Here is a close look at ground-level politics in Tennessee. Candidates for seats in the state legislature were asked their views.
The two Democrats opposed charter schools.
Ronnie Glynn: Public education is the key to our community’s future and our children’s futures. Charter schools only benefit the elite and drain millions of dollars from our community public schools by redirecting tax dollars to private academies and out-of-state private charter school operators. We are fortunate to have public school teachers who dedicate their lives to our students every day, and that’s why I’ll fight to give them a competitive income and safe retirement along with providing classrooms with the resources needed to maintain high standards.
Monica Meeks: I stand against the expansion of charter schools in Montgomery County. I am against defunding public schools in Tennessee. There is not enough accountability for charter schools. I trust our local school board. One of the charter schools needed a ton of waivers because it failed to meet educational goals. We should focus on filling staffing shortages within CMCSS. We should support our schoolteachers. They do an amazing job of empowering our youth. The overreach of state government is utterly disgusting. We do not want religious charter schools indoctrinating our students or teaching them that being different is some great sin.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The tragedy is that Tennessee voters will elect their representatives on the basis of issues unrelated to public education or because they feel direct hostility to public education. Most of the new immigrants to Tennessee are from so-called high tax states. Many are overtly hostile to government and seek to undermine government by suppressing taxes. Others are wildly reactive to any accusation of buzz words like woke and CRT, so that the people in charge can easily raid the coffers for personal gain without arousing anyone’s ire.
Tennessee is meanwhile expanding in population, and Nashville is spreading to the regions around it, threatening ecosystems and water supplies. We are being led by the few who have the most to gain in the short run.
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Thank-you for posting this info. If teachers & public school advocates vote as a bloc, we can make some changes- hopefully in the state lege. It’s a much longer shot for ousting Christian Nationalist Gov Lee, but there is a backlash to his efforts to sell TN public ed to Hillsdale & voucher vultures. We need everyone in TN District 13 to vote for Gloria Johnson follow her on Twitter Rep. Gloria Johnson @VoteGloriaJ
and her website: http://www.votegloriajohnson.com/
She has been a target of the GOP for years because of her outspoken & unwavering support for TN families, healthcare for all and public schools.
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may that backlash against Hillsdale grow and be known across the nation
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Ask Gloria to contact NPE for our endorsement. She sounds like our kind of candidate
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Wow, two politicians who get it right, have they been reading The Diane Ravitch Blog?
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Gotta love an excuse to post a song by The Monkees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcXpKiY2MXE
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And don’t forget that Clarkesville, Tennesse is considered home to Wilma Rudolph, the great runner, who overcame poverty, sickness that left her wearing a brace on her leg, and of course, racial hostility to become the first American woman to medal in three events in the 1960 Olympics.
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I knew about Wilma Rudolph and all that she overcame and achieved, never knew she was from Clarksville. A lot of similarities between her and Jesse Owens in terms of importance to this nation’s history.
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Greg,
I’m waiting to hear what you think of BAD SISTERS, Deutschland, and Tehran. The first is dark comedy, the other two are spy thrillers.
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