Cleveland delegation vows to support education

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Fielding questions from teacher representatives from five area school districts, the region’s state legislative delegation agreed that education funding should come first.

“Education can be held to the last and used as a political football,” state Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, said Tuesday during a roundtable discussion of education issues facing the Tennessee Legislature when it convenes next week.

Along with Bell, state Reps. Eric Watson and Kevin Brooks, both R-Cleveland, and Rep. John Forgety, R-Athens, met with Tennessee Education Association representatives from school systems in Athens and Cleveland and Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties. The meeting was held at the offices of the Cleveland school system.

The topics ranged from teacher and parent accountability to salaries and benefits, charter schools, tenure and contract negotiations with teachers.

“I think you will continue to see us moving in a positive direction,” Brooks told those around the table.

Bell and the others agreed the legislature should fund education first, before turning to other issues. Watson noted that a bill to the effect routinely has been killed in past sessions.

Watson, who represents the state’s 22nd District, will be on his traditional pre-legislative listening tour Saturday. Because the district includes three counties and borders Georgia and North Carolina, Watson said he wants to be sure that anyone with opinions and concerns has a chance to share them.

Topics at the town hall meetings, Watson said, can range from roads to jobs and likewise, education.

IF YOU GO

• What: Rep. Eric Watson’s town hall meetings

• When: Saturday.

• Where: 8:30 a.m. Copper Kettle Restaurant, Ducktown; 10:30 a.m. Benton City Hall; 12:30 p.m. Oak Grove Elementary School, Cleveland; 2:30 p.m. Meigs County Courthouse, Decatur.

• Admission: Free.

• Information: 423-339-0939

Source: Rep. Eric Watson