NASHVILLE — Most Tennessee school superintendents want state lawmakers to back off from making changes this year to the state’s K-12 academic standards and instead give Gov. Bill Haslam time to complete his current review.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents released a letter signed by 114 of 141 school district leaders calling for a timeout.
Today, a House subcommittee is scheduled to hear a bill that would establish a new process for reviewing state education standards, which have been replaced with Common Core. Haslam’s review process, due to be complete in 2016, shares some similarities but wouldn’t see full implementation until the 2017-2018 school year.
“Please do not derail our momentum,” TOSS Board Chairman Randy Frazier urged lawmakers Tuesday in a state Capitol news conference attended by several superintendents from across the state.
The letter to lawmakers, which never mentions Common Core, says schools have been faced every year starting in 2008 with implementing changes ordered by governors and lawmakers or the State Board of Education.