►
Description
House Higher Education Instruction Subcommittee - March 23, 2021 - House Hearing Room 3
A
Good
afternoon
and
my
apologies
for
starting
late,
I
am
going
to
start
the
subcommittee
in
place
of
chairman
tsupiki.
While
he
presents
another
bill
across
the
hall,
and
so
I
appreciate
I
was
next
door
presenting
a
bill.
So
y'all
all
know
how
this
time
of
year
goes,
but
thank
you
for
being
patient
and
understanding.
A
A
A
A
A
D
A
D
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
What
this
bill
does
is
it
would
offer
our
high
school
seniors
the
opportunity
to
earn
a
national
career
readiness
certificate
by
taking
the
act.
Workkeys
assessment
for
those
not
familiar
with
what
the
national
career
readiness
certificate
is.
It
is
a
nationally
recognized,
evidence-based
credential
that
certifies
essential
skills
for
workplace
success.
D
D
D
A
A
A
A
E
Thank
you
committee.
The
bill
that
we're
bringing
for
you
today
is
called
the
house
bill
74,
which
is
the
achievement
school
district.
Now
really
this.
What
this
bill
is
doing
is
not
addressing
anything
about
the
merits
of
the
achievement
school
district,
but
for
those
that
maybe
knew
the
committee
or
to
the
legislature
of
the
past
couple
years.
It
is
a
federal
mandate
that
the
state
have
an
intervention
plan
for
low
priority
schools
in
our
state.
So
back
in
2010,
which
was
the
first
year,
I
came
to
the
legislature
hard
to
believe
it's
been.
E
The
charters,
some
that
are
are
struggling
like
a
lot
of
our
public
schools
are,
and
so
we're
we're.
Trying
this
bill
defines
how
those
schools
will
will
move
out.
Let
me
kind
of
just
give
you
a
few
talking
points.
This
legislation
seeks
to
improve
the
state's
ability
to
deliver
an
intensive
intervention
to
our
most
underperforming
schools
and
the
students
they
serve
and
provide
strong
accountability
for
the
achievement
school
district
schools
as
the
state's
most
rigorous
turnaround
strategy.
E
E
Those
of
you
may
remember,
we
created
a
bill
and
passed
called
the
tennessee
charter
school
commission,
where
we
put
nine
members
across
the
state,
three
elected
by
the
speaker
of
the
house,
three
by
the
speaker
of
the
senate
and
three
by
the
governor,
to
establish
this
commission
who
now
have
their
own
director,
which
is
led
by
tess
stovall,
to
run
the
commission,
and
so
this
this
particular
legislation
and
the
gives
three
pathways.
One
is
the
it
helps
the
the
the
lea
or
excuse
me.
The
asd
can
return
to
their
lea
of
origin.
E
For
example,
I
represent
shelby
county
schools.
They
can
return
to
the
shelby
county
system
if
they
so
desire.
It
also
gives
a
direct
pathway
to
our
state
charter.
Commission.
They
are
an
authorizer
not
to
get
in
the
weeds
too
much,
because
we
also
have
miss
eve,
carney
and
charlie
buffaleno
of
the
state
department
of
education
to
kind
of
give
us
some
detailed
information,
but.
E
But
anyway,
you
can
apply
directly
to
the
state
charter
commission,
which
was
formerly
the
state
school
or
the
state
board.
We
took
that
away
from
them
last
year
and
put
it
on
the
charter.
Commission,
the
third,
the
third
pathway
is,
they
can
remain
under
asd
guidance,
which
requires
60
of
the
parents
in
that
particular
school.
F
So
so
I
think,
to
start
out,
I
think
first
off,
I
think
thank
you
to
to
chairman
white
and
leader
lamberth
for
carrying
this
bill,
and
I
think
that
that
summary
really
is
the
heart
of
sort
of
what
this
bill
does
and
what
we're
setting
out
to
do
here.
I
think,
for
purposes
of
context.
I
think
there's
been
a
lot
of
talk
over
the
course
of
the
last
year,
as
we
have
come
up
near
this.
F
This
10-year
mark
of
the
asd
being
in
existence
of
the
need
for
some
additional
clarity
on
what
transition
would
look
like.
There's
been
a
lot
of
talk.
I
think
ahead
of
this
committee
and
others
about
asd
2.0.
What
will
this
new
framework
look
like
in
the
future,
but
in
order
to
execute
and
implement
on
that,
there
needs
to
be
a
clear
transition
plan
for
schools
that
are
currently
in
the
achievement
school
district.
F
We
conducted
a
series
of
stakeholder
events
to
solicit
some
some
input
for
a
number
of
months
and
submitted
that
report
as
statutorily
required
to
the
general
assembly
on
january
1st
of
2021.
One
of
the
issues
that
was
identified
through
that
process
was
additional
clarity
needed
in
statute
of
what
happens
when
schools
hit
that
10-year
mark
this
bill.
Really,
I
think,
seeks
to
clarify
that,
as
chairman
white
said,
and
lay
out
some
clear
pathways,
it's
all
based
on
performance.
This
bill
is
about
holding
our
schools
accountable,
that
are
in
within
the
state's
most
rigorous
intervention.
F
There
are
some
schools,
as
chairman
white
said,
that
are
chronically
underperforming,
that
likely
need
to
close
and
be
returned
to
the
lea.
This
is
laid
out
in
the
bill.
There
are
also
schools
that
have
showed
really
strong
growth
and
have
either
met
that
priority
exit
status,
which
we
think
should
give
them
some
earned
autonomy
in
terms
of
having
the
option
to
go
to
the
charter
commission
directly
and
also
there's.
F
There
is
some
language
in
there
that,
if
adequate
growth
is
being
showed
that
that
could
be
granted
sort
of
through
discretionary
authority
by
the
commissioner,
the
important
point
I
think
to
stress
there
is
in
no
way
shape
or
form.
Is
that
a
guarantee
that
these
schools
are
going
to
be
approved
or
authorized?
