“Teachers often ask where I stand on education. Our actions speak louder than any answer I can give: our children attended public schools. We believe in our teachers and are committed to public education. Just as we don’t want Washington politicians meddling in our schools, perhaps our state politicians ought to let our local teachers and administrators take a greater role in deciding what’s best for the kids entrusted to their care.

We need to find a better balance between state guidance and local control. We need to rethink our over-reliance on high-stakes testing. And we need to develop a much better teacher evaluation model that teachers find meaningful, consistent, and fair."

Working with Governor Haslam and the Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee public schools have received an additional $1.5 billion investment in K-12 education, with nearly $500 million going to teacher salaries.