March 5, 2018
Did you catch our new video on Facebook or Twitter?
Last week, we launched a new four-week series called #LearnInThree where we take one of our policy priorities, one of our TSS staffers, and one camera. Three minutes later, we’ve broken down some of the big ideas in education reform. We’ll post these four videos on Saturdays in March. We hope you’ll watch and share them with your networks!
Up this week in the General Assembly? Two bills we’re supporting and one we oppose. We also want to extend a big thank you to all of you who contacted your elected officials last week. Keep your eye on our new voter engagement platform – we’ll post new bills throughout the session. Thank you!
House Bill 2030 / Senate Bill 1975 (Forgety/Gardenhire) – We talk a lot here about increasing the opportunities for our high school students to get hands-on, real-world experience in their chosen fields. Early Postsecondary Opportunities (EPSOs) and dual enrollment courses are a great way for students to get a head start on their next steps toward success. This legislation would provide EPSOs for students interested in working in advanced integrated industrial technology. Tennesseans for Student Success supports this bill and all opportunities that help our students be ready for success.
House Bill 2525 / Senate Bill 2399 (Beck/Kyle) – You’ve heard us say before that politics should stop at a school’s front door and we will always fight politically-motivated legislation that threatens Tennessee’s academic progress. This bill would prevent some public charter schools from receiving the information necessary to help inform parents of public choices available for their children. Tennesseans for Student Success opposes this bill.
Mentioned last week and up in the General Assembly this week:
House Bill 1599 / Senate Bill 1649 (Forgety/Norris) – Like HB 2030, this legislation would improve student access to career and technical education through a high-quality, work-based learning system. By incentivizing business to provide these experiences and clarifying that participating students are covered under the school district’s liability insurance, more students will have access to EPSOs. Tennesseans for Student Success supports this bill.
We say it often, and we mean it more with each passing week – thank you for being invested in the success of every Tennessee student. We couldn’t do this work without you.