The
charter
school
commission
would
retain
full
autonomy
to
make
those
decisions.
F
As
a
body,
the
legislation
articulates
rulemaking
authority
for
them
to
go
about
that
they'll
get
to
decide
what
that
process
of
application
looks
like
and
ultimately
gets
to
decide
whether
or
not
to
approve
those
schools.
That
would
go
on
that
pathway
and
chairman
white,
I
think,
spoke
to
the
facilities
legislation
for
schools
to
transition,
obviously
having
a
sort
of
short-term
three-year
period
by
which
facilities
could
continue
to
be
leased
or
sold
to
them
by
the
school
district
is
just
important.
F
B
All
for
your
time
today,
I
would
just
echo
some
of
charlie's
sentiments
to
say
that
this
the
achievement
school
district
is
an
intervention.
It
was
an
intervention
that
was
the
original
legislative
intent.
What
we
know
over
time
is
that,
as
we
move
closer
to
that
10-year
mark,
it
is
critical
to
make
some
key
decisions
about
how
we
seamlessly
return
students,
while
also
ensuring
a
higher
performing
seat
in
the
in
this.
These
transition
decisions
and
transition
plans,
and
so
I'm
happy
to
take
any
questions
that
you
may
have
at
this
time.
E
Thank
you,
madam
chairman,
and
member,
so
basically,
what
we're
we're
trying
to
do.
This
is
a
transitioning
plan,
as
we're
approaching,
I
think,
we're
on
eight
years
now
we're
approaching
the
transition
out
of
the
achievement.
School
we've
had
a
lot
of
successes.
We
we
have
learned
a
lot,
we're
still
constantly
working
on
how
we
can
better
improve
our
state
takeover
of
these
of
these
schools.
But
this
has
been
a
good
program
that
we
have
had
in
place
for
all
these
years.
E
But
now,
as
they're
approaching
maturity
of
coming
out,
we
want
to
be
able
to
support
those
who
are
doing
very
good
by
giving
them
options
of
where
they
best
will
fit.
So
they
they
have
a
long
future
of
helping
our
children,
our
state
and
those
that
are
not
performing.
We
we
won't.
We
just
want
good
schools,
whether
they're
charters,
public
schools
or
or
any
of
the
other
options,
but
that's
basically
the
gist
of
house
bill
74,
and
I
appreciate
passage
into
out
of
committee.
A
H
I
don't
want
to
you
know,
pick
it
a
wound
or
anything,
but
I
think
it
may
be
a
fair
assessment
that
we're
all
wish
the
state
we
as
a
state
have
made
more
progress
in
the
achievement
school
district's
success
that
we
haven't
got
there
yet
we've
had
some.
As
you
indicated,
I
just
want
to
fully
encourage
the
department
to
make
some
success
in
that
area.
H
E
Representative,
I
really
do
appreciate
that
one
thing
good
about
tennessee.
We
are
always
looking
for
how
to
improve.
You
know
the
has
this
been
the
perfect
plan.
It's
been
a
good
plan
and
we've
worked
very
hard
at
it.
We've.
What
we
have
found
out
over
the
past
10
years
is
how
hard
it
is
to
work
with
young
people
who
come
out
of
situations
where
there's
extreme
poverty,
extreme
issues
and
then
to
educate
them
at
the
same
time,
but
we're
continuing
to
work
on
and
find
solutions,
and
I
appreciate
your
support.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
so
a
question
to
the
sponsor
and-
and
it
may
be
you
know
in
in
the
weeds,
but
I
think
it
can
be
pretty
significant
and
that's
about
the
physical
plant.
You
know
the
the
these
districts
were,
I
guess
renting
spaces,
or
you
know
the
the
lease
on
the
space,
but
in
in
terms
of
as
you
transition.
I
I
E
I'm
sorry
excuse
me,
chairman
white,
okay,
from
what
I
understand
now,
an
asd
school,
which
is
a
school
that
was
underperforming
in
the
state,
directly
takes
it
over,
so
they
took
over
not
in
that
school,
but
the
building
that
that
the
students
were
in
the
in
whether
it
be
a
charter
or
they're
run
by
the
asd
program.
They
pay
a
you
know
a
lease
and
all
that
to
the
to
the
lea
what
this
bill
has
is.
It
puts
in
place
where
you
can
work
out
an
agreement
for
facilities.
Well,
that's
another
problem.
I
Thank
you.
So
I
I
understand
that,
with
you
know
reasonable
conference
compli
conversations,
but
who
becomes
the
final
arbiter
if
there's
an
issue,
if
one
one
one
person
says
it's,
one
million
and
one
person
says
it's
eight
million
and
they
both
have.
You
know
their
own
appraisals
that
that
lean
toward
them
is
there
any
a
verbage
in
here
that
says
who
who
becomes
the
final
offer?
Yeah
may.
E
Had
to
get
the
department
back
up
here
for
what
I
understand
this
is,
you
know
a
part
of
a
legal
process
where
you
have
those
who
do
this
for
a
living,
and
you
have
a
fair
market
value.
What
that
property
is
worth
and
then
there's
a
negotiation
between
the
two.
As
far
as
you
know
what
you
come
up
with,
if
you
got
the
difference
between
1
million
and
8
million,
obviously
you
got
you've
got
to
have
some
some
help,
but
if
you
want
more
detail,
we
can
ask
the
department
to
address
that.
F
I
Yes,
and
no
yes,
but
but
but
it's
also,
you
know,
because
the
whole
at
or
below
sounds
like
there's
going
to
be
a
negotiation
right
and
it
sounds
like
again
and
that
that
and
that
negotiation
can
take
on
a
final
price
can
take
on
row.
You
know
grounds
and
facilities
what
comes
with
it.
Well,
we
don't
want
the
out
building,
you
know
it,
it
can
get
complicated
because
we
have
pretty
expensive
facilities
so.
F
I'll
take
it
in
two
parts,
so
I
think
first
you've
got
to
determine
what
the
value
is
and
the
bill
lays
out
that
both
the
charter
operator
and
the
district
will
go
get
their
own
separate
appraisals
to
determine
that
value.
