.
WE
WE NEED
WE NEED THE MICHAEL JACKSON JACKET BACK >>. I'LL TELL HER WE'RE >> BACK ON
THIS SUNDAY MORNING WITH THE
GOVERNOR OF TENNESSEE BILL LEE
.
DON BASS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR >>
GOVERNOR.
GOOD.
GOVERNOR. GOOD. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
EDUCATION.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT SOME
THINGS.
I MEAN WE STILL RANK NATIONALLY
TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF K THROUGH
12 EDUCATION.
BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY OR AS
IMPORTANTLY, WE RANKED TOWARDS
THE BOTTOM IN TEACHER PAY AND I
KNOW THAT YOUR BUDGET IN THE
BUDGET JUST PROPOSED HAS A
NUMBER IN IT AND I WANT TO SAY
WITHOUT CHECKING THE DATA THAT
IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND FOUR
PERCENT.
BUT SOME HAVE SAID THAT THAT
INCREASE REALLY AMOUNTS TO ONE
AND ONE HALF PERCENT FOR EACH
TEACHER, WHICH IS A VERY
MINISCULE AMOUNT WHEN THEY'RE
ALREADY UNDERPAID.
CAN YOU ADDRESS SORT OF WHERE
YOU'RE AT IN TERMS TEACHER PAY
AND WHAT YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH
BECAUSE UNTIL WE CAN GET THAT
TEACHER PAY UP WE ARE GOING TO
LOSE QUALITY INSTRUCTORS,
TEACHERS AND CONTINUE TO DO SO
EITHER TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR
TO OTHER STATES.
AND I'M VERY AS A CITIZEN I'M
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT ISSUE
IN ITSELF.
YEAH, I THINK YOU'RE YOU'RE
RIGHT >>, DON.
IN THAT TEACHER >> PAY IS VERY
IMPORTANT.
WE AS YOU KNOW, WE TOOK EVERY
INCREASE OF ANY KIND IN OUR
BUDGET OFF THE TABLE BACK IN
MARCH AND THEN REITERATED THAT
IN JUNE WHEN WE WERE IN THE
MIDDLE OF UNCERTAINTY
ECONOMICALLY.
BUT NOW THAT OUR ECONOMY IS
BEGINNING TO COME BACK, WE HAVE
REINSTITUTED THAT TEACHER PAY
WE HAVE ACTUALLY BROUGHT
BROUGHT THAT BACK PART OF THE
REASON >> WE HAD THE SPECIAL
SESSION IS WE WERE ABLE TO
BEGIN THAT PAY STARTING EARLY
IN THIS YEAR SO WE DIDN'T HAVE
TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT FISCAL
YEAR TO PAY TEACHERS MORE.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE KNOW IS THAT >> WE HAVE
TO ATTRACT FOLKS INTO THIS
PROFESSION AND THEY DON'T DO IT
JUST FOR THE PAY.
IT'S A TEACHING IS A CALL AND
WE KNOW THAT.
BUT WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE
THAT TEACHERS ARE PAID WELL AND
WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE WILL
CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR
INCREASED FUNDING BOTH FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WE ARE
FULLY FUNDING THE BEPPIE AGAIN
THIS YEAR AND INCREASING
TEACHER PAY.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY EVEN THEN
>> OR IN ADDITION TO THAT I
SHOULD SAY WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO
IS ATTRACT THE BEST AND
BRIGHTEST WE ARE CREATING
PROGRAM WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION THAT WILL REWARD
>> THAT >> HIGH PERFORMING
STUDENTS FOR MOVING INTO THE
TEACHING PROFESSION.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE
HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION AND
OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
YESTERDAY I SPOKE WITH COLLEGE
PRESIDENTS OF TARCOOLA, THE
PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS ACROSS OUR
STATE AND CERTAINLY JUST SPOKE
WITH PRESIDENT BOYD IN THE LAST
WEEK ABOUT TEACHER PREP
PROGRAMS AND HOW WE NEED TO
PARTNER THE DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION WITH OUR HIGHER
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO
DEVELOP >> A STRONGER CORPS OF
TEACHERS THAT ARE COMING INTO
THE PROFESSION.
