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Council to consider opposing use of public funds for private schools unless certain conditions met

Posted at 12:59 pm February 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-city-council-december-2016

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider opposing the use of public funds for private schools unless certain conditions are met.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education has already taken a position. In November 2016, the Board of Education said it opposed the taking of funds from public education in any Tennessee community unless the local school board agrees, there is statutory assurance that schools receiving the funds will comply with the same curriculum and testing standards required of public schools, and until the Basic Education Program is “adequately funded” by the Tennessee General Assembly.

There has been increased discussion of the potential use of school vouchers, at least in part because of the nomination and confirmation of Betsy DeVos as the new U.S. education secretary.

In a memo to City Council members, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said the Tennessee General Assembly has debated the merits of implementing a school voucher system for many years as a way to provide quality education for all students in the state.

“This system would allow a freedom of choice for all students to choose to leave their geographical-centered public school to another school, taking the state-allocated funds for that public school system to the new system, be it public or private,” Watson said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Basic Education Program, City of Oak Ridge, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge school system, private schools, public funds, public school system, school vouchers, state of Tennessee, Tennessee General Assembly

Ragan runs on record; Nolan questions his representation

Posted at 6:48 pm August 6, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

John Ragan

John Ragan

He’s running for his third term in the Tennessee House, touting his record on state energy policy and trimming government. His challenger questions his record on representing the children and residents of the district, rather than special interests.

The two Republican candidates for the House seat in District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, are the incumbent, Representative John Ragan, and his GOP challenger, Caitlin Nolan. They will face off in the state Republican primary on Thursday.

It’s not clear who the winner will face in November. Misty Neergaard, the only candidate listed on the ballot in the state Democratic primary, has dropped out of the race, although she withdrew too late for her name to be taken off the ballot. There is a write-in candidate on the Democratic ticket, Leslie Agron of Oak Ridge.

During an interview last week, Ragan said legislators have eliminated 14 government organizations in the past two years, and a dozen legislative committees have been cut.

He said he’s helped to make state energy policy a top priority.

Asked about the challenge posed by Nolan, Ragan said: “It’s a race. My opponent is making me work hard, which is good for the voters even if it’s a strain on the candidates.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Government, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Americans for Prosperity, Anderson County, anti-bullying, Beth Harwell, bullying, Caitlin Nolan, Charles Koch, child abuse, Classroom Protection Act, David Koch, Democratic primary, discrimination, District 33, Don't Say Gay, education spending, energy policy, House bill, House District 33, Jim Hackworth, John Ragan, K-12, legislation, Leslie Agron, Marcel Neergaard, Misty Neergaard, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge High School, petition, Republican primary, school vouchers, special interests, StudentsFirst, Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee House, U.S. Department of Energy

Hackworth, Ragan spar over jobs, schools, voter ID

Posted at 9:11 am October 29, 2012
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Jim Hackworth

Jim Hackworth

John Ragan

John Ragan

John Ragan and Jim Hackworth agree that jobs and education should be top priorities in the next legislative session in the Tennessee General Assembly.

For the most part, the agreement seems to end there. In recent forums, the candidates have clashed over voter identification laws, school vouchers, virtual and charter schools, and jobs and unemployment numbers.

The Tennessee Democratic and Republican parties and other supporters have taken an active role in the high-stakes battle, sending out press releases, letters, and glossy flyers bashing their opponents and praising their candidates.

The two men are running in one of a half-dozen key races in the Nov. 6 election. Both want to represent District 33 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The district includes most of Anderson County.

The outcome will help decide whether Republicans gain a supermajority in the Tennessee House. If they do, they would be able to conduct business even if Democrats walk out.

Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, is a retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who beat Hackworth, a four-term legislator and former Anderson County commissioner, in the November 2010 election.

