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What seven school board members in West Tennessee want in their next governor

Seven weeks before Tennesseans go to the polls to elect the state’s next governor, school board members say funding and getting online testing right are among their top concerns.

School boards across West Tennessee gathered in Collierville on Monday evening with the Tennessee School Boards Association to discuss priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The region, anchored by Memphis, has been a hotbed of state programs in schools to improve test scores at low-performing schools, such as the state-run Achievement School District, in the last two gubernatorial administrations. Online state testing has run into numerous problems since it was introduced in 2016, when a system crash canceled testing for younger students.

Chalkbeat asked some of the school board members in attendance to share what they think the next governor’s education priorities should be. Their answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Mark Hansen, Collierville

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Mark Hansen, a school board member for Collierville Schools.

Obviously we remain concerned about testing and the ability of the infrastructure to not crash when high schools throughout the state log on at the same time. We are very hopeful they’ll get that worked out so that testing is done efficiently. It should be done online because in 2018 and 2019 you shouldn’t have to do things on paper and pencil… You need to test to have a snapshot of where your children are. But there’s a happy medium between not testing enough and testing too much. And I think we need to continue to explore where that happy medium is.

I also hope that they continue to push — and the state legislature — to put more money in the BEP, Basic Education Program, (state funding formula for schools) so that teacher salaries can continue to rise to what they need to be.

I would also emphasize that vocational technical education — that seems to be getting some attention now. Of course we would like every kid to go to college but we think there is a place for those to get a certificate and go out into the workplace and make really good money to start off with. So, I would hope that they would be open to some new programs.

Sally Spencer, Fayette County

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Sally Spencer, a school board member in Fayette County

I’d like to see continued support for schools that we have had from our current governor. He has been very pro-school, pro-education, for everybody. The Drive to 55 (for 55 percent of Tennesseans to complete college or a job certificate by 2025) is aimed at parents of children who are now realizing how deficient they are in education. They need to go to school. We have the Tennessee Promise program so they can go out and feel out a college before they commit to a college. Kids are not all the same so we have a lot of children who are really into vocational education who don’t want that liberal arts education.

This governor has done a great deal to work with teachers to strive for excellence. We used to have a program where you got tenure if you taught three years. Period. And you didn’t have a lot of complaints; it was almost considered to be automatic. Now you earn that tenure. I would want to keep that.


READ: Here’s how Lee, Dean compare on education in the race to be Tennessee’s next governor


Michelle Robinson McKissack, Shelby County

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Michelle Robinson McKissack, a school board member for Shelby County Schools.

There’s always all this talk about we need to have students coming out who are ready for the workforce. We need to make sure at the state level they’re providing the funding and that they’re working with businesses to put their money behind their mouth. Instead of just complaining about what’s lacking as students come out of school, being proactive and making things happen.

The need is so dire in Shelby County that the state needs to do adopt a student-based funding model as opposed to being per pupil just like we at Shelby County. We see there’s a greater need perhaps in one area at one school that maybe another school may not have. There’s such a great poverty level here, you have to do more. You can’t just expect for these students who are struggling with so many other challenges, and districts who don’t have the same challenges, give them the same kind of money and then expect that they’re going to get ahead. It’s never going to happen. You have to invest more where the need is greater.

Shirley Jackson, Bartlett

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Shirley Jackson, a school board member for Bartlett City Schools

I would like the state to fulfill the funding needs we have. I’m sure everybody is big on that. We need more money for teacher salaries because we want to keep them and retain them in the field.

Testing is an issue. We need better modes of testing, more accurate representation of what the students actually know and do. Not just one day’s worth, but an overall score for that child. I think mainly the fiasco we’ve had with testing has been my [constituent’s] main concern at this point.

Richard Joyner, Tipton County

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Richard Joyner, school board member in Tipton County

I hope the new governor follows in line with the one going out. Pushing more for our schools, I’d like to see more funding to do more things. Nicer schools; we need a lot of renovations on our schools in Tipton County. It’s just hard to get a hold of the funding. We have to go into our reserve money to do all the things we want to do.

I’d also like to see the testing system change. With the last administration, the testing didn’t work. I would like to see them do something to make testing work a whole lot easier. Some of the teachers are complaining about it’s hard to do.


READ: Haslam worries TNReady testing troubles could unravel Tennessee education policy


Wendell Wainwright, Fayette County

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Wendell Wainwright, a school board member in Fayette County

I would like to see the state bring library resources into the school system. I’m on the library board in my county and the school board. I can see a need how those two can come together because everyone thinks that libraries are not needed anymore. But there’s a lot more going on in a library than just borrowing books.

We have a problem with broadband. Kids cannot use computers in a lot of areas because there’s no internet connection. It can enhance learning bringing the library and the school setting together since we don’t have broadband like we need or want it to be. I’d like to see state funding to help that.

Belinda Rozell, Tipton County

PHOTO: Laura Faith Kebede
Belinda Rozell, center, a school board member in Tipton County

One thing I hope the next governor will do is be mindful that all children are different; they learn different. And that all the learning should be appropriate for each child. I’m very much for that. I don’t like that everybody has to teach this at the same time, same words used, because every child is different. So, I think learning should be centered around the child, not around the books, not around the curriculum, and not to just improve test scores. I think if you do well-rounded instruction and make a child focus, all the rest will fall into place.

Now, I think everything has been focused on test scores. So, I think everything would be different because they have better mindset for the children and they’ll be more relaxed. If we’re taking care of all the mental health issues, physical, educational, even help with the home issues, I think we’ll have a well-rounded school, a well-rounded community, and then a well-rounded society.

The post What seven school board members in West Tennessee want in their next governor appeared first on Chalkbeat.

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