If
there
is
not
an
agreement,
then,
within
those
two,
they
would
find
a
third
party
agreed
on
that
would
sort
of
be
the
final
determiner
of
the
value
once
that
value
is
agreed
to.
F
Ultimately,
it's
the
lea
the
district
or
the
local
government
who
owns
the
facility
that
gets
to
determine
this
language
would
just
say
you
cannot
sell
it
above
that
market
value
and
and
at
or
below
market
value
is,
is
fairly
standard
language.
With
these
sorts
of
things,
I
don't
anticipate
that
a
district
would
choose
to
sell
it
for
less
that
value.
That's
determined
in,
but
really
all
this
does
functionally
is
say
that
they
wouldn't
be
able
to
sell
it
beyond
that
amount.
That
has
been
agreed
to
above.
That's
what
I
should
say
representative.
I
B
Yeah,
I
think
that
he
would
maybe
more
well
suited
to.
You
might
be
more
well
suited
to
answer
this,
and
this
is
just
for
clarification.
It
says
that
the
lease
payments
will
go
toward
the
at
the
end.
If
they
choose
to
buy
it,
the
lease
payments
will
go
toward
the
payment
of
purchasing
of
the
building.
Does
that
count
for
just
the
three
years
after
the
lease
or
just
from
the
beginning
of
when
they
have
when
the
charter
school
the
inception
of
the
charter?
Great.
F
Question
chairman,
just
for
those
three
years,
so
so
the
idea
behind
that
language
is,
if
a
district
chooses
to
lease
for
that
three
year
period
and
that's
the
only
period
that's
guaranteed
and
then
at
the
end
of
that
three
year
they
were
to
decide
to
sell
it.
Any
payments
made
on
those
leases
would
go
toward
that
final
cost.
Currently
for
a
school
in
asd,
they
are
not
paying
to
use
those
facilities.
That's
part
of
the
agreement
under
the
existing
asd,
so
it
would
just
be
for
those
three
years.
B
F
E
Thank
you.
I
may
also
add
to
that
now,
if
the
asd,
during
the
time,
if
they
have
put
in
a
hundred
thousand
dollars
worth
of
new
windows
or
expat
system,
that
will
be
part
of
the
negotiation
as
when
you
do
the
fair
market
value
with
that
any
other
questions
committee,
really
they
answered
or
find
you
an
answer
but
appreciate
this.
A
All
right
well
seeing
no
other
questions,
then
committee.
Are
you
ready
to
bring
this
to
a
vote
on
the
amendment
first,
and
this
was
amendment.
Let
me
get
that
number
right:
zero,
zero,
five,
five,
five,
all
right,
all
in
favor,
of
putting
the
amendment
on
the
bill
say
aye
any
opposed,
seeing
none!
The
amendment
goes
on
the
bill
and
any
closing
remarks
on
your
bill.
E
The
only
close
margin,
I
would
say,
is
everybody
on
this
committee
and
chairman
sepiku
say
tennessee.
We
want
to
be
number
one
in
education
and
that's
where
we're
moving
and
we're
just
piece
by
piece
by
peace
so
that
we
can.
We
can
achieve
that.
We
know
this
past
year
of
the
disruption,
but
that's
not
going
to
slow
us
down
we're
going
to
move
forward,
and
this
is
just
one
piece
in
doing
so.
A
E
You
to
basically
read
here
that
teachers
is
defined
in
other
full-time
permanent
employees
of
a
public
charter
school,
including
public
charter
school
authorized
by
the
achievement
school
district
or
the
commission
that
they
that
they
will
be
eligible
to
participate
in
the
group.
Insurance
plans
of
our
state
and
so
basis
is
including
our
charter
school
teachers.
Employees
into
our
state
benefits
plan.
A
E
Thank
you,
cheerleader,
I'm
trying
to
make
sure
I
had
the
right
one.
What
I
would
like
to
do
this
with
with
seven
five
four
I
have.
I
had
asked
for
a
guest
to
be
here
today.
I
think
I'd
talk
to
chairman
suppicky
this
bill
has
got
a
lot
of
moving
parts
members,
what
it
deals
with,
establishing
that
all
of
our
schools
have
computer
science
programs
in
all
the
schools.
E
As
we
all
know
the
world
we're
in,
if
you
don't
have
any
type
of
knowledge
coming
out
of
high
school
about
computer
programming
coding,
then
you're
kind
of
behind
the
game,
so
we're
working
on
is
a
particular
bill
to
to
move
towards
that
right.
Now,
there's
still
some
moving
parts.
What
it's
like
to
present
the
bill
to
the
committee?
I
have
the
guest
here.
Let
him
present
that
and
then
I
will
either
roll
this.
I
know
we've
got
one
more
committee.
E
A
J
J
So
clearly,
there's
widespread
support.
Hb
5754
builds
off
legislation
that
chairman
white
and
senator
akbari
carried
in
2019
that
required
the
tennessee
department
of
education
to
work
with
stakeholders
in
developing
a
computer
science
state
plan
that
with
recommendations
and
strategic
goals
for
ensuring
that
students
are
ready
for
the
technology
jobs
of
today
and
tomorrow.
J
An
annual
report
developed
by
the
department
of
education
to
provide
us
with
the
information
we
need
to
ensure
that
tennessee
is
on
track
to
be
successful
and
to
help
us
understand
for
our
future
support
where
future
support
may
be
needed.
And
finally,
it
calls
for
an
annual
convening
of
k-12
and
higher
education
to
ensure
alignment
and
collaboration
relating
to
computer
science
courses,
and
so
why
is
this
bill
needed?
And
why
is
it
now?
At
the
moment,
computer
science
courses
are
available
in
less
than
half
of
our
public
schools
in
our
state.
