Tennessee lawmakers took a step towards changing the focus of the State Achievement School District (ASD) on Wednesday by passing House Bill O692 out of the State House Education Administration Committee. They did so over the objections of the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE).
The bill, should it become law, strips the TDOE of the ability to contract with private entities to run schools identified as low performing, and the ability to take over the administration of those schools. The bill further requires that the TDOE create and administer a Tennessee education portal that provides individual school districts with access to educational support and notifies districts of educational grant opportunities. While the bill prevents the TDOE from contracting with charter school operators to run schools, it does ensure that all current contracts are honored.
The ASD was founded more than a decade ago as part of the Race to the Top initiative. The program allows for a state takeover of the bottom five percent of schools. The schools return to local control once test scores improve, or 10 years expire. Upon exit, schools can choose to join either the local district or the newly created state charter school commission.
In presenting his amended bill, State Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) presented a narration that likened the ASD to a failed business venture entered into with a trusted friend, requiring increased investment, but repeatedly failed to deliver on its promised returns. Parkinson has long been critical of the ASD.
“The state has failed miserably in running schools and the state should not be in the business of being a school district, period,” he told lawmakers last year. “The Achievement School District came in and aggressively divided these communities and took over these schools, and then they performed worse than the schools they actually took over.”
The TDOE is opposed to any action that would significantly alter the department’s ability to take over schools and contract with charter school operators to run them. Testifying on the department’s behalf, Deputy Superintendent Eve Carney told committee members, “The department is concerned that this bill would take the first step towards undoing an important choice and accountability option for the lowest performing schools in the state. ”
She added, “Prior to the establishment of the ASD I 2010 there was no statewide lever that ensured Tennessee districts had accountability for low-performing schools.”
Carney continued, “And there were no statewide levers that would focus significant supports and resources to improve and turn around academic performance in the lowest performing schools.”
State Representative Ed Bulter (R-Rickman) pushed back on Carney, saying, “As a business owner, I would agree with the sponsor’s analogy – 13 years of failure, over a billion dollars, and we see virtually no improvement.”
Butler added, “You mentioned that there was some success, I would like to know the percentage of improvement for the bottom 5 percent.”
In response, the deputy commissioner produced data that showed the success rate for ASD schools in Math as being 6.1 percent versus 3.9 percent for schools in Shelby County’s priority zone. In English Language Arts, the ASD scored 10 percent as compared to 9.3 percent for Shelby County. By comparison, the state average is 30.8 percent and 36.5 percent respectively.
Carney further defended funding dedicated to the ASD, saying, “These dollars are federal and state dollars that students generated. That would have been generated either way, whether they attended an ASD school, or whether they attended a Shelby County School.”
Prior to calling for the question, State Representative Scott Cepicky (R – Culleoka) told the committee, “In my head, I keep hearing myself from my baseball career, arguing with my AAA baseball coach, if you just give me a little more time I’ll figure out how to hit the slider on the outside corner.”
Cepicky added, “He said, no, you are done. And I was done.”
The amended bill passed with only States Representatives John Gillispie (R-Memphis), Chris Hurt (R-Halls), and Mark White (R-Memphis) voting against it.
The bill now moves to House Standing Committee Calendar and Rules. The bill has not yet been heard in the State Senate.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He also writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
