Friday, February 10, 2012
- by Rep. Kevin Brooks
Governor Lauds No Child Left Behind Waiver
Gives Tennessee flexibility to measure progress with state-specific goals and rigid standards
Governor Bill Haslam today lauded the approval by U.S. Department of Education officials of Tennessee’s waiver request from certain portions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Tennessee was the first state to request a waiver and was one of only 10 recipients of the first round of waivers. The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) accountability model under NCLB has been an ongoing obstacle for schools and districts because it does not fully account for schools’ growth.
“Tennessee schools have continued to make progress over the past decade that NCLB has been law, but the rigid and unrealistic AYP accountability model labeled some of these schools as failures despite meaningful improvement,” Haslam said. “We’ve implemented rigorous standards in Tennessee, and Tennessee received this waiver because of our commitment to improving education for all of our students.”
Under the waiver, Tennessee proposes to raise overall achievement by 3 to 5 percent each year and to cut achievement gaps in half over an 8-year period.
To track progress, the U.S. Department of Education required Tennessee to identify three groups of schools:
· Reward schools: 10 percent of schools throughout the state with highest achievement or overall growth.
· Focus schools: 10 percent of Tennessee’s schools with the largest achievement gaps.
· Priority schools: The bottom 5 percent of the state’s schools in terms of academic performance.
“It’s just not helpful or realistic to label schools and districts as failing, especially when they are making significant academic gains,” Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said. “This waiver is all about approving achievement for all students while closing persistent achievement gaps.”
House Lawmaker Introduces Bill for Easier Dual Enrollment
Conservative Lawmakers Focusing on Higher College Participation and Graduation Rates
A statewide push to encourage more Tennessee students to attend and graduate from college is getting some help from lawmakers.
Representative Julia Hurley (R—Lenoir City) recently met with Dr. Gary Goff, president of Roane State Community College, who discussed some of the issues his institution faces when it comes to attracting and retaining more students. Roane State provides transfer and career preparation study options, as well as continuing education and developmental education. The institution has nine locations across East Tennessee.
One issue Dr. Goff highlighted is the lack of information sharing when it comes to high schools and student vaccination records. Sometimes, these records are important for ensuring dual enrollment students are able to fulfill all their college requirements. Students participating in dual enrollment take college courses while, at the same time, completing their high school classwork. Upon learning of this issue, Hurley promptly introduced House Bill 2229 to correct the problem.
“Leaders around Tennessee are taking steps to encourage more students to pursue the educational opportunities available to them that, in the long run, will make Tennessee a better all around State,” said Hurley. “This bill is another step to ensure more students have access to a quality education and I am proud to usher this common sense fix through the General Assembly.”
HB 2229 requires high schools to forward vaccination records to higher education institutions on behalf of a dual enrollment student upon request of the student's parent or guardian. This week, the bill was passed out of the House Education Committee. The companion legislation in the Senate has been referred to the Education subcommittee. The text of the legislation can be accessed here.
Tennessee Joins Agreement with Major Financial Institutions
Tennessee will participate in the $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers, according to Attorney General Bob Cooper. The agreement arises from an investigation into unacceptable nationwide mortgage servicing and foreclosure practices. The servicers participating in this agreement, which was announced today, are Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citi, GMAC/Ally Financial, and Wells Fargo.
Once approved by the court, the agreement will provide an estimated $146 million in relief to Tennessee homeowners and addresses future mortgage loan servicing practices.
“This agreement avoids protracted and costly litigation while providing significant and tangible relief to distressed homeowners,” said Cooper. “The benefits of this agreement today far outweigh the possible benefits that might be obtained after several years in court. Homeowners need the help now and an orderly resolution of these claims is in everyone’s interests.”
Under the agreement, certain Tennessee homeowners who are current on their loans with the settling servicers but have not been able to refinance at lower interest rates may have an opportunity to do so. Other provisions of the agreement would require the servicers to reduce the loan balance of qualifying homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth.
Tennesseans who have lost their home to foreclosures by the settling companies from 2008 to 2011 may qualify for cash payments under certain circumstances. Funds from this agreement will also be used to help all borrowers across Tennessee, whether or not their loans were serviced by the settling companies, through free foreclosure prevention counseling and other housing and legal assistance programs.
“We are pleased to receive funds from the settlement to continue helping all Tennessee borrowers who have been affected by this mortgage crisis,” said Tennessee Housing Development Agency Executive Director Ted E. Fellman. “We encourage all Tennesseans who are having problems with their mortgage servicer, regardless of who it is, to contact one of our free foreclosure prevention counselors and visit www.KeepMyTNHome.org.”
The participating servicers will also have to revamp the way in which they interact with homeowners by providing a single point of contact rather than being shuttled around to different employees each time they contact their servicer. Servicers will also be restricted from foreclosing on borrowers while, at the same time, negotiating mortgage modifications.
“These provisions protect consumers now and are similar to the common sense treatment that Tennesseans are likely to receive from our smaller community lenders,” said Greg Gonzales, Commissioner of Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, whose agency participated in the agreement along with other state bank regulators across the country.
To ensure that the servicers meet their new obligations and standards, the settlement will be recorded and enforceable as a court judgment in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Compliance will be overseen by an independent monitor who will report to the attorneys general.
Participating mortgage servicers will contact borrowers directly regarding loan modification options. More information will be made available as the settlement programs are implemented after the court approves the settlement.
In the meantime, borrowers should contact their mortgage servicer directly at the following numbers to obtain more information about specific loan modification programs and whether they qualify under the terms of this agreement.
- Bank of America: 877-488-7814
- J.P. Morgan Chase: 866-372-6901
- GMAC/Ally Financial: 800-766-4622
- Wells Fargo: 800-288-3212
For more information about this agreement or to find out about housing assistance in Tennessee, please call 855-690-4899 or go to www.KeepMyTNHome.org.
Additional information about the agreement also may be obtained at www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com
Rep. Kevin Brooks serves the 24th Legislative District in Cleveland, TN and Bradley County. Kevin and his wife, Kim are actively involved in their community and local schools with their two children, Zach who is attending Lee University and Elizabeth who attends Cleveland High.