in legislation affecting the public education system.

2.   The  Rutherford  County  Board  of  Education  opposes  HB  2250  seeking  to restrict local Boards of Education ability to control its own budget.

3.   The Rutherford County Board of Education opposes SB 0677 seeking to vest certain control over local Board of Education matters to the State of Tennessee’s appointed Commissioner of Education.