‘Revealed’ is detailed look at Nashville shenanigans 

Sandra ClarkLet's Talk

Nashville reporter Phil Williams has organized his remarkable exposes into an easy-to-read file called “Revealed.” Williams is particularly concerned about the influence of out-of-state school privatizers who want to bring “competition” to K-12 education.

Fact is, we already have competition and parental choice with public schools, private schools and home schools. But from Chris Whittle’s Edison Project in the early 1990s to Larry Arnn’s Hillsdale charter schools today, this fight is not about parents or kids or school choice. It’s about money.

Phil Williams, Nashville NewsChannel 5

School budgets wink like fireflies at entrepreneurs and MBAs who want a share. Hear the arrogance of Arnn’s statement, reported by Phil Williams, that “teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country,” and teaching isn’t hard. Anyone can do it.

Teachers are calling on Gov. Bill Lee, who was a special guest at Arnn’s private meeting, to repudiate his remarks. At a rally Friday (07/01/22), state Rep. Gloria Johnson said she had watched the entire video, taped with no one’s knowledge and turned over to Williams. She said Lee could at least have said, “Hey, wait a second. We have some very hard-working teachers in Tennessee.”

That was the least Lee could have done and he didn’t even do that, Johnson said. “Not saying anything is complicity.” She and Rep. Sam McKenzie organized the Edgewood Park rally that drew some 100 attendees on short notice.

Teachers were invited to the microphone:

“(Legislators) need to listen to Tennesseans, not to out-of-staters,” said one.

“Teachers have no agenda other than to improve the lives of children,” said another.

“I challenge them to come to my classroom,” said Linda Holtzclaw.

Johnson ended the rally with some action items:

  • Call your state representative and state senator.
  • Ask if they agree with Larry Arnn.
  • Get them on record and post their answer on social media.
  • Find candidates who support public education.
  • Vote.

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