Dr. Register is Right!

Here's his article from the Tennessean.

He's right.

MNPS is at a critical juncture and should absolutely "shoot for the moon." The children of Nashville deserve nothing less.

Former ED Commissioner headed to MTSU

Former Commissioner of the TN Dept. of Education Lana Seivers will be the new Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at MTSU. Murfreesboro Post has the story.

Dr. Dan Wishes You a Happy Thanksgiving

We can hardly believe that Thanksgiving week is already upon us. And because of your support we have a lot to be thankful for this year.Not only did we have our best fundraising quarter yet, but we also widened our lead in the polls. We continue to raise more than our opponent in Kentucky and in small dollar donations. In the most recent Survey USA poll we also increased our lead to 11 points.We’re continuing to receive endorsements from all over the state. Read about our most recent one from the Kentucky Laborers’ District Council here.
As you can see – we have a lot to be thankful for. But we’re most thankful to have supporters like you. There is a reason why our campaign is leading by significant margins in small dollars donors and in the polls – it’s because of you.You’ve chosen to stand with me in my fight to bring quality healthcare, good jobs and affordable energy to the Commonwealth. This is not just my campaign – but our campaign for Kentuckians by Kentuckians. I hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving week.Happy Thanksgiving,

Dr. Dan

Murfreesboro has 2 finalists

for Director of Schools.

Linda Gilbert should be offered the job.

Jim Kyle: On The Move

Here's the email today:

Dear Friend,
A recently released poll in the race for Tennessee Governor shows that the more people know about Jim Kyle, the more likely they are to support his campaign to keep Tennessee moving forward.
When provided information about Jim’s experience, qualifications, and record, he catapults into second place. A recent Nashville Post article provides an analysis of how Jim is the one to watch in the Democratic Primary.
Will you help us continue to spread Jim's message and keep the momentum going?
Please make a contribution today!
Make sure your friends and family have signed up for our updates. We will be sending out information about events in your area and details about how you can get involved. We are counting on you to help spread the word about the campaign.
We look forward to seeing everyone on the campaign trail!
Thank you,
Katy CutrightCampaign Manager

Jim Kyle's Bringing the Cops

Here's the email:


Dear Friend,
I’m proud to announce that the Memphis Police Association - a group that represents over 2,000 police officers across the city – has endorsed me as their choice for Tennessee’s next governor.
I couldn’t be more honored to have their support. Public safety is one of the top concerns of Tennesseans, it means a great deal to know that the Association has recognized me as the candidate that can make the choices that will keep our cities safe.
These men and women dedicate their lives to protecting and serving the people of Memphis, and as governor, I will work to make sure that all police officers in Tennessee are properly equipped and well funded.
It’s great to have law enforcement as part of our growing team. I hope you will help us keep this momentum going.
Please get involved today!
Thanks in advance for your support.
Jim Kyle

Roy Herron -- Still Organizing

Here is the latest email from the Herron campaign touting 3 wins in Straw Polls. I know, some people discount the straw polls. But, to win, there must be some level of organization. And Herron has won every one of them so far. By convincing margins. Now, he's pushing the theme that he's the Democrat who can take on the son of the Pilot Oil fortune. Read on:

On Monday, we won our third straw poll in a row!We received 49% of the votes cast for five candidates at the Hamilton County Democratic Party’s annual Kefauver Dinner in Chattanooga. Two days earlier, we won the straw poll in Sullivan County with 57% of the vote. And in September, we won the first Democratic straw poll in Rutherford County, also by a large margin.If someone had said months ago, when our campaign began, that we would win the first three Democratic straw polls in this race for Governor, the pundits wouldn’t have believed it. Heck, I wouldn’t have believed it.But we did.Some pundits also claim a Democrat has little chance of being elected Governor next year. Some think that only the richest candidates should even be considered.But they forget what we can accomplish together with a lot of hard work – and with the support of people across Tennessee.I represent nine counties in West and Middle Tennessee. For 23 years, I have received the strong support of those rural areas. But winning straw polls in metropolitan areas like Murfreesboro, Tri-Cities, and Chattanooga – with margins a hometown candidate would envy – proves our message and hard work are reaching Tennesseans. Observers have noted the "small army of Roy Herron volunteers" greeting 3,000 Democrats at Jackson Day and our "unique ability to bridge the gap between rural and urban" Tennesseans. Our campaign team and volunteers are committed to the hard work it takes to win, and we’ll be working even harder in the months ahead to earn the trust and support of voters all across Tennessee.Will you help us?Our decisive wins in the straw polls prove we can connect with citizens all across Tennessee. But we need your support to reach others.Will you support our campaign by contributing $50, $100, or $250 to help provide the resources we need to win?Thomas Edison said, "Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."Let’s not miss this opportunity to work hard – and work together – to build a winning campaign and make Tennessee work for all of us.Thank you for your kind consideration!
Your friend, Roy
P.S. – You can learn about my record, sign up for e-mail updates, and volunteer at RoyHerron.com!

