Week of Action against school funding bill

ATHENS, Tenn. (WDEF) – This week, Gov. Bill Lee issued his State of the State Address, which included the education freedom scholarship act. Needless to say, there are some upset parents and teachers who believe there should be an alternative option for public schools funding.

In response, parents and educators across Tennessee have joined Statewide Organizing for Community empowerment (SOCM) and Tennessee for All to hold events highlighting the State of our Schools. They are calling on legislators to keep public funding in schools that support all students.

“We believe our taxpayers dollars should go to public school funding. So, today we have brought together teachers, parents and students to discuss our plan of action,” says member of SOCM, Sarah Denny.

The education freedoms scholarship act grants for publicly funded voucher programs that benefit for-profit private schools. But these concerned parents and teachers believe this should apply to all schools.

“Everyone has the right to choose what kind of school is best for their kid, we just believe that public dollars and taxpayer money should go to support public schools because we believe in the dream of public schools,” says Sarah.

Both McMinn County and Athens City School boards have passed resolutions opposing Gov. Lee’s voucher proposal and the public schools’ strong program is calling on law makers to fully fund public schools.

McMinn County is one of four counties participating in this week of action. For more information on upcoming events, visit the Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment website.