Week of February 20 — Here’s a quick breakdown on what’s happening in Tennessee politics this week — from a series of short NewsBreak stories: Education Chattanooga Advocacy Group Opposes Expansion of School Vouchers | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak… Unity Group calls on General Assembly to reject extending state's voucher program to Chattanooga. Following Senate…original.newsbreak.com Jackson-Madison Schools Respond to Hillsdale Charter Application | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak… District establishes committee to review charter application, make recommendations The Jackson-Madison County school…original.newsbreak.com

Another week of writing at NewsBreak — Writing at NewsBreak is a grind. Yes, you earn money there. Yes, the earnings FAR eclipse those of what you may earn on Medium. Yes, to earn you need to churn. You need to churn out content that gets viewers that see the ads that earn NewsBreak money. The good…

From vouchers to charters, the push is relentless — Even as Hamilton County’s own Sen. Todd Gardenhire champions the expansion of the state’s school voucher program into Chattanooga, a local advocacy group is opposing the measure. More from NewsBreak: For its part, The Unity Group says there are still too many unanswered questions about the program. Specifically, the group…

Biden calls on Congress to pass key consumer protection legislation — Those watching the State of the Union address this week — or, those seeing some clips on news sites or social media — might have noticed that President Biden specifically called out “junk fees” in the address. Yes, the most powerful office in America took a moment in an annual…

A range of topics in a week on NewsBreak — What do you write about on NewsBreak? This is a question I’m sometimes asked by writers who are curious about the site and wonder if they might enjoy writing there. Well, I’ve taken to breaking down my NewsBreak writing by week so other writers can see the kinds of topics…

January 30-February 5th — The Tennessee General Assembly is back in session and the last week saw some key issues develop. Here are some stories on the issues that grabbed attention — from abortion to 3rd grade retention and more. Education What's Going on with 3rd Grade in Tennessee? You can count on The Education Report to provide detailed coverage of key education issues as they develop during the…theeducationreport.substack.com

One more way the criminal justice system punishes poverty — Advocates in Illinois are waging a fight to end money bond — a system they say punishes those with the least resources who encounter the criminal justice system. Here’s more from NewsBreak: Illinois Advocacy Groups Push for End to Money Bond | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak Original Coalition pushes courts to support "Pretrial Fairness Act" and end the practice of money bond. A coalition of advocacy…www.newsbreak.com

Tennessee’s march to school privatization meets pushback — Founders Classical Academy is a charter school that has applied to operate in Williamson County. That application was rejected — not once, but twice by the Williamson County School Board. Now, Founders is appealing to the Tennessee Charter School Commission. If the Commission grants the appeal, Founders will open in…

As charters creep beyond the major cities, parents push back — A group of public education advocates in Sumner County spoke out against Founders Classical Academy’s charter application this week. Here’s more from NewsBreak: A group of public education advocates gathered today at a hearing by the Tennessee State Charter School Commission in Sumner County. The group urged the Commission to…

Biden plan provides relief from crushing, long-term debt — Yesterday’s announcement of student loan debt relief from the Biden Administration has been met with mixed reviews. However, one group cheering the move is the National Consumer Law Center. Here’s more on why the consumer advocacy organization supports Bidens’ debt relief plan: In a statement, the consumer advocacy group outlined…

Hillsdale College controversy points to larger plan to use public money for private schools — In Tennessee, plans to privatize public education are currently caught up in a debate about Michigan-based Christian college Hillsdale. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced a plan to create 50–100 Hillsdale charters (publicly-funded, privately operated) back in January. All appeared to be moving apace until Hillsdale’s President, Larry Arnn, was recorded…

What does it mean for students and schools? — Tennessee is on the verge of a whole lot of kids repeating the third grade — changing the landscape of schools and classrooms and increasing demand for elementary teachers during a teacher vacancy crisis. Here’s why: A state law that goes into effect this year requires that students not testing…

A long simmering problem finally boils over — According to Jessica Wildfire, the answer to “Who Wants to Teach” is nobody. It’s difficult to look at local news from just about anywhere in the country without seeing stories about a large number of teacher vacancies and no one standing in line to fill them. I’ve written about this…

More than $1 million spent to shift outcomes of primaries — I wrote recently about Team Kid PAC, the political action arm of Tennesseans for Student Success. Team Kid's Payroll Dark money PAC spends nearly $400,000 to promote school privatization I've written before about Tennesseans for Student…tnedreport.com The dark money, pro-privatization group spent heavily to influence key races in the August primary. As Adam Friedman in the Tennessean notes, Team Kid was joined by other privatization groups in spending that ultimately…

PAC spends at least $400,000 to elect pro-privatization legislators — I’ve written before about Tennesseans for Student Success — a group with an innocuous sounding name that is actually a front for dark money issue advocacy and political shenanigans related to privatization of public schools. This is Success? What happens when legislators stand up for their local public schools and also support accountability in charter…tnedreport.com

One of these responses is not like the others — Tennessee Lookout has a story out about the first partisan school board races in the state. The piece examines the issue through the lens of races in Williamson County. The responses in the District 10 race are pretty interesting. …

Educators appalled at attack on profession from education advisor — The Tennessee Organization of Superintendents (TOSS) says Hillsdale College’s Larry Arnn deserves “collective disdain” in response to his disparaging remarks about teachers, made as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee looked on in silence. Lee has since defended both his own inaction and Arnn’s ridiculous remarks. …

A disturbing pattern of behavior — I reported over at Tennessee Education Report about all the outrage last week related to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee sitting silently while one of his advisors on education policy publicly disparaged public school educators. This IS Who He Is Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has never been a fan of or advocate for Tennessee's public school teachers. Now, he confirms…tnedreport.com

Attorney General moves swiftly following Dobbs decision — The Daily Memphian is reporting on the ongoing assault on women’s rights in Tennessee, where lawmakers have enacted a number of abortion restrictions in recent years and where now, the Attorney General is moving swiftly to achieve a near-total ban on abortion in the state. Tennessee Attorney General Moves Swiftly to Restrict Women’s Rights Herb Slatery wastes little time in announcing disdain for womenadvocateandy.medium.com

Herb Slatery wastes little time in announcing disdain for women — Almost immediately following the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case that overturns Roe v. Wade and eliminates a federal protection for a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, Tennessee Attorney General Herb Slatery noted his office would move quickly to enact Tennessee’s near-total ban on abortion. …