March 7, 2019
| #ThrowbackThursday Just a few days ago, Governor Bill Lee gave his first State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly. In a speech that lasted only about an hour, Governor Lee laid out a bold agenda, building on the bipartisan legacy of Governors Bredesen and Haslam, to drive positive generational change for Tennessee’s kids. Governor Lee, in making education his top policy and budgetary priority, announced increases in career readiness programs through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE Act) which will expand dual-credit and work-based learning opportunities for high school students. He also called for additional investment in STEM courses statewide as a strategy to prepare high school graduates for postsecondary or their career. The Governor, recognizing the value a high-quality teacher has on student learning, has called for an investment of $71 million dollars to increase teacher salaries. Finally, Governor Lee doubled down on innovation in education by proposing a 100% increase in facilities funding for public charter schools and recommending strategies that make it easier to expand the number of high-quality seats across the state while also holding accountable schools that are not preparing our students for their futures. If you missed the Governor’s speech, you can view it here online. |
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