EmpowerED TN Student Letter on HB1900/SB2567
The Honorable Sen. Bo Watson
Chairman, Senate Finance Ways & Means Committee
CC: Representative Terri Lynn Weaver; Senator Rusty Crowe; Members, Senate Finance Ways & Means Committee
RE: Support for HB1900/SB2567
As a collective of Tennessee high school and college student advocates within the EmpowerED Network, a non-profit, non-partisan youth voice initiative convened by The Education Trust in Tennessee, we are writing to you today to express our support for HB1900/SB2567 as introduced by Representative Weaver and Senator Crowe, which will be considered by the Finance Ways & Means Committee in the Senate this afternoon. This bill is an important step forward to retain our teachers in the field, as it would establish a fund to reimburse educators in the amount equal to the cost of an assessment required for a license if the educator receives a qualifying score on the required assessment, and who receives a license to teach in Tennessee or an endorsement while currently employed by a LEA in this state.
According to the Commissioner of Education, Tennessee public schools have been short approximately 2,000 teachers for the past several years, and it is likely that this number could also be an undercount. The number of educators graduating from the 43 teacher training programs across the state has dropped nearly one-fifth over five years, with much of that decline happening even before the pandemic. For example, in Memphis and Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district, there were over 200 teaching positions open last fall. This problematic trend coincides with the increased number of educators who are choosing to leave the classroom due to the stressful challenges they endured (and are enduring) teaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, approximately 22% of Tennessee educators responded to a recent survey conducted in 2021 by the Professor Educators of Tennessee indicated that they plan to leave education.
With all the above data into consideration, it is evident that there is an urgent need for Tennessee to continue taking actions that support and empower our teachers by making the pathway to become an educator more accessible. Costs of licensures create barriers for prospective teachers to enter the workforce, and, unfortunately, the profession over the years has already become less attractive due to economic realities. This barrier is even more evident for students from low income and historically excluded backgrounds, which is why supporting our students’ educators is more urgent than ever. There are many ways that Tennessee must continue improving the institutional support and long-term retention of our state’s teaching workforce, and reimbursing educators for licensure and endorsement exams represents a step in the right direction. For these reasons, we support HB1900/SB2567.
Sincerely,
The undersigned student advocates of the EmpowerED Network, The Education Trust in Tennessee
KaMya Burrell
TCAT-Brownsville
Nikki Baker
Knox County Schools
Allie Osorio
Maryville College
Soziema Dauda
Belmont University
Ivy Enyenihi
Farragut High School
Brea Hinds
University of Memphis
Camryn Luckey
University of Memphis
Kathryn Appling
University of Memphis
Charlotte Taylor
University of Memphis
Lindsey Harris
University of Memphis
Kyndle Robinson
University of Memphis
Rachel Schuj
University of Memphis
Cassie Cannon
University of Memphis
Alesha Griggs
University of Memphis
Brianna Farmer
University of Memphis
Estefhany Hernandez
University of Memphis
Hillary Ashcraft
University of Memphis
Alencia Hall
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Daejah McAlpin
University of Memphis
Dereke Townsend
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Greyson Nichols
University of Memphis
Felicia Kelly
University of Memphis
Kaycee Wayne
University of Tennessee at Martin
Sarah Gibson
University of Memphis
Jenna Crist
University of Memphis
Brionna Harbach
Middle Tennessee State University
Sheena Chambers
University of Memphis
Madison Hollingsworth
University of Memphis
Myah Jennings
Austin Peay State University
Jadia Murphy
University of Memphis
Alondra Marin
University of Memphis
Anna Watson
University of Memphis
Jeremiah Phillips
Middle Tennessee State
Allison Smith
University of Memphis
Cody Cameron
University of Memphis
Deja Moulden
Austin Peay State University
Carson Bock
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Ceayanci Alexander
Middle Tennessee State University
Cierra Taylor
University of Memphis
Jolena Wheeler
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Karen De Leon
Lipscomb University
Hillary Ashcraft
University of Memphis