2018 Gubernatorial Race
needs to continue to increase education funding, to bring
Tennessee to a place where lack of resources is no longer
a barrier to student success or to teacher retention and
recruitment. Districts need to do their part by making sure
they are making smart fiscal decisions and are focusing
resources where the need is the greatest and where they
are seeing the best results. The state and districts should
continue to double down on funding what works. (2) The
opportunity gap is a persistent problem with no simple
solution. Funding increases will help, but the problem is
much too complex to be solved by funding alone. At the
state level, we need to continue to monitor achievement
gaps, to offer support where the gaps are largest and
to highlight and study the districts and schools that are
successfully closing those gaps. Both the state and districts
should work to identify the practices that are producing
the best results, and help highlight and spread those
practices across Tennessee. When a district or a school
is doing something innovative that works, the state and
district can connect the people doing that work with
others who are struggling. Sharing successful practices
is the hallmark of great collaboration. (3) Again, funding
increases will help. Teaching our youngest citizens is some
of the most important work anyone can do, and teachers
should be paid at a level that recognizes the importance of
the work they do. At the same time, many teachers leave
the profession for other reasons, and we need to work to
solve the problems that lead great educators to leave the
classroom. Teachers need to know that their thoughts and
opinions are valued. They are in the trenches every day-
we need to listen to them and learn from their experiences.
As governor, I would work to increase efforts to elevate
the teacher voice.We also need to provide more quality
opportunities for teachers to collaborate with each other
and to develop a greater sense of community at the grade,
school, district and state levels.
All of these changes would benefit classroom teachers.
Increased funding, including increased teacher pay, would
certainly benefit teachers. Greater access to practices
that are working, more opportunities to share their
thoughts and opinions and a focus on increasing quality
opportunities for collaboration would also help teachers
feel valued, gain tools and strategies to support their work
in the classroom and make sure that every educator has
the best opportunity to provide quality instruction to their
students.
Any final thoughts you’d like to share with our
educators?
Education is one of the most critical issues facing Tennessee,
and our country. While there are no simple solutions,
one thing that we can do that will make a difference is
come together, put aside adult politics and focus on doing
whatever is necessary to ensure that every Tennessee
student has access to a high quality public education.