Tennessee House District 80 includes sections of Madison, Hardeman and Haywood Counties in West Tennessee. Representative Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar, has held the seat since winning it in 2000 but has chosen to retire this year.¶
Democrats Bethany Miller and Andrea Bond-Johnson qualified for this month’s House District 80 primary. Bond-Johnson owns an insurance agency and has volunteered in her community to address issues facing working-class families. Miller is the assistant principal of Bolivar Elementary School, has nearly 20 years of educational experience, and is also a county commissioner for District 2 in Hardeman County.¶
As part of an ongoing series, the Tennessee Firefly reached out to each with questions about key education issues the General Assembly will grapple with next year.¶
Expanding Public Charter Schools
This month, students in House District 80 will have the option of attending the area’s first public charter school, the Jackson Museum School. Charter schools Gestalt North Jackson Academy, Gestalt East Jackson Academy, and Digitech Academy of Excellence are approved to open in the future.¶
The issue of whether more communities should have charter schools is among those dividing the two candidates, with Miller fully supporting charter schools and Bond-Johnson offering less support. Charters are free public schools run by a non-profit under a “charter” with a school district or the state.¶
“Actually, I am,” Miller said about being in support of charters. “My brother taught in Philadelphia at a charter school. The name of the school is The Workshop School… This school does not do school traditionally. Education is changing. We (cannot) continue to do the same thing and think that we will get different results.”¶
“I believe charter schools should be considered only if they will provide specific needs for the public schools and will not take away benefits and resources from the public schools,” Bond-Johnson said. “All students deserve a quality education with options while protecting our public schools.”¶
Preserving Accountability for Students and Teachers
Recent years have seen proposals in the General Assembly to weaken both the state assessment and teacher evaluation systems, despite research showing both have contributed to improved student performance. This is another topic on which both candidates disagree, with Miller directly opposing the current evaluation system and Bond-Johnson cautiously supportive of it.¶
“I am not in favor of the system we have now,” Miller said. “I do like that if you are at a certain level that you do not require as many evals; however, I have not done my research on what we could do that would be better, honestly. One thing we do need to address is the elephant in the room regarding African Americans passing and taking the Praxis. We have some amazing teachers who get let go (due to) this one little failure to pass this test. They are great teachers. They just struggle with taking tests.”¶
“I agree teachers should be evaluated in order to promote professional growth,” Bond-Johnson said. “Accountability is important, but it should be done in ways to reduce administrative burdens. Students need to have assessments to provide information about the needs of the students and not place too much weight on teachers when evaluating them.”¶
Expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship
Democrats have nearly universally opposed programs like the Education Freedom Scholarship that allow families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses.¶
Miller says she also opposes the program, while Bond-Johnson told the Firefly that she opposes expanding it at this time.¶
“I am not in support of (the Education Freedom Scholarship, and I would not like to see it expanded,” Miller said. “I do understand that children learn differently.”¶
“Before expanding Education Freedom Scholarship Programs, we should assess the academic outcomes, financial impact, and accountability measures,” Bond-Johnson said. “My priority is to make sure every student in TN has access to a quality education to ensure their success.”¶
How Would You Improve Education Outcomes?
Firefly staff also asked each candidate how they would improve student outcomes in Tennessee. Both candidates referenced the need for higher teacher pay.¶
“As an educator, there is so much I would love to see changed,” Miller said. “If we really want to improve outcomes for Tennessee students, then we need to improve the salaries, not only for our teachers, but also our bus drivers, cafeteria workers, assistants, office personnel, etc. Everyone… Education is at the top of important topics, and that is because people understand that population is our future, and we live in a system where you pay for what you get: you pay more, you get better results, outcomes, etc. I also would like to see Pre-K for all be in full effect.¶
“Changes I'd like to see made are to recruit and retain teachers by offering competitive salaries,” Bond-Johnson said. “Also, in rural areas, we need more support with resources in order to increase career and technical education while strengthening early literacy and math programs.”¶
Reducing Barriers to Open Enrollment
This year, lawmakers came close to passing legislation that would make it easier for families to enroll their children in school districts outside of the one they’re zoned for, sometimes called open enrollment.¶
Firefly staff asked each candidate if they’d support reducing open enrollment barriers if elected.¶
“We currently have open enrollment in my county, and it allows families who are fluid to move around and transfer within a district easier,” Miller said. “I am not opposed to this. It is my belief to make things easier for our families, not harder. We have enough on us as it is. I am not in favor (of) people moving around for access to better exposure or resources when it comes to sports. I know that is a thing too.”¶
“I would support providing families with the flexibility when transportation, capacity and funding allow it as long as our public schools will not be harmed,” Bond-Johnson said. “We should have policies that offer access to opportunities while preserving strong public schools.”¶
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Bolivar Mayor Julian McTizic, who’s running as a Republican for the seat.¶
