Update On The TN House Bill (2795)

The below message came to us via email and is concerning the hearing of Tennessee House bill 2795 previously mentioned on this blog. Please continue to pray for homeschoolers and non-public schools in Tennessee, that our freedom to educate is protected.

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Hello Tennessee Homeschoolers,
Please pass this on to your support groups, co-ops, tutorials, e-lists, etc. Thanks!Sorry I've taken so long to get this out to you. Please try to read the whole thing, at least eventually. All across Tennessee homeschoolers opposed HB 2795! Rep. Windle's assistant told me their office had received 4000 calls opposing HB 2795. That is a phenomenal number of calls! Thank you all!! A HUGE Thank You to all the homeschool families, Dads, Moms, children, graduates & all, leaders of Church-related schools and Church-related school organizations, who took the time to come to Nashville today in the ice, snow, tricky road conditions and very cold weather!

There were homeschoolers from all over the state at the Capitol today. A family from Sevierville came and spent the night in Nashville to be here today. There were homeschoolers from Memphis, who also came in last night, others came from Goodlettsville, Columbia, Spring Hill, Hohenwald, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Crossville, Fall Creek Falls, Livingston, Kingston, Brentwood and, of course, Nashville.

We printed 104 "Vote NO on HB 2795" stickers. We came home with only 5, so 99 homeschoolers wore the identifying stickers. There were a good number of other homeschoolers there who didn't have stickers. So our estimate, with help from Mike Bell, is that there were 80 - 90 adults and 30 homeschool students. It was a great turn-out for a day with such awful weather! Again, thank you, for coming!

OK, So what happened?

We gathered and waited out in the hallway of Legislative Plaza, outside LP 16, for the House Education Committee to conclude their business. As you know it was scheduled to end at 11:45, but they went until 12:20! And while they continued to meet, our numbers continued to grow and grow! Everyone was very, very patient with the whole situation! Rep. Hardaway came by and went into the Committee room for a short time to observe their activity; he returned to the hallway and let us know he wanted to talk with us about the bill. So in groups of 10-12 or more, we gathered around him in the hallway and the lobby at the foot of the escalators to dialogue with him about his reasons for the bill and our reasons for opposing it.

Waiting in the hallway, speaking with Rep. Hardaway, we were then greeted by Special Initiatives sub-committee Chair, Rep. John Mark Windle, who came out of LP 16 to check on us, to assure us that even if the bill was not voted on today he would let homeschoolers speak, recognizing that we had come from far and wide. He returned to the LP 16 and the Committee meeting. At 12:20, as the full House Education Committee finally concluded, the flat screen TVs which show the activity in LP 16, changed from "House Education" to "Special Initiatives sub-committee", we started into the room, motioning to others in the hallway that finally it was time for the Special Initiatives Sub-committee! It was then announced that the order of the sub-committees was being altered; the Higher Ed sub-committee would meet first, and afterwards the Special Initiatives sub-committee. One thing you learn at the legislature, stand your ground, but about certain things, be flexible and patient!

Thankfully the Higher Ed. sub-committee was a brief one as they promised and Special Initiatives began at 12:45. The sub-committee quickly went through their list of bills, rolling (moving to future dates) some of the bills, moving quickly down their agenda (also called a calendar) to HB 2795.Sub-committee member, Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, made a motion to consider HB 2795. Discussion was then allowed. Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, so much a freshman that this is his very first February as a lawmaker, elected in a special election to fill the seat of Rep. Kathryn Bowers who was indicted in the Tennessee Waltz sting, was recognized to speak to the sub-committee. He has told us since January, as Mike Bell has spoken with him about this terrible bill, that he believes the Gateway, end-of-course tests are unfair to the public school students who many times, while making good grades during the school year are not allowed to graduate just because they make poor scores or fail the Gateway end-of-course tests required for graduation. Somehow he thinks the solution to this problem is to now require all private school students in Tennessee to take these exact same tests! He says he is trying to highlight the unfair plight of the public school students who miss graduation or eligibility for the Hope Scholarships because of their poor scores on the Gateway tests. No one in the private school or the homeschool arena can understand this rationale. We are deeply concerned that there is another unspoken agenda, perhaps from other motivation, perhaps from the TEA, who has always wanted to control homeschooling. It is as we all understand a grossly unjust attempt to control the world of private education in a back-handed way, i.e. through testing, while saying the reason is distress over academic struggles of public school students. It is very puzzling, very disturbing!!

As Rep. Hardaway addressed the sub-committee, he didn't spell out his reasoning in quite this detail to the Special Initiatives sub-committee, though he did say the Gateway tests were unfair because they are preventing public school students from graduating and receiving scholarships, ruining their future.He did turn and look at the audience, the homeschoolers, thanking us for coming, acknowledging that government is of the people, by the people and for the people as demonstrated by our presence there today and by our calls!! OK! He also said that the purpose he has in this legislation is to begin a dialogue with homeschoolers and private schoolers, which he believed had begun today. All of this is very confusing!

He said the bill was in a state of change, that it was not in its final form, but that since the dialogue had begun, he would rework it and return with a new and better piece of legislation. Rep. John Mark Windle took the committee into recess so that homeschoolers and others from the audience could speak to the committee.

Homeschool father, Dr. Carr spoke well on behalf of homeschoolers, bringing up the concern of the issue of control, explaining that course-specific (or end-of-course) testing and granting of diplomas based on those test results, will dictate our curriculum choices and control our education, eliminating private education in Tennessee.