J
J
Of
course,
no
one
can
overlook
the
difficult
challenges
that
our
districts
and
schools
have
faced
this
last
year,
especially
with
covet,
but
the
covet
experience
has
made
it
crystal
clear
that
our
students
need
basic
computer
science
skills
with
measures
in
place
to
help
schools
such
as
a
five-year
timeline
that
includes
a
two-year
planning
period,
a
professional
development
support
and
the
option
for
an
additional
year
waiver,
which
would
extend
the
implementation
to
six
years
if
needed.
The
coalition
has
full
confidence
that
our
schools
and
districts
can
overcome
any
barriers.
J
An
amendment
is
being
offered
that
makes
the
bill
and
includes
clarifications
and
slight
modifications
such
as
language,
permitting
more
flexible
use
of
the
high
school
professional
development
funds,
for
example,
for
practice
exams.
If
a
teacher,
if
a
new
teacher
certification
is
needed,
included
allowing
high
schools
to
utilize
professional
development
funds
more
than
once
in
the
five-year
period,
if
funds
allow
to
address
changes
or
unexpected
needs,
such
as
retirements
or
teacher
laws
or
student
demand,
and
so
forth,
clarification
that
one
high
school
districts
have
the
full
five
year
period
to
implement.
J
You've,
probably
noticed
that
this
bill
was
given
a
sizable
fiscal
note
which,
admittedly
caught
the
coalition
off
guard,
as
we
assumed
based
on
our
review,
that
it
would
cost
around
two
million
dollars
for
the
entire
five-year
initiative.
This
fiscal
note
assumes
the
need
that
the
current
fiscal
note
assumes
the
need
to
hire
many
new
teachers,
whereas
the
coalition
assumed
that
the
current
state
model
which
trains
existing
teachers
would
be
used.
So
we
disagree
with
the
fiscal
node
and
we're
disappointed
by
it,
but
we
hope
there's
a
way
to
address
this
moving
forward.
J
Let
me
just
conclude
by
just
sharing
a
little
about
myself.
If
I
may,
I
am
from
tennessee
raised
in
memphis,
and
I
had
the
good
fortune
in
the
in
the
1980s.
My
daughters
would
say
back
in
the
19s
to
take
computer
science
in
school
at
east
high
school.
In
memphis-
and
that
was
foundational
for
me
to
go
on
to
morehouse
college
and
earn
a
bachelor's
in
computer
science
going
to
duke
university
and
earn
a
master's
in
computer
science
and
have
a
19-year
career
as
a
professional
software
developer.
J
It
enabled
me
to
to
raise
my
children
such
that
my
my
wife
could
be
a
stay-at-home
mom.
It
enabled
me
to
to
have
a
very
fruitful
six-figure
income
career
and
that
that
foundation
is
something
I
want
every
child,
especially
in
our
rural
districts,
where
they're
the
too
many
districts
that
do
not
have
access
to
computer
science,
education
to
have
these
kinds
of
opportunities,
and
so
I
implore
you
to
to
recognize
that
we
have
a
real
opportunity
that
arkansas
did
this
six
years
ago.
J
J
We
lead
in
many
areas,
but
in
this
critical
important
air
one
we
are,
we
are
ahead
of
only
louisiana
in
the
south
when
it
comes
to
it
comes
to
access
to
computer
science,
education
for
all
our
kids,
and
so
that's
why
I
stress
I
want
for
every
high
school
kid
in
tennessee
to
have
the
same
opportunity.
I
had
I
I'd
like
to
give
alex
curtis
from
the
national
tech
council
a
moment
if
I
may,
but
thank
you
so
much
for
this
opportunity.
K
Good
afternoon
madam
chairwoman
and
chair
sapiki
and
chairman
wow,
I
need
to
start
over
there
sorry
about
that
sorry,
yep
chairwoman,
moody
and
cherish
picky.
Thanks
for
the
opportunity,
I
will
not
be
as
eloquent
already
as
as
maka
is,
but
I
wanted
to
represent
so
a
few
of
the
points
of
the
tech
industry
here
in
middle
tennessee.
My
name
is
alex
curtis
and
I
represent
the
greater
nashville
technology
council.
We
lock
arms
with
sister
cities
in
memphis,
chattanooga
and
knoxville
at
their
tech
councils
as
well.
K
The
latest
jobs
report
shows
that
there's
an
average
of
3
600
open
tech
jobs
per
month
over
the
past
year.
That
represents
a
giant
challenge
for
our
middle
tennessee's
tech
industry,
but
that's
just
middle
tennessee,
it's
even
larger
across
the
state.
What
I
want
you
to
know
is
that
there's
hope
is
that
tech
jobs
pay
almost
twice
the
average
the
median
wage
in
middle
tennessee
and
it's
higher
across
the
state.
K
That
means
that
a
tech
job
can
be
a
life-changing
opportunity
for
an
individual
and
a
family
changing
opportunity
for
for
more
that's
why
this
legislation
is
so
important
not
only
to
fill
those
jobs
but
to
give
tennesseans
more
access
and
more
opportunity.
No
matter
who
you
are
we're
working
as
mika
said,
with
a
growing
coalition
of
organizations,
and
we
are
really
just
seeking
to
codify
the
department
of
ed's
task
force
report.
K
This
is
really
to
make
it
available
to
every
high
school
student
and
what
the
bill
does
is:
provide
dollars
for
professional
development,
for
teachers
in
high
school
provides
planning
dollars
so
that
schools
can
plan
ahead.
So
they
can
meet
this
requirement
and
then
lastly
provide
some
professional
development
dollars
for
k-8
teachers
so
that
they
can
start
to
integrate
this
tech
teaching
into
their
classrooms.
K
We
think
it's
tremendously
important,
as
as
chairman
white
just
said
in
his
previous
with
his
previous
bill.
We
want
to
make
education
tennessee
number
one
in
education
and
we're
always
looking
to
improve.
We
have
opportunities
here
to
improve
and
we
think
that
the
dollars
allocated
here
provide
could
provide
a
great
opportunity
for
every
student
across
the
state.
So
we
we
urge
the
the
committee
to
support
this
legislation.
