TENNESSEE TEACHERS LOYALTY & EMPOWERMENT PLAN

PROBLEM STATEMENTS:

In the State of Tennessee, teachers are underpaid, undervalued, and underappreciated. Teachers are the foundation of our children's educational success and the entire community that benefits from their expertise and educational training.

(a) As the next potential Governor of the State of Tennessee and a former educator, I will erect a Tennessee Council of Educators to ensure they are at the table for all decisions when it comes to our students' education. They see firsthand the underlying problems, educational difficulties, and the disparities.

(b) Before any legislator's raise or additional benefits are given, educators will be given mandatory salary increases. I personally have pledged to give 3/4 of my Governor's salary to address homelessness, child literacy, mental health counseling, drug counseling, teachers' enhancement incentives, environmental injustice, food insecurity, etc.

(c) Teachers' authority has been taken out of the classrooms, and I will give it back. They must have the authority to teach and not have their creativity and expertise undermined.

(d) To attack the profession of teaching and their higher degrees is appalling. I will support teacher education pathways and continue learning opportunities.

Atwater's Goal and Strategies:

(a) As part of my plan, we will fight to increase teacher pay and per pupil funding so educators and school districts can focus on delivering high-quality instruction, instead of making ends meet.

(b) As the next Governor, we will prioritize mandatory teacher pay increases, address provisions that create back-door avenues for public dollars to fund private schools, and work to ensure that cost sharing between municipalities is both equitable and fair.

(c) TISA does not address the shortage of teachers needed to adequately support students. In the past, Tennessee school districts hired 11,000 more teachers than the current formula funds, and TISA does nothing to ensure more teachers will be hired and supported by State funding.

(d) TISA does not guarantee a boost in teacher pay. The $125 million dollars set aside for teacher compensation is part of a funding plan, not a spending plan. Counties decide how to spend the money, and TISA does mandate that funds be spent on teacher pay increases. According to a Tennessee Department of Education report, only 16% of school districts gave out the last cycle of promised pay raises. I will address this issue.

(e) As a former teacher, many educators use their own personal funds to purchase students’ materials, school supplies, and personal toiletries for their students. Teachers are the backbone of our society. Incentivized efforts must be made for reimbursements.

(f) Municipalities will ultimately bear the costs. The current administration has set a four-year grace period in which the local contributions to TISA are lowered until 2027. However, after that time, the contribution limits will automatically increase to the level contemplated by the formula, and municipalities will be faced with the difficult decision on which taxes to increase to make up for the gap created after the grace period has ended. All staff personnel will have a background in education administration to assess the real numbers to make real changes in our education system.

(g) I would reassess all TCAP examinations that have placed teachers in a vulnerable position for years. Teachers are professionals. Standardized tests are biased, and it limited in how every child learns.

(h) In this Tennessee Teacher’s Loyalty Plan, I would address special housing loans, incremental wage step-up pay, wrap-around services to cater to the personal needs of our beloved teachers, and student loan forgiveness programs. After the first year, teachers would receive a 10% raise in pay based on classroom performance.

(i) Be recognized for identifying and implementing wrap-around programs to benefit students, especially the ones living in cars, hotels, or victims of human trafficking.

(i) All educators in the State of Tennessee will be allowed to have continuing education in Artificial Intelligence. Build their educational curricula on the pros and cons of AI.