The Attempt to Defund Tennessee Schools
Education funding in Tennessee is under serious threat. The governor is being extremely reckless with his education budget. Governor Bill Lee made it clear he intends to reject federal funding for education. His claim is that by rejecting these funds he can prevent federal government overreach into education. This claim is ridiculous for multiple reasons. Federal support for education in Tennessee amounts to 1.8 billion dollars. If you are going to turn down almost 2 billion dollars you need to have a great reason. But Gov. Lee has no reason at all. He can’t list any specific examples of federal government overreach that he’s seeking to prevent.
If Gov. Lee did list specific examples, he might be fact-checked. If he is fact-checked, voters might realize that rejecting federal funding doesn’t make you immune to federal regulation surrounding education. Most federal regulations about education revolve around civil rights and equity of access. Regulations like No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are not tied to funding.
Another major issue with this strategy is that voters in Tennessee will still be paying federal taxes for a service they aren’t getting. Then voters have to pay for that service through state taxes. Effectively voters will be taxed twice for public education. But Governor Lee disagrees, not with any legitimate argument but just to say, “I don’t think they’re paying twice.” Even if you believed his ridiculous claim that some vague increase in independence from the federal government is worth losing out on federal funding, you still would have to acknowledge that cost exists. The governor is being beyond reckless with the futures of children in Tennessee to score political points.
Lack of funding will mostly affect the most vulnerable students. Memphis City Councilman Chase Carlisle shared his concern saying “my son is in the public school system here,” and “he has special needs, he’s one of those students who would be detrimentally impacted.” If special needs students are deprived of the assistance they need because the governor wanted to complain about state rights, that is unacceptable.
Rideshare2vote is working in Tennessee to support Democratic campaigns. We coordinate free rides to get out the vote and elect responsible leaders. To continue and expand our service to more voters, we depend on donations from citizens who understand how important these issues are. If you want to support our efforts, you can donate to our organization or volunteer to be one of our drivers.
by Cody Hicks
If Gov. Lee did list specific examples, he might be fact-checked. If he is fact-checked, voters might realize that rejecting federal funding doesn’t make you immune to federal regulation surrounding education. Most federal regulations about education revolve around civil rights and equity of access. Regulations like No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are not tied to funding.
Another major issue with this strategy is that voters in Tennessee will still be paying federal taxes for a service they aren’t getting. Then voters have to pay for that service through state taxes. Effectively voters will be taxed twice for public education. But Governor Lee disagrees, not with any legitimate argument but just to say, “I don’t think they’re paying twice.” Even if you believed his ridiculous claim that some vague increase in independence from the federal government is worth losing out on federal funding, you still would have to acknowledge that cost exists. The governor is being beyond reckless with the futures of children in Tennessee to score political points.
Lack of funding will mostly affect the most vulnerable students. Memphis City Councilman Chase Carlisle shared his concern saying “my son is in the public school system here,” and “he has special needs, he’s one of those students who would be detrimentally impacted.” If special needs students are deprived of the assistance they need because the governor wanted to complain about state rights, that is unacceptable.
Rideshare2vote is working in Tennessee to support Democratic campaigns. We coordinate free rides to get out the vote and elect responsible leaders. To continue and expand our service to more voters, we depend on donations from citizens who understand how important these issues are. If you want to support our efforts, you can donate to our organization or volunteer to be one of our drivers.
by Cody Hicks
