Judge pledges to move swiftly on education voucher lawsuit
Chancellor Anne C. Martin indicated that she likely will allow three pro-voucher groups representing parents from Memphis and Nashville to become part of the case.
Marta W. Aldrich
Chalkbeat Tennessee
Marta W. Aldrich is the senior statehouse correspondent at Chalkbeat Tennessee. A newswoman for The Associated Press for most of her career, Marta has covered state government, politics, business, education and other Tennessee news. She has served as news editor of United Methodist News Service and features editor of American Profile magazine. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
There are 177 articles by Marta W. Aldrich :
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March 2020
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Education Literacy bill advances in Legislature, minus ‘science of reading’ phrase
The governor set aside $68 million in next year’s proposed budget to overhaul reading instruction.
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Education Schwinn on the hot seat over handling of textbooks and contracts
Tennessee's Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn appeared before the Senate Education Committee for a second straight week, where she was grilled about decisions last year involving the state textbook commission.
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Education More Tennessee schools close due to coronavirus, but TNReady testing is on
For now, TNReady testing is on for grades 3-11. It’s scheduled to start as soon as April 13, though school districts have some leeway to decide exactly when.
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Education Sweeping Tennessee legislation filed to drop TNReady tests, allow fewer school days
The proposal aims to lift the burden of testing and other state mandates from public schools disrupted by the ongoing spread of COVID-19, as well as deadly twisters that shredded parts of Middle Tennessee this month.
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Education Tennessee begins taking school voucher applications
Even as the new education voucher program is mired in a court battle and public schools may lose more funding if the coronavirus pandemic causes a recession, the state education department is accepting applications through April 29 via an online site.
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April 2020
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Education What to do about the Class of 2020 and other decisions await Board of Education
Lawmakers directed the policy board to revise graduation rules after the coronavirus shuttered schools. The decision will affect an estimated 71,433 students in the Class of 2020 as Tennessee works to blunt the fallout of COVID-19 on school communities.
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Education Tennessee expects $260M in federal stimulus funds for schools
The money will go toward critical expenses, including technology to support remote learning, summer and after-school programs, mental health services, support for students with special needs, sanitizing buildings and planning for long-term closures.
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Education New emergency rules address likelihood schools won’t reopen this spring
The rules – which also direct the state to drop overall effectiveness scores in this year’s teacher evaluations — position Tennessee to weather the rest of the school year in remote learning mode.
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Education Some seniors could miss out on HOPE Scholarships under emergency grading plan
For some students just short of a 3.0 grade point average, two extra months of grading could mean the difference between obtaining the state’s HOPE scholarship to attend college – or not.
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Education SCS to get $49M in emergency funds
The money will cover short-term needs as schools address students’ learning loss and anticipated trauma from this year’s shutdown, as well as uncertain future revenues due to a likely recession.
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Education SCS hires state official overseeing voucher launch
Amity Schuyler will work for a school system that opposes the Education Savings Account program she hustled to launch.
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Education Tennessee’s 1M students will learn less because of coronavirus closures
Students will miss at least 50 days of classroom instruction — almost a third of the school year — because of the pandemic.
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Education Memphis, Nashville districts consider charter school applications
The coronavirus has ground most of the economy to a halt and created financial uncertainty for both traditional and charter schools. Last week in Memphis, charter network KIPP announced plans to close two of its schools, partly because of its struggle to secure long-term funding during the pandemic.
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Education Tennessee will wait to award school vouchers until judge rules
One lawsuit over education savings accounts, or vouchers, pits the state against Metro Nashville and Shelby County governments, as well as Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Another was filed on behalf of parents in Memphis and Nashville.
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May 2020
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Education Judge denies motion to proceed with school vouchers pending appeal
Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin also scolded the state education department for its “mixed messaging” in continuing to take applications for the voucher program without alerting parents about the status of the legal case.
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Education Haslams want to hire 1,000 college students to tutor children
At a price tag of about $1 million, the program marks the first major statewide investment in addressing learning loss due to the public health emergency.
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Education After canceling TNReady exams, state must pay millions for testing prep work
Decisions about payment and future tests are among scores of questions and adjustments that all states are dealing with after the pandemic shuttered schools nationwide before testing season got underway.
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Education Alexander questions DeVos plan to shift coronavirus relief to private schools
“My sense was that the money should have been distributed in the same way we distributed Title I money. I think that’s what most of Congress was expecting,” the Tennessee Republican said, referring to the federal program that supports students from low-income families.
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Education Five education issues to watch as Legislature resumes
As lawmakers begin returning to the Capitol, they’ll face cratering revenues and the need to make deep cuts to Tennessee’s spending plan.
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Education Tennessee considers commission to help education rebound from the pandemic
The nine-member commission would report its findings to the Legislature by Jan. 1, in the face of learning setbacks for school children, disruptions to university life and the likelihood of more school closures next year.
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Education Lee promises to preserve state funding for schools in budget crisis
It will be up to the state Legislature to set priorities on new education spending, such as a teacher pay hike, a scaled-down literacy initiative, and the state’s embattled education savings account program, the governor said.
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June 2020
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Education State urges districts to buckle up for school bus issues
Tennessee Department of Education has also warned districts to plan for driver shortages. On social media, some drivers have suggested that returning to their bus jobs may not be worth the hassle.
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Education Pared-down budget scrubs proposed teacher bonus
For educators, the retreat marked a disappointing end to a budget process that was so promising in February when Gov. Bill Lee asked the legislature for nearly $650 million in new dollars for K-12 education.
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Education With applications down, Tennessee colleges nudge Class of 2020 via new social media campaign
Dozens of colleges and universities joined together last week to announce a monthlong social media campaign called #ItsGoTimeTN.
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