Thank
you.
A
L
L
J
J
L
J
Sure
so
so,
when
I
speak
of
equity,
I
mean
access
for
every
child.
Every
high
school
student,
at
least
as
described
in
this
bill-
and
you
know
we
are
a
both
urban
and
rural
state
and
we've
got.
We've
got
more
than
60
districts
with
just
one
high
school
and
and
the
the
the
challenges
of
course
is
is
that
a
vast
number
of
those
rural
districts
in
particular
do
not
have
access
to
computer
science,
education.
I
come
from
shelby
county,
where
most
of
the
high
schools
already
have
access
to
computer
science.
J
We
also
have
the
reality
that
there
are
underrepresented
groups
in
the
space
and
not
just
in
the
rural
space,
but
also
african
americans
and
in
the
and
the
growing
fast-growing
latinx
community
and
and
we
we
really
need
to
reach
into
our
bench.
If
you
will
and
and
and
step
into
the
reality,
that
of
of
7
000
or
more
open
computing
jobs.
Today
that
average
50
excuse
me,
average
80
000
a
year
in
salary.
That's
a
that's!
A
560
million
opportunity.
L
You
chairman,
I
would
probably
urge
you
to
shift
the
word
to
equality,
that
everybody
has
an
equal
opportunity,
whether
they
choose
to
or
not
that's
up
to
them.
Equity
is
looking
at
the
back
end
of
the
equation.
I'd
rather
look
at
at
the
front
end
that,
if
we're
going
to
present
a
a
an
opportunity
for
someone,
everybody
has
an
equal
opportunity
to
seize
on
that
if
they,
so
if
they
so
desire,
you
know,
I
I
think
we're
on
to
something
here.
L
I
will
tell
you
that
I
will
struggle
with
the
mandated
part
of
this.
I
think
we
do
better
in
tennessee
right
now,
where
you
prevent
the
opportunity
for
leas
to
see
the
benefit
and
therefore,
as
one
lea
starts,
to
pass,
the
other
it
presents.
Competition
and
competition
may
drive
us
to
the
point
where
we
all
like
it.
So
I
appreciate
what
you're
trying
to
do.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
sir.
B
Thank
you
sherwood,
so
I'm
also
from
shelby
county,
originally,
I'm
originally
from
arkansas.
So
of
course
I
did
read
where
arkansas
has
already
done
this
measure
as
well.
When
I
was
in
high
school,
I
ended
up
taking
a
computer
science
course
that
led
me
to
end
up
being
a
web
developer
and
a
graphic
designer.
So
I
do
that
on
the
side.
Still,
but
my
day,
job
is
human
resources,
I'm
the
director
of
human
resources
back
home,
and
so
we
ended
up
having
a
load
of
positions
that
came
available
and
ended
up.
B
There
were
some
students
that
had
taken
the
courses
or
summer
program
from
code
crew,
and
I
ended
up
hiring
two
of
them
based
off
of
that.
That's
the
only
experience
that
they
had
they've
done
an
amazing
job
just
recently,
one
of
them
just
got
promoted
into
a
management
role
and
so
to
know
that
the
knowledge
that
they
get
from
taking
these
courses,
whether
it's
in
school
or
outside
of
school,
are
beneficial,
and
so
I
will
be
supporting
this.
Thank
you.
H
Thank
you.
I
apologize,
I
I.
I
support
this
effort
and
I
appreciate
your
comments
that
some
of
the
rural
districts
are
not
in
a
position
to
offer
computer
science
classes
like
some
of
the
maybe
the
more
urban
things,
and
I
think
that's
some
of
the
concerns
that
my
district
directors
have
have
expressed.
H
What
I
wanted
to
ask
you
is,
as
part
of
this
program
and
plan,
is
there
going
to
be
a
way
where
sort
of
the
the
backers
of
this
in
the
department
of
education,
maybe
package
together
plans
to
help
the
local
school
district
if
they
decide
to
try
to
implement
it
or
how
they're
going
to
implement
it?
Sort
of
pick
this
pick
off
the
shelf.
Here's
our
here's
our
course
curriculum.
J
Sure
so,
what's
described
here
is,
is
dollars
for
professional
development
to
scale
up
teachers.
So
the
biggest
challenge
here
is
not
having
enough
teachers
equipped
to
teach
computer
science,
and
so
so
and
I'm
sure,
that's
almost
universally
true
with
our
rural
districts
as
it
is
all
across
the
state.
And
so
so.
J
The
professional
development
support
here
is
to
to
skill
up
those
teachers
such
that
they
can
go
through
professional
development
in
the
current
way
that
it's
done
here
in
the
state,
as
is
now
with
through
tsin
and
and
so
forth
as
a
partner,
and
so
that
the
tennessee
stem
initiative
has
a
stem
innovation
network.
Excuse
me
as
a
partner,
and
so
so
so
that
that
so
in
terms
of
districts
being
able
to
you
know,
have
the
teachers
that
they
need.
K
I
would
add
that
there
is
an
opportunity
also
to
provide
virtual
schooling,
and
so
all
the
lessons
we
learned
this
past
year
with
so
much
virtual.
There
is
a
giant
opportunity
to
provide
some
of
this
education
virtually
especially
for
those
schools
that
don't
have
the
opportunity
to
kind
of
pull
resources
and
put
that
together.
H
Thank
you
very
much
both
of
you
for
those
comments
and
it
certainly
sounds
like
an
exciting
program
and
when
you
hear
about
the
need,
the
jobs
that
are
waiting
and
the
good
paying
jobs
for
our
students
and
once
they
get
out
of
their
educational
k-12
or
if
they
decide
to
go
post
the
high
school,
it's
it's
an
opportunity.
We
don't
want
to
miss
and
we
want
to
get
tennessee
positioned
to
capitalize
on
some
of
those
jobs.
I
support
this
effort
and
I
just
want
hope
we
can
work
it.
H
A
A
A
M
Thank
you,
and
this
is
the
amendment
that
will
make
the
bill.
