Nashville – Local school board members will join others from across the state Feb. 17 for a day of legislative networking at TSBA’s annual “Day on the Hill.”
Board members will hear from state officials including Lt. Gov. John Wilder, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, Senate Education Committee Chairman Randy McNally and House Education Committee Chairman Les Winningham. School board members also will have breakfast with their legislators and discuss education issues.
The annual event is being held at the Nashville Sheraton Downtown.
“Day on the Hill provides a great opportunity for school board members to share the concerns of their communities with legislators,” said Stephen Smith, TSBA’s director of Government Relations. “There is nothing more crucial to the future of our state than the success of public education, and Tennessee’s school board members want to partner with the General Assembly to improve our schools and the achievement of all students.”
TSBA’s 2004 legislative priorities include promoting improvements in education funding, including a teacher salary equalization plan and dollars for early childhood education; maintaining board-appointed school superintendents, opposing mandatory school system consolidation and automatic tenure for newly-hired teachers; and maintaining the original intent of Tennessee’s charter school law.
Rep. Les Winningham (D-Huntsville) and Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) will be awarded the “TSBA Legislative Award” for their support of public schools and local boards of education. Award winners are nominated by local school boards or school board members and chosen by the board of directors of TSBA’s Legislative Network.
The Tennessee School Boards Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization, is a federation of the state’s local school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessee’s public school students and school districts.