In a League of Women Voters forum this month, Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat, criticized Ragan for casting the only vote against House Bill 1329 in April 2011. That bill allows a court to prohibit anyone convicted of child abuse or aggravated child abuse from contacting a victim if the convict doesn’t have parental rights.

Ragan, who is completing his first term, said he campaigned for a smaller government, and there are already laws in place that do what HB1329 did, including the Tennessee Crime Victims Bill of Rights and the Tennessee Sex Offender Treatment Board Act.

“That law did nothing,” he said of HB1329. “I refuse to compromise my principles.”

The candidates were asked how to reduce bullying and make schools safer.

Ragan said there is no excuse for bullying, and teachers and administrators are responsible for ensuring it doesn’t happen. But courts have said educators can’t use those efforts to deprive students of their freedom of speech or religion, he said.

A child with glasses will probably be called “four eyes,” and one with braces may be nicknamed “metal mouth,” Ragan said. Schools don’t have the right to interfere beyond ensuring rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, he said.

“We have to safeguard our liberties,” Ragan said.

Hackworth criticized Ragan’s legislative actions on anti-bullying bills, suggesting he is trying to take those initiatives back in time.

“Bullying is wrong,” Hackworth said.

Ragan said he supports the use of school vouchers in failing school systems. The vouchers, which can be used for private school tuition, would likely be used in very limited circumstances, Ragan said. If a school system is failing, the money is being wasted anyway, he said.

“We need to give them a way to get out of that,” Ragan said.

Hackworth disagreed.

“Vouchers do more harm than good to a failing school system,” he said. “If the system has problems, then you fix it.”

He also said he opposed to taking away money from public schools for charter schools.

“It’s to weaken public education to weaken the current system,” Hackworth said.

The candidates were asked about the reported low performance rankings of the new Tennessee Virtual Academy, an online school run by K12 Inc. in Virginia. It’s managed in Tennessee by Union County Schools.

Ragan was less critical of the overall effort. He said Tennessee has ranked in the bottom 20 percent of student achievement nationally for decades, and some students need to take classes not available in their local systems.

“Do we want to penalize them?” he asked. “We’ve got to change the status quo.”

If the virtual academy doesn’t perform well, Ragan said, the contract could be given to someone else.

Hackworth said virtual schools have some merit. However, the current system, heavily criticized by Democrats, allots about 5 percent of the public funding to the Union County school system, and the rest of the money goes out-of-state, he said.

“It’s taking money from our school systems,” Hackworth said during an Oak Ridge Education Association forum last month.

Hackworth said the online academy should have started as a pilot program.

“The virtual school has been, so far, a total failure,” Hackworth said.

Ragan supported a new photo ID law for voters, saying photo IDs are required to board an airplane or cash a check. Republicans have said the legislation was meant to combat voter fraud.

But Hackworth said the intent of the new law is voter suppression.

“It’s all about keeping people from turning out,” Hackworth said.

The two candidates tangled over state contracts with out-of-state companies. Ragan said he would continue to allow them, while Hackworth said he believes jobs and business opportunities should first be offered to Tennessee companies.

“The best bargain for the voter is the lowest bid,” Ragan said.

“We need to take care of Tennesseans and Anderson County (residents),” Hackworth said.

Ragan said he had helped cut taxes and reduced the state budget.

Hackworth said job creation is down under Ragan, claiming last year’s numbers were the lowest in a decade in Anderson County.

“Are you better off now than you were two years ago?” Hackworth asked. “The answer is no.”

But Ragan said the unemployment rate rose while Hackworth was in office, and Tennessee students ranked near the bottom in academic achievement.

“Our state deserves better,” he said.

Last year, TCAP and ACT scores rose across the state, Ragan said.

Early voting for the Nov. 6 election ends Thursday.

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, bullying, charter schools, District 33, Jim Hackworth, John Ragan, League of Women Voters, Nov. 6 election, Oak Ridge Education Association, school vouchers, Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee House of Representatives, Tennessee Virtual Academy, virtual schools, voter ID

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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