This
is
a
charter
school
operator's,
piece
of
legislation,
the
original
charter
school
legislation
in
tennessee
is
nearly
20
years
old
and
has
required
some
updating
over
the
years
to
follow
best
practices.
Improvements
in
the
sector.
One
provision
that
has
not
been
updated
is
at
the
heart
of
this
particular
bill.
M
It
is
in
identifying
organizations
that
can
provide
management
services
to
charter
schools.
Importantly,
this
bill
makes
no
changes
to
not-for-profit
ownership
or
sponsorship
of
public
charter
schools.
House
bill
535
is
amended,
would
remove
the
requirement
that
charters,
man
and
charter
managers
be
non-profits.
M
It
would
adopt
the
universal
name
of
education
service
provider
and
further
strengthen
strengthen
the
state's
ability
to
protect
quality
in
2002
33
out
of
43
states.
With
charters
have
cleared
the
way
for
public
charter
schools
to
hire
the
very
best
and
highest
performing
operator.
They
can
find
with
tax
status
no
longer
being
a
determinating
factor.
M
Tennessee
is
one
of
the
10
that
has
not
several
things
are
making
a
part
of
this,
but
but
this
amendment
and
talking
about
performance
measurements,
there
are
very
four
very
important
guard
rails
to
protect
tennessee
students
from
bad
or
underperforming
actors
in
this
field
and
to
attract
the
best
of
the
best
where
they're
needed
number
one.
The
education
service
provider
wanting
to
come
to
tennessee
must
demonstrate
academic
growth
over
the
past
five
years.
M
M
And,
lastly,
this
bill
would
all
allow
authorizers
to
prioritize
applications
to
incentivize
charter
managers
to
serve
students
who
would
otherwise
attend
a
priority
bottom
five
percent
schools
or
focus
the
bottom
10
of
schools.
This
should
encourage
states
should
this
state
should
encourage
new
charter
managers
to
go
where
they
are
most
needed.
In
a
nutshell,
that's
what
the
the
bill
and
the
amendment
due
madam
chair,
mr
chair
and
members,
and
be
happy.
There
may
be
some
folks
who
want
to
have
their
thoughts
known
on
this
legislation
as
well.
Chair,
lady
and
chairman.
M
A
G
G
Nha
is
an
education
service
provider
and
we
partner
with
local
nonprofit
boards
in
nine
states
to
operate
96
schools
and
we
serve
about
60
000
students.
The
majority
of
those
schools
are
in
our
home
state
of
michigan
and
we're
really
proud
of
the
work.
We've
been
able
to
do
there,
especially
in
the
city
of
detroit,
where
we
have
eight
partner
schools
and
five
schools
that
serve
a
majority
of
detroit
students.
G
Those
schools
outperform
the
local
neighborhood
schools,
where
students
would
otherwise
attend
in
math
and
in
reading
and
they're
approaching
the
state
average.
So
we're
not
just
making
a
little
difference.
We're
making
a
big
difference
in
the
lives
of
those
students
across
our
network
of
partner
schools.
G
Two-Thirds
of
students
qualify
for
free
and
reduced-price
lunch,
and
we
know
that
tells
us
how
a
child
eats
not
how
they
learn.
But
we
know
that
sometimes
there
are
correlations
between
that
and
many
students
do
come
to
us
below
grade
level
about
two-thirds
of
our
students
are
also
classified
as
minority.
G
G
G
We
also
focus
on
student
responsibility.
We
believe
that
effort
creates
achievement
and
we
want
students
to
know
how
much
that
they
need
to
be
working
to
own
their
own
success.
And,
finally,
we
focus
on
morals,
and
so
our
curriculum
has
a
moral
focus
component.
That's
built
on
cardinal
virtues
of
justice,
fortitude,
temperance
and
prudence,
and
we
think
that
helps
students
to
be
smart
and
wise.
We
want
students
to
have
the
character
that
they
need
to
make
good
decisions
in
the
rest
of
their
lives.
G
These
pillars
have
helped
us
to
create
a
really
strong
record
of
success.
Our
students
regularly
grow
faster
than
the
national
average
and
in
2018-19
the
last
year
that
we
have
data
available.
Unfortunately,
in
these
crazy
times,
our
partner
schools
outperformed
the
local
district
and
75
percent
of
grades
in
math
and
74
percent
of
grades
in
english
language
arts.
So
we
think
we're
offering
something
to
the
communities
that
we
serve.
G
Now,
just
in
case,
you
think
that
I'm
only
sharing
our
own
results.
I
want
you
to
know.
They've
been
validated
by
national
groups.
The
university
of
michigan
did
a
study
and
credo
out
of
stanford
has
also
done
studies
that
validate
how
our
schools
have
done,
the
74,
which
a
publication.
That's
always
telling
me
what
a
great
job
tennessee
is
doing
in
terms
of
literacy
said
that
nha
produces
substantial
gains
in
student
achievement
compared
to
traditional
public
schools
in
michigan
and
education.
G
Week
also
noted
that
these
findings
were
intriguing
because
they
run
counter
to
a
lot
of
the
other
research
that
might
be
out
there
on
how
schools
that
are
managed
by
a
for-profit
provider
perform
in
the
credo
study.
Researchers
looked
at
students
who
attended
our
schools
and
students
who
attended
a
traditional
district
school
and
they
looked
at
a
virtual
twin,
so
that
meant
students
who
had
all
of
the
same
characteristics
and
we
ranked
in
the
top
20
percent
of
all
charter
operators,
regardless
of
tax
status.
G
That
study
found
that
students
received
the
equivalent
of
an
additional
80
days
of
instruction
in
math
and
60
days
of
instruction
and
reading,
so
about
three
and
a
half
extra
months
of
learning.
In
that
time
we
know
right
now
that
the
students
are
really
suffering
from
the
global
pandemic
and
we
expect
that
there
are
learning
losses
and
we
would
love
to
be
a
part
of
the
solution
to
help
meet
those
needs.