Another homeschool Dad, Mr. Hoffman, made a very good presentation about his family's home schooling. He mentioned that HSLDA has warned that this is the worst legislation in the 23 year history of the modern homeschool movement in Tennessee. He spoke of his own homeschooling and of his children's, giving a brief explanation of their standardized achievement testing. He pointed out that this legislation will force end-of-course tests on homeschoolers to our harm. He then offered, that they consider the fact that homeschooling is doing well and suggested that they remember the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!"

A representative of the Department of Education's Testing/Assessment Division, a Dr. Obie, I believe, spoke to the Committee about the DOE's testing requirements. He gave a good deal of detail about the tests required by the TN DOE and then those mandated by No Child Left Behind. He then informed the sub-committee that the TN DOE has altered their requirements regarding end-of-course tests; that no longer is passing the Gateway and end-of-course tests required for graduation. Instead these tests scores are calculated as 25 % of the course grade; indicating that this is a fairer way to handle the end-of-course tests. ( We just have to ask at this point, Isn't this the intent of Rep. Hardaway's bill? Hasn't he achieved his goal? What is the need for the bill to continue forward now that this goal has been met? To our complete amazement, no one on the sub-committee addressed this point to Rep. Hardaway!!)

Debbie Landers, Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Non-Public Academic Schools, TANAS, an organization of church-related schools, 50% of which umbrella homeschoolers, also addressed the sub-committee, explaining the testing required by their schools; that they are nationally-normed standardized tests. She also explained that homeschoolers regularly take these nationally-normed achievements tests such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Stanford Achievement Tests and that all of the homeschoolers going to college after high school take the ACT or SAT College Entrance Exams. Her testimony precisely answered the specific questions the committee had on how this bill would affect the TANAS church-related schools and the homeschoolers affiliated with them.

Committee member, Rep. Tommie Brown addressed us, homeschoolers in the audience, telling us that she has always supported us, that she is very open to us, referring to the fact that we should realize this because the TN legislature has granted us the freedom to home educate. She added that she knows the nuclear intact family is a powerful force in children's lives and makes a profound impact on their futures. She wanted all families to have the nurturing environment that homeschoolers typically have. As Claiborne Thornton understood it, it was her take on this bill that Hardaway was clever to sponsor this bill because it encouraged the legislature to be aware of the problems and inequities of Tennessee public high school graduation procedures, with the requirement that student's pass the high school proficiency, Gateway and end of course tests in order to graduate. She said she wants the public schools to improve to the point that homeschoolers will want to enroll our children. In a very simple response to this, I just have to say, that we have such differing views of the whole matter of education that at one level we really are speaking different languages.

Rep. Hardaway was called back to the podium. Mr. Hardaway promised everyone again (?) that the bill was going to be reworked, reworded and that he would be back with a new bill. (?) Rep. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, long-time Chairman of House Education Committee, and not a supporter of homeschooling, really made it clear that he was not happy with the way Rep. Hardaway had managed the bill, creating the firestorm among us, disrupting the work lives of legislators and their staff with our distress calls and e-mails. He suggested in a very strong manner that Rep. Hardaway consider letting the bill die (he didn't use that word, but that idea), or that if he decided to roll it to a future sub-committee date, that he first rewrite it, then a week before it comes to the sub-committee meet with and discuss with those impacted by the bill, to make sure there would be no new firestorm. Sub-Committee member, Rep. Joe Towns-D-Memphis, arrived at the sub-committee meeting as Rep. Hardaway was at the podium this second time. Mr. Towns jumped right in. He learned from Rep. Tommie Brown that the bill needed a second to stay alive, so he supplied the second and very sadly, gave this bill continuing life.

Rep. Hardaway said he wanted to roll the bill for three weeks, so we face negotiations with Rep. Hardaway. This is what we intend to say to him; we want him to completely alter the bill, removing entirely the testing requirements of non-public school students from the legislation, which will alter it so drastically, it will have in essence, died. This is what we will accept in this legislation and nothing less.

If, after talking with Rep. Hardaway today or on phone calls with him, you have a helpful insight into a way to reason with him, a point you made that seemed to impact him or other insights into relating to this legislator, please let us know your thoughts, your insights. Thanks.

At this point, we don't have an alert about this bill (2795), asking you to call or take action, other than to PRAY. We will be alerting you to the developments when they occur. Let's join together to ask God to change Rep. Hardaway's mind and heart, to change his understanding of this problem and its solution!

God Bless each and every one! >>

PLEASE PRAY WITH US:
(1) THAT THE RIGHT AND PRIVILEDGE TO PARTICIPATE IN NON-PUBLIC EDUCATION (private schools, church related schools, and homeschools) IS UPHELD, PROTECTED, AND PRESERVED.
(2) THAT REP. HARDAWAY'S HEART (and those other House members who are not in-favor of such unencumbered choices) WILL BE CHANGED TOWARD ALL NON-PUBLIC EDUCATION.
(3) THAT REP. HARDAWAY CAN FOCUS ON THE OBVIOUSLY SERIOUS NEEDS OF HIS DISTRICT AND CAN FIND A "GOOD" SOLUTION TO THEIR DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD SOLVE THE OBVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
(4) THAT EVEN IN IT'S (future) RE-WRITTEN FORM, HOUSE BILL 2795 DOES NOT CONCERN NON-PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ANY FORM -- AND THAT IF IT DOES INCLUDE NON-PUBLIC EDUCATION, THAT THE BILL DOES NOT PASS.