WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 Craig Fitzhugh, Reginald Tate: Haslam's bad idea -- larger class sizes (C. Appeal) The governor's plan could result in thousands of teacher layoffs, huge financial burdens on local governments and a reversal of our progress in public education. It's your daughter's first day of kindergarten. She's excited, but also scared to be leaving Mom and Dad. You tell her it will be all right, that her teacher will take care of her and that she'll make lots of new friends. But as you open that classroom door, you're shocked to see dozens of other children, all going through the same emotions as your daughter. Some are crying, some are yelling and several are trying to run out of the room. You wonder how your daughter will get the attention she needs from her teacher, who will struggle simply to find space for everyone. Suddenly, you're feeling the same nerves as your daughter -- but for an entirely different reason. A proposal from Gov. Bill Haslam would permit public school districts in Tennessee to create classes with larger numbers of children and, as a result, would decrease the individual attention our children receive from their teachers. The plan could also result in thousands of teacher layoffs, unbearable financial burdens on local governments and a reversal of the progress we have made in our schools. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/08/guest-column-haslams-bad-idea-larger-class-sizes/ (SUB) Governor meets with county school officials (Columbia Daily Herald) Gov. Bill Haslam met with Maury County school officials Tuesday to hear educators’ tips on recruiting qualified teachers statewide and to discuss challenges local teachers face. Mt. Pleasant Middle School for the Visual and Performing Arts hosted the round-table discussion where Haslam addressed officials with professional experience ranging from one to 38 years. “We are committed to taking time to listen to people who truly are educators every day in front of a classroom,” Haslam said. “(I) try to see places of innovation and this is a school, with its Kids on Stage Program, (that) is making a big difference.” Kids on Stage is a program started by Jim Barrier, CEO of Smelter Services Corporation — a Mt. Pleasant aluminum recycling business — which combines the arts with core curriculum of math, science, social studies, English and reading. Barrier’s company provided MPMS with computers, sound, video and lighting equipment. Elliotte Kinzer, MPMS principal, said students who participate in the program gain self-esteem and acquire tools that will make them successful after high school. The school’s unique hiring process is something Kinzer said he would like Haslam to consider implementing statewide. http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/sections/news/local/governor-meets-county-school-officials.html Haslam Anti-Crime Bills Advancing In Legislature (Associated Press) Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's anti-crime package is advancing in the Legislature. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a bill seeking to crack down on people trying to make and sell methamphetamine and a measure targeting prescription drug abuse. Both bills now head for a floor vote. The House Judiciary Committee approved another administration bill to enhance penalties for violent crimes committed by groups of three or more people, while panels in both chambers approved heavier penalties for gun possession by people with previous felony convictions. Those bills face finance committee approval before they can head for a floor vote. The governor's call for mandatory jail time for people with repeat domestic violence convictions was put on hold by committees in both chambers over cost concerns among local governments. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/16699796/haslam-anti-crime-bills-advancing-in-legislature Haslam's judges plan gets support (Associated Press/Schelzig) Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan for writing the state’s judicial selection system into the Tennessee Constitution survived a challenge Tuesday from a fellow Republican in the state House. The Republican speakers of the state House and Senate also support putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2014 to maintain the current process. Under the system, a commission nominates judges, the governor appoints them and voters cast ballots on whether to keep them on the bench. Opposed by Casada The system has been opposed by Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, who was pushing a bill to hold popular elections for Supreme Court justices. As late as Monday, he claimed to have enough votes to move the measure out of the House Judiciary Committee. But at the urging of his GOP colleagues, Casada agreed on Tuesday to delay consideration of the bill until the panel’s last meeting toward the end of the legislative session. Earlier in the day, Haslam said he was asking members of the House Judiciary Committee not to advance Casada’s bill. It sought to schedule judicial elections in August 2014. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120208/NEWS0201/302080121/Haslam-s-judges-plan-gets-support? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News Tenn. Fiscally Sound but Cuts Needed (Memphis Daily News) Tennessee’s financial ledger is in good shape. The current state budget is balanced. For the first five months of the current budget year, general fund collections have outpaced projections by about $188 million. Furthermore, the state’s debt level is not excessive, and its unemployment trust fund is solvent while the state’s post- employment benefit obligation for retirees is manageable. Those are some of the findings in a newly issued quarterly fiscal affairs report from state comptroller Justin Wilson. But that report also includes several warnings for the state’s Republican-led government, notwithstanding the spending cuts and benefit-trimming both the legislature and Gov. Bill Haslam have embraced. “This favorable financial outlook is in large part a result of the willingness of the General Assembly to enact budgets that have forgone, reduced or eliminated expenses and services as well as the ability of the administration to create efficiencies in operations,” Wilson wrote. “This means, absent some catastrophic event, the state can, for the foreseeable future, continue to operate and provide basic services to its citizens.http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/feb/8/tenn-fiscally-sound- but-cuts-needed/ Wacker Institute opens Wednesday in Chattanooga (Associated Press) The Wacker Institute, a pilot plant and training facility at Chattanooga State Community College, opens to the public Wednesday. The $5 million institute has been described as a world-class science lab that will be part of the engineering technology division at the college. It will be used to prepare students for the fast-growing photovoltaics industry and a Wacker plant in nearby Charleston. Wacker Polysilicon, a partner in the institute, is a leader in the production of hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. Its $1.5 billion plant in Charleston is scheduled for completion in late 2013 with some 650 full-time workers. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38526225?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p Educators balk at Haslam class size proposal (Associated Press/Schelzig) Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to lift a cap on class size averages is meeting resistance from educators, but the Republican calls the proposal a key element to his effort to allow school districts to hike teacher salaries. Haslam told reporters after visiting a Maury County middle school on Tuesday that Tennessee is the only state to set maximums for both total and average class sizes. Removing the average size requirement would allow schools to have larger classes, meaning the total number of teachers could drop. Haslam said his proposal would give school districts the flexibility to use those savings to pay more for teachers in high-priority subjects and locations. But Maury County Schools Director Eddie Hickman criticized the proposal, arguing that larger class sizes hurt student achievement. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38526223?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s Johnson City Board of Ed. passes resolution opposing part of Haslam's plan (H-C) The Johnson City Board of Education is making its opposition to part of Governor Bill Haslam's education reform plan be heard loud and clear. Last night the Board of Education passed a resolution opposing the section of the plan that would increase the number of students in each classroom. That resolution is now being sent to the governor's office, the Tennessee School Board Association, State Senator Rusty Crowe and to State Representatives Matthew Hill and Dale Ford. A copy of the resolution that is being sent to Nashville the Board of Education said increasing class size in an effort to increase student achievement and reduce educational costs would be counterproductive. Overall, the board is definitely against any changes to state law that would decrease the number of teachers as class sizes are increased. Right now if the governor's plan is passed as is school systems would receive more funding only if fewer teachers are teaching at least five more students in their classroom. 2 http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/feb/07/johnson-city-board-education-passes-resolution-opp-ar-1671713/ Fitch Rates Tennessee's $385MM Rfdg GOs 'AAA'; Outlook Stable (Biz Wire) Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AAA' rating to the State of Tennessee's (the state) approximately $384.7 million general obligation (GO) bonds, 2012 refunding series A. The par amount of the refunding bonds may change prior to sale, expected on Feb. 15. Fitch also affirms the 'AAA' rating on: --$2.07 billion outstanding state GO bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY Full faith and credit, payable as to principal and interest from any funds or monies of the state from whatever source derived.