(NASHVILLE, TN), May 18, 2012  -- Young Tennesseans can now start learning how to balance a checkbook, develop a household budget and plan for future expenses the same place they learn many other valuable skills – in the classroom.  The training is part of the Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission efforts to teach financial literacy at a young age. 

The commission, which was created under legislation sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) to advance financial literacy education, is hosting a summit for teachers of elementary school students next month. At the summit, teachers will receive training on how to teach financial literacy skills to students and their parents.  In exchange for attending the free event, the first 100 teachers who register and submit a summit survey will receive a FREE $50 Amazon gift card.

“I am very pleased that we are working to provide financial literacy education training to teachers through this Commission,” said Gresham.  “It is a critical skill for our students, especially in Tennessee which has a high bankruptcy rate.  If we can teach children early how to manage money, this skill has a much greater chance of staying with them as they move into adulthood.  I encourage local teachers to attend the conference.”

The commission is a non-profit organization administered by the Tennessee Treasury Department.  The State Treasurer and Commissioners of Financial Institution and Education as well as six other Tennesseans from across the state sit on the board of the Commission.

“It is important that people begin developing good financial habits at a young age because those habits will substantially increase their quality of life throughout adulthood,” Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. said. “One of the best ways to reach children is through their elementary teachers. This summit will give elementary teachers guidance on how to make financial literacy part of their classroom curriculums.  It will also offer the teachers opportunities to gain financial literacy that is applicable to their own lives.”

With topics being taught by financial literacy experts from across the state, the Teacher Summit will be full of timely and relevant topics.  From consumer protection to banking and credit workshops, these relevant sessions will be covered by professionals from the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, Tennessee Treasury Department, and several partners from the Jump$tart Coalition.

The summit will be held from 8:15 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. on June 14 at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville. Free parking and lunch will be provided.

Participants will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Memphis and can earn continuing education credits as permitted by their school districts.

To register online, teachers can visit www.TNFLC.org<http://www.TNFLC.org>. For questions, contact James Armistead at (615) 532-5892 or by e-mail at James.Armistead@tn.gov<mailto:James.Armistead@tn.gov>.

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(NASHVILLE, TN), March 22, 2012 -- Legislation that amends current law to reflect Tennessee’s waiver from provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has received final approval in the State Senate.  Senate Bill 3122, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), acknowledges Tennessee’s own ambitious but achievable goals, which include recognizing high performance schools and focusing state resources and the most significant interventions on those who score in the bottom five percent.  The bill is part of Governor Bill Haslam’s legislative priorities and comes after he received approval from the U.S. Department of Education to waive certain provisions of the federal NCLB law.

“This bill matches Tennessee law with Tennessee goals, moving away from the barriers created by the federal NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards,” said Senator Gresham.   “No Child Left Behind created a culture of compliance. We want to create a culture of achievement.  It removes the over-identification of failing schools under the NCLB provisions to a system where schools are recognized for achieving individual student progress benchmarks set though our successful Race to the Top application.”

The AYP standard applied under No Child Left Behind would have designated hundreds of Tennessee schools as failing to meet the federal law’s definitions and timelines, making them subject to state takeover even though many are making progress.  In place of the annual AYP designation for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and schools, the bill establishes a state accountability system requiring significant growth in student achievement in core subjects.  It also contains provisions designed to cut the achievement gap between the poorest students and racial minorities with their counterparts, whose scores are higher.

The bill gives greater autonomy and flexibility for schools and LEAs with proven success in turning student scores around, rather than applying a state takeover for all schools eligible for state intervention under NCLB provisions.  By doing so, it narrowly tailors the most significant state sanctions to focus on the bottom five percent of schools.  This allows local school districts to apply their own concentrated measures to improve student scores, as the state focuses on those schools which need help the most, particularly those who are under state intervention in the Achievement School District (ASD).

The Achievement School District was created by Tennessee’s First to the Top law.  Gresham’s legislation clarifies the authority, obligations and operations of the Achievement School District (ASD) to ensure meaningful intervention in the state’s lowest-performing schools as required by federal waiver provisions.  It clarifies funding, property rights and procurement processes to ensure the ASD’s ability to manage schools effectively and create dramatic change and improvement.  In addition, it clarifies the transition of a school from the ASD back to the LEA, removing references to AYP and implanting parental decision-making opportunities.
 