G
So
there
are
levels
of
accountability
for
us
when
we
partner
with
a
local
non-profit
board
to
open
and
operate
a
charter
school,
we
make
an
upfront
investment,
often
to
buy
land
and
build
a
new
facility
or
to
renovate
an
existing
facility,
that's
really
equipped
for
21st
century
learning.
We
want
to
make
sure
that
students
have
everything
they
need
to
be
successful.
G
G
Nha
partner
schools
serve
as
a
beacon
of
hope
to
their
communities
during
the
pandemic.
Our
schools
did
have
to
close,
but
we
did
many
things
to
stay
engaged
with
our
students
and
families,
including
regular
outreach
from
teachers
calling
families.
We
served
over
one
million
meals
in
the
last
school
year.
We
provided
chromebooks
for
students
and,
if
they
didn't
have
wireless
at
home,
we
provided
hot
spots
and
other
things
for
them
to
access
materials
or
we
mailed
packets
to
homes,
to
provide
multiple
means
for
students
to
learn.
L
G
We
operate
charter
schools
and
they
tend
to
start
kindergarten
through
fifth
grade
and
then
grow
to
kindergarten
through
eighth
grade
or
through
twelfth
grade,
and
I
really
think
that
it
is
our
instructional
approach,
our
ability
to
close
achievement
gaps
and
just
the
willingness
to
try
something
new,
sometimes
having
a
new
school
in
a
community
brings
parents
and
families
so
much
hope
and
allows
them
to
really
see
more
for
their
child.
So
we
would
like
to
bring
hope
as
well
as
a
proven
curriculum
and
a
way
to
to
serve
students
and
families.
L
L
Do
you
feel
that,
by
coming
to
tennessee
the
challenges
that
we
face
in
education
are
our
literacy
rates,
our
math
scores
the
overall
situation
with
our
schools?
Can
you
get
us?
Does
your
organization
feel
confident
that
one
you
can
get
us
to
where
we
want
to
get
to
and
number
two
you're
going
to
be
a
partner
with
tennessee
to
keep
reinvesting
back
into
tennessee
to
move
us
forward.
G
G
I
I
G
I
But
but
it's
your
testimony
that
this
aspect
of
I
don't
know
if
it's
multi
multi
ventures
or
you
have
other
you
know
business
interest,
but
in
terms
of
what
you've,
every
dollar
you've
gotten
above
operational
cost
over
the
entire
period
of
of
of
the
organization,
has
been
turned
over
to
the
next
project
or
been
been
reinvested
into
into
schools.
That
that's
what
you're
saying.
G
Typically,
when
nha
partners
with
a
local
board
to
start
a
new
school,
there
is
an
upfront
contribution
to
buy
the
land
and
build
the
building,
and
then
the
schools
tend
to
start
a
little
smaller,
but
we
want
to
make
sure
students
have
everything
they
need.
So
there's
often
a
big
investment
from
nha
in
the
first
few
years
of
a
school.
I
would
expect
it
to
be
the
same
here
in
tennessee.
I
Okay,
you
you
on
a
few.
You
were
in
the
room
earlier.
We
have
these
achievement
school
districts,
which
are
you
know
the
poor,
performing
schools
and
and
and
eight
seven,
eight
nine
years
later,
some
have
done.
Okay,
some
have
done
good
some
haven't.
So
I
guess
my
question
to
you.
I
I
heard
the
the
positive
side
of
what
you've
done
in
in
michigan
and
other
places.
Are
there
facilities
schools
systems
that
that
that
have
not
been
successful
in
in
in
the
since
you
all
started
into
this
type
business.
G
Sure
we
have
in
our
history,
opened
97
schools
and
96
of
them
exist.
Today
there
was
one
school
that
opened
in
2000
in
rochester
new
york
and
was
closed
in
2005
because
it
didn't
meet
its
charter
goals,
and
so
we
learned
a
lot
from
that
experience,
but
that
was
a
an
example
of
where
we
did
have
to
have
a
school
that
was
not
extended.
I
So
I'm
sorry
that
that
your
your
your
second
part
kind
of
the
first
part.
Yes,
it's
fine,
but
but
the
second
part
when
you
say
remain
in
operation
I'll,
go
back
to
these
achievement
school
districts,
they're
all
operational,
but
they're
not
operating.
You
know
all
100
successful
and
I
don't
know
what
those
numbers
are
in
in
tennessee,
but
I
I
I
just
so
so
I
I'll
ask
it
again.
So
the
of
the
96
open
school
they're,
they're,
all
they're,
all
they've,
all
been
measured
as
a
success.
G
B
H
Thank
you,
madam
chair
lady,
and
thank
you,
mr
packer.
If
I
pronounce
that
right,
I
hope
I
said
pronounce
your
last
name
correctly.
Thank
you
for
being
here.
I
I
wonder
you
know
we
were
just
talking
about.
Tennessee
has
some
achievement
school
districts
and
schools
that
are
underperforming.
That's
where
we'd
like
them
to
has
your
company
ever
engaged
in
third
party
advisory
roles?
H
You
guys
indicate
you
feel,
like
you've
got
a
curriculum
and
a
standards
level
that
creates
success
for
your
students
in
your
schools,
and
I
just
wonder
if,
if
you've
ever
acted
in
a
third
party,
advisory
role
or
shared
any
of
that
information,
or
maybe
consulted
with
the
state
of
tennessee,
is
a
possibility
of
advising
on
some
of
our
achievement
school
district
schools.
Thank
you.
A
C
C
It
showed
that
non-profit
charter
students
experience
growth
equivalent
to
23
additional
days
of
instruction
in
math
and
six
additional
days
in
reading
and
that's
across
sectors
as
a
whole,
not
specific
schools.
Again.
Data
specific
to
tennessee
shows
that
our
current
charter
school
operators,
40
percent
of
those
schools,
are
a
level
four
or
five
tivos
and
that's
in
growth
compared
to
29
of
traditional
public
schools.