SO WE COMBINE INCREASES IN PAY
WHICH WE'RE DOING THROUGH OUR
BUDGET WITH INCREASED
INCENTIVES TO GET THE BEST AND
BRIGHTEST INTO OUR TEACHING
CORPS AND WE'LL WE'LL START OR
CONTINUE DOWN A PATH TO
INCREASE AND IMPROVE >> THE
EDUCATION TEACHING COMPONENT IN
OUR STATE >>.
GOVERNOR, DEMOCRATS ARE IN A
SUPER SUPER >> MINORITY IN BOTH
THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE.
WHAT HAS BEEN THEIR BEST IDEA?
AS DON MENTIONED, THEY PUSHED
HARD ABOUT USING EXCESS MONEY,
THREE BILLION IN SURPLUS MONEY
TO PERHAPS REWARD TEACHERS OR
BOOST THE EDUCATION BUDGET AS
THE T.A WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
WHAT'S BEEN THE BEST IDEA THAT
YOU'VE SEEN COME FROM DEMOCRATS
IF THOSE AREN'T GOOD ONES?
WELL, >> YEAH, I'LL HAVE TO
SPEAK TO THERE'S BEEN A GREAT
DEAL OF BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON
>> THE PIECES OF LEGISLATION
THAT WE BROUGHT FORTH IN THE
SPECIAL SESSION.
YOU SAW YOU SAW REAL BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT ON MANY OF THOSE
INITIATIVES THAT WE BROUGHT
FORTH BECAUSE DEMOCRATS OR
REPUBLICANS AGREE ALIKE >> THAT
WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES
THAT AFFECT OUR KIDS, WHETHER
THAT'S THIS LITERACY PUSH THAT
WE'RE DOING.
WE INSTITUTED A NEW THIRD GRADE
GATE WE CALL IT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE DON'T PUSH KIDS BEYOND
THIRD GRADE BEFORE THEY'RE
READY SO THAT WE PUT THEM IN A
SITUATION
THEY
THEY ARE
THEY ARE SET UP TO FAIL. WE THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE
SUCCESS RATE OF OUR KIDS AS
THEY GO INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.
SO I THINK >> WE WORK TOGETHER
WITH DEMOCRATS ON POLICY AROUND
AROUND CHILDREN, AROUND
EDUCATION FOR KIDS.
THOSE ARE A COUPLE >> OF
EXAMPLES OF OF IDEAS THAT WE
WORK TOGETHER ON TO BRING
FORTH.
>> JOHN, I INTERRUPTED YOU GO
AHEAD.
WELL, WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING WAS
THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS THAT
WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN THERE IS
A RAISE FOR TEACHERS AND WE
TALK ABOUT DRAWING THE BEST AND
BRIGHTEST SO EVERY OTHER STATE
IN AMERICA AND AND THEY'RE
DRAWING OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST
AWAY IN PART BECAUSE THEY JUST
PAY BETTER AND WHAT CAN WE DO
BECAUSE UNTIL WE RAISE TEACHER
SALARIES TO BE AT LEAST
COMPETITIVE WITH THE REGION,
THAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO
HAPPEN AND I KNOW WE SPEAK A
LOT ABOUT PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
I DON'T THINK WE'LL GO DOWN TO
THE VOUCHER RABBIT HOLE THIS
MORNING BUT THE DUTY OF
GOVERNMENT IS TO FUND PUBLIC
SCHOOLS AND TO PROVIDE THE BEST
EDUCATION POSSIBLE AND I'M JUST
SUGGESTING THE RAISE THAT WAS
GIVEN REALLY ISN'T SUFFICIENT.
IS THERE SOME FUTURE PLAN TO
INCREASE THAT SUBSIDY ACTULLY
TO BRING US ON LINE WITH THE
REGION?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT WE'RE
WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE
LOOKING AT HOW WE COMPARE WITH
OTHER STATES AND MAKE THOSE
INVESTMENTS ONE STEP AT A TIME
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY
COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER WITH
OTHER STATES AND TO AS I SAID,
TO INCREASE THE INCENTIVES TO
GET KIDS THAT ARE NOT TEACHERS
YET BUT THAT WILL BE TEACHERS
TO JOIN THAT TEACHING CORPS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO DO BOTH AND
WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO LOOK
AT TEACHER PAY AND MAKE SURE
THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO
INVEST IN THAT AND WE WILL
GOING FORWARD ALONG WITH OTHER
OPPORTUNITIES >> TO GET MORE
KIDS INTO THE PROFESSION.