(NASHVILLE, TN) -- The 2nd Session of the 107th General Assembly convened Tuesday, January 10, to face a full array of issues.  During the first week, the issue of redistricting took center stage.

Since 1790, the federal government has conducted a census every 10 years.  Upon completion, the state legislatures are required to redistrict the state and federal legislatures to reflect changes in population.  In a famous Tennessee Case, Baker v. Carr, the Supreme Court of the United States added that all districts had to comply with the “one man – one vote” principle. 

In Tennessee there are 99 House seats and 33 Senate seats.  According to the census, Tennessee now has over six million people   The optimum population for a House district is 62,000 and the 192,000 for a Senate district.

The legislature held over for a rare Friday session last week to adopt the redistricting bills.  These bills will comply with the Constitution and divide fewer counties than previous legislation.   Many thanks to Speaker Ron Ramsey and Majority Leader Mark Norris for their leadership to get these bills through with minimal partisan bickering.  You can go to capitol.tn.gov to see the maps.

I am pleased that the 12th Senatorial District remained in tact, picking up one new county, Pickett, home of  former Secretary of State Cordell Hull.  There are now seven counties in my district, Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Pickett, Rhea, Roane and Scott. Truly seven of the finest counties in Tennessee!  

Tennessee’s budget and job creation will remain the proedominent driver for legislative action.  Although the revenue has continued to improve, it is estimated that it will take two more years for the State to grow to 2008 levels.  Moreover, several core services were funded with one-time revenue and new revenues must be found for those services.  Unless revenues are found core services scheduled to go away on July 1, 2012, include teachers’ extended contracts, coordinated school health programs, York Institute, mental health programs, and DIDS Family Support.  I am working hard to find the necessary funds to keep these worthwhile programs adequately funded. 

We must also be fiscally responsible with our resources.  Tennessee is in better shape than many because we have been careful not to issue debt and cut wasteful spending.  In the last three years the legislature has cut discretionary spending 21% and actually lowered taxes. 

The economy is slowly recovering, but the Recession is not over in the 12th District.  Six of the seven counties have double digit unemployment.  We must do all we can to create an environment to create jobs in rural counties which traditionally have higher unemployment.   Last year, the Governor signed into law The Adventure Tourism and Rural Development Act, which mandates an economic development program for rural counties.  I wrote this bill and am excited about its potential to help rural counties.  We have a fine new Governor, Bill Haslam, who shares these concerns, too.  The legislature will look to his lead on the issue of economic development in the weeks ahead. 

Expect to hear considerable discussion of education laws in this Session.  The legislature will likely debate the state’s new teacher evaluation system.  As the new law has been put in place, there have been concerns expressed by teachers and principals alike that some of the requirements are overly burdensome and consume valuable teaching time.  I have talked to many teachers and principals myself and shared their concerns with the Commissioner of Education who has already moved to provide more flexibility.  I plan to co-sponsor a Senate Joint Resolution asking for a study of the new law.  The Governor recently announced an independent review of the program.   I am hopeful that the results of these actions will mitigate any unintended consequences from these new laws. 

There are many more issues to write about in the coming weeks.  As always, feel free to contact me anytime and visit us in Nashville.  It’s your office. 
 
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(NASHVILLE, TN) -- It was a busy week on Capitol Hill as lawmakers prepared and finalized their legislation in anticipation of the General Assembly’s January 26 bill deadline. The Senate’s eight standing committees are up and running.   One such committee was the Education Committee where the teacher evaluation system was debated.

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony regarding legislation that would give the State Board of Education the option to allow principals and teachers producing superior student growth to use those scores to comprise 50 percent or more of their evaluations.  Senate Bill 2165  would change the present system where students’ value added growth is 35 percent of a teacher’s evaluation score, with another 15 percent tied to some other measure agreed upon by the teacher and his/her supervisor to evaluate student achievement.  A vote on the bill was deferred as discussion on the plan continues.    I have signed on as a co-sponsor to this bill with Sen. Mike Faulk in response to the many concerns expressed by teachers throughout the district.   If there are legitimate additional tools to demonstrate teaching effectiveness, then we should consider them. 

Reforming the state’s teacher evaluation process was an important part of Tennessee’s receiving $500 million in federal Race to the Top funds, which was based on four pillars:  enhancing standards and assessments, improving the collection and use of data, increasing teacher effectiveness, and turning around struggling schools.  The changes to the evaluation system were made during the administration of former Governor Phil Bredesen and approved by the Legislature in January 2010.  The subsequent evaluation process was designed by teachers and other education practitioners, who were integral in designing the evaluative tools.   However, unintended consequences have occurred during the implementation of the new law.  Many teachers and principals argue that the new rules are excessively burdensome and take time from teaching.

House Joint Resolution 523 has also been proposed urging the department to “follow through and fulfill its publicly stated plan to provide multiple opportunities for feedback and future revision” of the evaluations.  I am a co sponsor with Sen Tracy on this resolution.   As a result of the resolution, Governor Haslam announced there will be both an external and internal review of the new teacher evaluation system.  He has charged the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) with conducting an independent, third-party evaluation and has asked the state Department of Education to formalize a review process, which the department has already begun.  The Department of Education anticipates making modifications to the evaluation system after the reviews are complete.  

I am pleased that both the Commissioner and Governor are listening to the concerns of my constituents. Expect discussions on the new evaluation system to continue in the Education Committee during the 2012 legislative session. 

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