So
again,
we
feel
that
our
the
charter
sector
in
tennessee
is
very,
very
strong.
C
Again,
the
lower
academic
outcomes,
particularly
around
student
teacher
ratios.
We
see.
For-Profit
charters
have
a
higher
student-teacher
ratio.
They
typically
employ
lower
qualified
teachers
again
with
decisions
being
made
around
profit
motives
and
not
necessarily
what's
in
the
best
interest
of
students,
we
want
to
make
sure
that
we're
protecting
the
charter
sector
in
tennessee.
C
C
We
know
that
there
were
quality
measures
that
were
mentioned
in
the
legislation.
However,
the
those
quality
measures
are
only
to
be
submitted
to
the
school
that
is
seeking
the
contract
not
to
the
authorizer,
who
is
currently
the
check
for
all
quality
measures
for
the
non-profit
charter.
So
that's
certainly
something
that's
very
concerning
to
us.
Additionally,
the
the
legislation
would
and
I
believe
it's
inadvertent,
but
would
would
bar
nonprofit
cmos
from
operating
in
the
state,
and
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
that
is
is
addressed.
C
We
know
that
charter
schools
are
a
very
important
piece
of
providing
high
quality
public
school
options
for
students
and
families,
and
we
really
want
to
focus
on
growing
and
replicating
our
the
strong
schools
that
we
have,
and
so
that
is
why
we
are
in
opposition
to
this
legislation.
I'd
be
happy
to
answer
any
questions.
A
M
M
Even
nonprofits
get
paid,
they
just
distribute
the
dollars
a
little
bit
differently
than
than
other
businesses.
Do
there
are
a
successful
few
folks
who've
been
blessed
with
their
business
operations
that
they
have
the
ability
to
spend
their
time
and
resources
in
benevolent
causes,
I'll
call
them,
and
this
could
be
deemed
as
one
of
those
opportunities
to
be
very
frank.
M
You've
got
folks
that
see
a
need
and
are
able
to
take
advantage
of
it
because
of
their
business
model.
They
may
choose
to
operate
in
a
particular
way
and
I
won't
be
specific,
but
but
my
granddaddy
used
to
keep
a
couple
little
side,
businesses
that
he
was
guaranteed
to
lose
money
on
just
so,
he
could
write
him
off
on
his
on
his
main
business
and
and
that's
that's
a
part
of
it,
but
still
had
focus
on
those
businesses
that
that
are
at
hand.
M
M
Something
I've
learned
over
the
course
of
time
is
how
to
count,
and
as
I
I
look
at
the
the
members
that
are
present
today,
I
I
feel
like
this
is
a
piece
of
legislation
that
we
need
further
discussion
on
much
as
chairman
white
had
mentioned,
with
some
of
his
legislative
initiatives
that
he's
working
on.
I
think
that
there's
an
opportunity
to
have
broad
discussion
on
this
throughout
the
throughout
the
next
next
several
weeks
months.
Even
with
that
at
this
moment
I
would,
I
would
move
that
we
take
this
bill
off
notice.
A
E
A
E
Okay,
I
think
I
can
do
this
in
short
order.
It's
a
lot
more,
simpler
bill.
It's
brought
to
me
by
the
state
board.
It
has
two
exact
objectives.
One
is
that
we're
just
aligning.
There
was
a
bill
passed
out
previously
by
the
administration
dealing
with
you
know,
using
common
core
and
instructional
materials.
We've
already
done
that,
but
this
particular
bill
that
we're
trying
to
align
it.
L
A
A
E
Thank
you
for
doing
my
work
for
me.
I
appreciate
that,
and
but
that's
basically
what
the
bill
does.
It
just
gives
clarifying
language
to
how
the
state
board
made
grant
waivers
when
we
have
lease
asking
for
waivers
through
the
for
their
instructional
materials
and
is
brought
to
me
by
the
state
board.
With
that
renew
my
motion.
L
You
and
then
one
of
those
amendments
we
made
was
replacing
the
word
from
made
a
shell,
and
that
has
to
do
with
the
compliance
of
the
lease.
Does
that
the
commissioner
knowingly
find
somebody
that
has
violated
this
section
that
she
has.
The
commissioner
has
the
ability
to
withhold
bep
funds
at
her
discretion.
Is
that
correct.
E
A
L
A
Almost
did
in
my
own.
Sorry
thank
you.
Thank
you.
Committee
and
chairman.
This
bill
will
require
a
30-day
prior
30
require
30
days
prior
to
commencement
of
a
sexual
orientation
or
gender
identity,
curriculum
each
local
education
agency
and
public
charter
school
to
notify
the
parent
or
guardian
of
a
student
who
is
anticipated
to
be
present
for
the
pr
for
the
instruction,
and,
that's
simply
all
it
does.
It
just
gives
the
parent
an
opt
out
and
requires
the
30-day
notification,
and
we
do
expect
that
there
would
this
student's
educational
day
would
still
continue.
H
I'll
come
back,
that's
okay!
I
want
to
I
want
to
say
something
about
this
subject
matter.
Look
I
think
we
can
all
have
differences
of
opinions
on
issues,
but
I
I
think
most
tennessee
parents
would
like
for
sex
education
outside
of
abstinence,
teen,
pregnancy
prevention,
std
prevention
families
would
like
to
address
that
with
their
children.
Not
not
the
state
government
instructing
our
children
about
those
that
subject
matter,
and
so
I
applaud
you
for
bringing
us
legislation.
I
support
it
and
I'm
just
trying
to
think.
H
B
B
B
So
let
me
ask
you,
give
you
a
scenario,
and
you
tell
me
if
I'm
on
the
right
track,
because
I
want
to
make
sure
that
I
understand
what
we're
doing
here
so,
if
you're
in
english
class
and
you
were
going
to
read
something
by
james
wilden
johnson
who's
openly
gay
is
that
is
that
something
that
a
teacher
would
have
to
give
30
days
notice
to
because
he's
he
was
gay.
I
don't
know
truly
moody.