special section:
Craig
Fitzhugh
Thank you for taking the time to share with our
educators today. On behalf of our members, I would
like to say we are grateful you are offering yourself
for Governor. Please share with educators a little about
who you are, and why you are running for Governor.
I am running for governor because I want the same
opportunities that I have been granted to be there for my
grandchildren and for every child in Tennessee. At every
level of my education I have received a top-notch public
education. From primary school through law school, the
people of Tennessee have allowed me to live my personal
and professional dreams. Strong public schools are the
backbone to a thriving society. It is a social contract with
one another. By investing—and not just money, but time
and interest—in our schools, we pledge to our children that
they will have the opportunity to be productive citizens, and
that we acknowledge that the future is just as important as
our present.
While there are great differences in our communities when
it comes to resources, Tennessee students do have a basic
component in the BEP, which some states do not have. I
also greatly believe that the HOPE Scholarship and the
Tennessee Promise are game changers in the lives of our
students.
We made quite a few changes in public education in
Tennessee the last decade - some necessary, some
debatable. What are we doing right?
The first thing we need to do is to stop spending time talking
about vouchers. At the beginning of every legislative session
we take time and resources to keep vouchers from taking
money from our public schools and give them to private
entities, leaning predominately on districts and counties
that are more financially vulnerable. We should take that
time and energy and instead focus on making our public
schools the best they can be. Second, we need to make
sure our teachers are recognized as the professionals that
they are. Teachers mold and shape our most important
resource—our children. They need to be paid for their
experience, education and effort. Lastly, we need to find a
way to address issues outside the classroom that can affect a
child’s ability to learn. A child may spend 7-8 hours a day at
school, but the other two-thirds of their day is very impactful
on their ability to learn. A child that is hungry or doesn’t
have a stable place to live and sleep or do homework cannot
learn, no matter the efforts we have in the classroom. There
isn’t an easy answer, but we must keep asking the question
on how to we provide stability for our kids.
In your opinion, what are the top 3 challenges still
facing education in Tennessee?
We need to listen our local school districts: our administrators,
teachers and parents. I think we have moved away from
listening to the people in our communities when we make
decisions in Nashville. We trust our kids to these men and
women daily—we can trust them to make decisions in their
best interests. Another way we can make sure that we are
doing our part in state government is to fund programs
outside the BEP. This past session I sponsored the Education
Investment Act, which will distribute funds to school districts
to spend on programs not covered by the BEP, such as school
nurses, reading enrichment programs, etc. This allow those
closest to the issues facing our schools to target their own
unique needs.