“The legislation is predicated on the general belief that local school districts are best positioned to manage schools against goals, and state intervention should happen in a limited way and only when LEAs are failing to make progress for groups of students or overall,” added Gresham.  “This proposed accountability structure reinforces the goals, priorities and plan outlined in the state’s Race to the Top proposal and provides the flexibility and tailored interventions necessary to ensure that the state can significantly increase student achievement and reduce achievement gaps across the state.”

Under the waiver, Tennessee proposes to raise overall achievement by 3 to 5 percent each year and to cut achievement gaps in half over an 8-year period.  To track progress, the U.S. Department of Education required Tennessee to identify three groups of schools:

·        Reward schools: 10 percent of schools throughout the state with the highest   achievement or overall growth.
·        Focus schools: 10 percent of Tennessee’s schools with the largest achievement  gaps.
·         Priority schools: The bottom 5 percent of the state’s schools in terms of academic   
      performance.

“Tennessee has demonstrated a strong commitment to turning around the state’s lowest performing schools through the creation of the Achievement School District,” Gresham said.  “In compliance with the waiver, Tennessee is also proposing additional processes to drive increased performance in chronically low performing schools and the schools with the largest achievement gaps in the state.  Our focus at the state level will be measurement, public accounting, and targeting financial and planning resources to support improvement.  I am very pleased this legislation has been approved by our State Senate.”

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Legislation aims to increase college completion rates

(NASHVILLE, TN), March 20, 2012 -- The State Senate approved and sent to Governor Bill Haslam legislation on Monday night that would make it easier for students to transfer credits between community colleges, private colleges and state universities.  Senate Bill 2431, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), authorizes community colleges within the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) to enter into reverse articulation or reverse transfer agreements with four year institutions within the TBR system and institutions within the University of Tennessee, as well as private colleges accredited by the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS).

Articulation agreements are arrangements between higher education institutions that facilitate the transfer of course credits from one school to another. Agreements outline specific courses and letter grades completed at the community college that will transfer to a university or private college.  They help students begin more defined curriculums so that students understand exactly which courses will and will not transfer as they move between colleges.   

“As more students are attending community colleges to start their post-secondary education and then transferring to four year schools to earn their bachelor's degree, articulation agreements are extremely important to ensure smooth and transparent transitions, said Senator Gresham.  “An articulation agreement provides a simplified, guaranteed transfer process for students as the move from community colleges to four-year institutions or vice versa, or from private to public universities.” 
 
According to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), articulation agreements between public higher education institutions are currently in development as part of the state’s Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010.  The articulation agreements between public institutions and private SACS-accredited institutions will be completed if the private institutions approve the agreements.

Gresham said the agreements could also work to give students attending a four-year college who do not complete their degree, the opportunity to transfer their credits to a community college if they choose to earn an Associate Degree instead.

“We have ambitious goals to increase the number of college graduates in Tennessee,” added Gresham.  “The articulation agreement makes sure a student has a clear understanding of what courses to complete at a community college to transfer to a university or private college successfully.  This saves them from taking repetitive courses on the university level that might lengthen their time to degree completion.”

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 (NASHVILLE, TN), March 6, 2012  –  Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) and Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) said today they are sponsoring an amendment to tie changes in scholarship eligibility requirements for students attending four year institutions that were proposed by a Lottery Scholarship Task Force to lottery revenue growth.   If the Lottery Corporation sustains the $10 million growth it experienced this year through the Spring of 2015 the provisions set forth in the Senate Bill 2514 would sunset.

Gresham said she asked staff to draft the amendment last week after Tennessee Lottery Corporation CEO Rebecca Paul Hargrove testified before the Senate Education Committee regarding their latest revenue reports.  Hargrove said they have experienced a $10 million growth in revenues over the past year, predicting that increase would be sustained indefinitely.  The Gresham amendment will be presented to the full Senate Education Committee tomorrow when members consider the legislation for approval.   

 “Unlike those in Washington, Tennessee is required to actually pay its bills on time – and we do,” said Lt. Gov. Ramsey. “I am committed to rewarding excellence in the classroom and giving a leg up to students who work hard. I am also committed to paying for it. This amendment will accomplish both goals in a common sense fashion.”

