A Little Further Left
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — One of the big stories coming out of the state capitol in Nashville focused on where your child can go to school.
Governor Bill Lee’s voucher program, which would be available in all 95 counties, would allow state tax dollars to cover tuition for a student going to a private school. In April, with staffers behind the scenes saying the bill was on quote “Life support”, the Senate and House were unable to come together on certain stipulations. This essentially killed the bill for the time being. The governor expressed his disappointment but also vowed not to give up as he told 6 News Lori Tucker in August.
“Changing the status quo is hard. And we have had the status quo for a long time. But we’re seeing that change across the country. There is a growing awareness that parents know best and we ought to empower parents to make those choices,” said Lee.
As the debate continues, the issue of school vouchers, now referred to by the governor as “School choice”, will again be a hot topic during the upcoming session at the beginning of the new year.
Another hot-button issue that had parents and lawmakers debating was a bill that would allow teachers and staff to carry guns in schools. The bill went into effect immediately after Lee signed it into law in April. One of the stipulations, any armed teacher or staff member would have to take part in at least 40 hours of training as well as undergo criminal and mental health background checks. The bill also notes that school administrators would have to ok any members to carry in their school.
Channel 6 News asked Knox County Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk in August if he had been approached by any school members wishing to carry on campus. He said, at the time, he had not.
“We’ve had a commitment for many decades to have an officer in every school. I think our folks are very confident in that. I’ve said time and time again that a trained officer in every building is the best defense because there is not just one threat to our schools,” said Rysewyk.
Staying with bills focused on schools, a Middle Tennessee lawmaker filed a bill to limit cellphone use in the classroom. State Representative Scott Cepicky introduced House Bill 13. It would require school boards to adopt policies that prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during class time with some exceptions. For example, if students are using them for educational purposes approved by the teacher, in the event of an emergency or to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. In a release, Cepicky said the law is designed to “Improve attentiveness in the classroom”. The bill will be taken up in the next legislative session which begins on January 14.
Shifting to November, where Election Day saw a lot of red across Tennessee. In the run for the White House, the majority of Tennesseans cast their vote for former president Donald Trump. The now, president-elect, pulled in just over 64% of the vote to vice president Kamala Harris’ 39.4%.
The numbers were similar in the race for one of the state’s two senate seats. The Republican incumbent, Marsha Blackburn won with just under 65% of the vote while her Democratic challenger, Knoxville’s Gloria Johnson, pulled in 34.2%.
Closer to home, an amendment on the ballot that aimed to change how the City of Knoxville elects its city council members failed with 49% in support to 51% against. This means there will now be a primary within the city’s six council districts with the top two vote-getters in each primary moving on to the general election, but only in their district. There would still be three at-large seats as well.
“What I’m glad about is that the transition was not an all or nothing. From no At Large to all At Large. What I understand it’s still 6-3… meaning there’s still some ability for city citizens to pick their best person out of the rest of the group along with their own geography,” said Mark O’Gorman, Maryville College Political Science Professor.
How we get around was also a hot topic in 2024. Though not built yet, Choice Lanes had a lot of people talking. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, these will be additional lanes that use pricing to proactively manage demand and provide travel time reliability. The lanes will allow drivers to maintain a consistent travel speed, even when adjacent lanes are congested.
For Knoxville, choice lanes have been proposed for the west side of town where I-40 and I-75 become one. This is the area between downtown and the I-40/75 split. With that said, it will still be some time before East Tennessee sees any construction as TDOT plans to build its first stretch of choice lanes in Middle Tennessee in 2026.