NASHVILLE – Gov. Phil Bredesen this morning issued his official call for a special legislative session on K-12 and higher education reforms. The special session call also gives lawmakers authority to temporarily suspend a new workers compensation law affecting sole proprietors and partners.
House Speaker Kent Williams’ office released an e-mail of the call to news media. The special session starts Tuesday.
In his letter, dated Thursday, the governor said, “I look forward working with you this session to capitalize on the unique opportunities that are in front of us in public education.”
In his proclamation, Gov. Bredesen cited the history of K-12 education reform in Tennessee and notes the state is now competing with other states for a piece of some $4.35 billion federal Race to the Top funds. The proclamation notes the Race to the Top competition “will reward states that have demonstrated success in raising student achievement and have the best plans to accelerate their reforms in the future.”
The proclamation also says that “Tennessee has the best opportunity for achieving success if it submits a competitive proposal during the first round of applications,” which are due Jan. 19.
See Saturday’s Times Free Press for complete coverage.