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Knox County School Board members refuse resolutions to “empower” parents, prohibit explicit content, and support women’s sports and literacy

Each year the Knox County Board of Education provides members of the Tennessee General Assembly with a list of legislative priorities the board hopes legislators will adopt in the upcoming session.This year’s priorities included supporting literacy instruction, parental transparency, age-appropriate content, and women’s sports, but several board members, declined to stand up for them.

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Education Commissioner says new school funding formula will give teachers an average $1,250 raise

One of major selling points in last year’s passage of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act was that it would provide money for teacher pay raises.Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn says that money will provide an average increase of $1,250 for each teacher in the state, but not everyone will see that much and some will receive more.

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Representative Scott Cepicky cuts back the amount he wants to provide teachers for classroom supplies

Culleoka Representative Scott Cepicky drew cheers from public school teachers when he proposed legislation this year to provide them with $500 for classroom supplies.Tuesday Cepicky walked that number back in the House K-12 Subcommittee, by amending his bill to offer less assistance.

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Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. What would that mean for kids?

When House Speaker Cameron Sexton recently floated the idea of Tennessee rejecting U.S. education dollars to free its schools from federal rules and restrictions, he made the pivot sound as simple as making up the difference with $1.8 billion in state funds.“I don’t think the legislation would be too hard to do,” he said last week after publicly declaring his desire to “do things the Tennessee way” at a Tennessee Farm Bureau reception on Feb. 7.

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Tennessee provides free help to aspiring teachers studying to take licensure tests

The Tennessee Department of Education is now offering Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship candidates free access to “Keys to the Classroom.” The suite of prep materials is designed to help aspiring teachers pass Tennessee’s licensure tests.These resources are available through the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center in partnership with Study.com.

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Bill would make summer learning camps designed for COVID continue beyond the pandemic

Like many school districts across the country, Elizabethton City Schools entered the 2020/2021 school year with a new hybrid schedule that allowed students to split time learning remotely and in the classroom.The schedule was designed to address COVID-19 concerns and for elementary school students, it meant virtual learning every Wednesday.Dr. Tammy Markland says teachers at her Westside Elementary School quickly noticed challenges.

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