The Murfreesboro Finalists

here!

I will be surprised if they don't go with Linda Gilbert.

Set Proficiency Levels NOW

The Knoxville Chamber says so.

And, they are right!

TN should set high standards and set them now, rather than waiting for the tests to come out and then setting the bar artificially low.

And not just in reading and math. In science and writing. Kentucky is FAR ahead of us in science and writing gains because they have set high standards and consistently worked to achieve them.

Tennessee should follow their lead. If Kentucky beat UT in football as often and as badly as Kentucky beats us in academics, there would be a riot.

Let's riot now for academic excellence. We're getting beaten badly and the losers could be the next generation of Tennesseans unless we change the gameplan.

The BEP

Should ALWAYS be fully-funded! Cutting it should ALWAYS be off the table.

But Governor Bredesen and Comm. Webb seem to think otherwise.

There are reasonable solutions out there. Combined reporting of franchise and excise taxes, for one. Collection of 100% of the Hall Tax to the state General Fund for two.

The BEP is the state's funding formula for schools. BEP 2.0 was passed in 2007 and was to add up to $500 billion a year in new money to schools, but that funding level was not met b/c of "budget constraints"

While that is certainly realistic, fully funding "normal growth" in the BEP MUST always happen. the implications for schools and school systems are simply unacceptable.

As Buzz Thomas said at today's TSBA meeting, "the public schools belong to ALL of us and we should ALL pay for them"

He's right. And the BEP helps ensure that the public schools are at least funded at a basic level. The state has NEVER failed in meeting the obligation of full funding of the BEP. Now is not the time to start.

Straw Polls and REAL Polls

So, the Democrats are squabbling over the polls.

Roy Herron has won BOTH straw polls to date -- in Rutherford County and in Sullivan County. By solid margins. This could be a sign of solid organization, good groundwork, and a compelling stump speech. It definitely means Herron should be taken very seriously.

Jim Kyle claims the Sullivan County event was solid, but slightly attended, so the results could be discounted.

On the other hand, Mike McWherter released a statewide poll showing him with 26% of the Democratic primary vote while all other candidates were at less than 6%. A VERY solid starting point for McWherter. To be expected in light of the name recognition he enjoys because of his Dad, former Governor and state House Speaker Ned Ray McWherter. Plus, Mike's been out making the rounds.

So, if you look at Straw Polls and REAL polls, you see good news for two candidates in the Democratic field. Will Herron's organizational strength help him in the long-term? Can he overcome the name ID enjoyed by McWherter? Will another Democratic candidate (Jim Kyle) be able to translate a solid base in Memphis into a first place primary finish?

Right now, the good news and momentum is with Herron. But the lead seems to be McWherter's to lose.

Pre-K is Working in Tennessee

But that's not the headline you'll see in the Tennessean.

1) Pre-K is working. Taking kids who are likely to struggle and keeping them on track through 2nd grade is a GREAT outcome.

2) Rep. Maggart and her Sumner County counterpart in the Senate, Diane Black, have NEVER asked for the state to spend MORE dollars on K-12 or introduced legislation to shift pre-k money to K-12. If they were out there promoting alternative budgets, they might have a point. But in the context of a "just say no" to Governor Bredesen record, their arguments ring hollow.

No NEW BEP $

this article, about state employees and budget cuts, contains an important element about school funding...

The article notes that Gov. Bredesen proposes to fund the BEP in 2010-11 at the 2009-2010 level.

If true, this would mark the FIRST time since the BEP was passed that it was NOT fully funded. Each year, the BEP formula generates an increase in order to adjust for inflation, growth, and other factors that impact school cost.

If local systems don't get this increase, there will almost DEFINITELY be cuts to school systems across the state. Teachers? Textbooks? Transportation?

This is NOT good news.

It's about Standards!

Yep. And math is a BIG weakness for Tennessee.

Read about it here. And then let's make the new standards stick.