The total costs of Tennessee’s Lottery Scholarship Program have outstripped lottery revenues -- the net proceeds from the lottery games played plus interest from the lottery reserves -- since 2008.  To make up the difference, the state has dipped into the lottery reserves, an act of great concern to fiscally conservative policy makers and higher education officials who feared the lottery reserve balance would dwindle to an unsustainable level by fiscal year 2021.  These concerns prompted Governor Ramsey to appoint a bi-partisan Senate Lottery Stabilization Task Force which included the state’s top higher education officials, key State Senators and the Tennessee Treasurer, Comptroller and Secretary of State.  

“We must have a fiscally sound lottery scholarship program that will not only ensure stability for the immediate future of the fund, but makes sure it will be there for the next generation of students,” said Senator Gresham. “If the $10 million improvement is sustainable into 2015, this amendment would keep the current requirements for students attending four-year institutions in place.”

The Task Force recommended a plan which would require students who attend a four-year institution to meet both the ACT and grade point average (GPA) requirements to receive the full award beginning in the fall semester in 2015.  Under the new amendment, that provision would only apply if the Lottery does not sustain the projected revenue growth. 

The plan adopted by the Task Force would have also provided financial assistance to financially-needy undergraduate students who are residents of the state.  Approximately 5,600 more recipients would be served for each $10 million in funding provided to the Tennessee Student Assistant Award (TSAA) under the recommendation.  The grants would be available to non-traditional students of any age, including laid-off workers and other students.  That provision would also sunset if the $10 million is sustained and current eligibility requirements continue to remain in effect.

If the revenues fall short of the goal, the award to non-traditional students would apply and students who attend a four-year institution and meet one of the criteria (ACT or GPA) would be eligible for the two-year award amount.  It also provides that students who meet one of the criteria and retain the award through year two would be eligible for a full award in year three. Award amounts for students who attend two-year institutions would remain unchanged under the plan and the amendment. 

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(NASHVILLE, TN), March 1, 2012 -- The State Senate unanimously approved legislation today giving teachers more authority to relocate a student who poses a safety threat without fear of being found liable.  Senate Bill 3116, sponsored by Senator Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), requires local education boards to adopt a policy authorizing a teacher's ability to temporarily move a student to a different location for the student's safety or the safety of others.  The bill also requires principals to fully support the authority of teachers in taking the action when it is done according to the policy.

Gresham said the genesis of the bill came as she listened to teachers who were concerned about liability while performing assigned duties or that a lawsuit could be brought against them if they try to remove a student during an altercation.  The legislation is supported by the Tennessee School Board Association, the Tennessee Teacher Association, and the Professional Educators of Tennessee.

The policy required under the measure would also cover teachers’ authorization to intervene in a physical altercation between two or more students or between a student and Local Education Agency (LEA) employee.  It also allows for the use of reasonable or justifiable force upon a student if the student is unwilling to cooperate and it becomes necessary to end the altercation by relocating the student to another area.

“We have been listening to teachers who are very concerned about their ability to perform their duties and protect other students or themselves without fear that they will be sued,” said Senator Gresham.  “Teachers should not have to fear they will be found personally liable for standing in a doorway to stop a physical altercation between two students.  They should have full authority to remove a student to another location even if it involves the use of force.”

If steps beyond the use of reasonable or justifiable force are required, the proposal says the student would remain in place until law enforcement officers or school resource officers arrive.

“This bill would apply to acts committed on school property, as well as those at official school functions, including sporting events and approved field trips,” added Gresham.  “In addition to teachers, it would apply to administrators, school support staff, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, school resource officers, and others working in the school who interact with students.”

Gresham said teachers must file a brief report with the principal detailing the situation that required the relocation of the student.  If it is found that the student's behavior violated the LEA's zero tolerance policy, the report would become part of the student’s permanent record. The student is then subject to additional disciplinary action that may include suspension or expulsion from the school. The principal or their designee must notify the teacher involved of the actions taken to address the behavior of the relocated student.

The bill does not apply to special needs students.

“We must give our teachers the tools to maintain order and provide for the safety of their students, themselves, and others,” added Gresham.  “This bill would go far to accomplish this.”

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