Chamber hosts legislators at monthly meeting
By Carole Robinson, staff writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
On the second day of the 106th General Assembly, members of the state legislature representing Williamson County addressed the Williamson County/Franklin Chamber at its monthly meeting. Sen. Jack Johnson and Reps. Glen Casada, Phillip Johnson and Charles Sargent warned chamber members it was going to be a difficult year.
Not mincing words, Sargent said, “The budget is a disaster. Overall, the budget is not in good shape. Every year the budget gets worse. Right now we are $1.2 billion in the hole. Last year it was $880 million to a billion dollars.”
It was federal stimulus money last year that prevented the budget from being worse, but this year most of the federal stimulus money will be gone. That means the state will have to become leaner and there will be “drastic cuts” across the state, primarily in service areas, to accomplish that.
More than 740 positions will not be filled, many in Children’s Services areas, 42 open positions with the Tennessee Highway patrol won’t be filled leaving some smaller counties without a trooper assignment and the governor called for a six percent cut across the board, Sargent said.
With cities, counties and households across the state tightening their belts, “The mood is not to raise taxes,” Sargent said.
However, since education has been made a priority, it will not see any reduction in funding, but rather may see an increase.
The governor’s special session on education may have had something to do with that. In an effort to get a share of a $4 billion federal education grant that was part of the trillion-dollar stimulus package, lawmakers drafted new legislation that will identify students who are not performing on grade level, schools that are failing and teachers who “may not be at the level they should be.”
“We did a couple good things,” Casada said about the session. “Some things we can actually brag about.”
Sargent met with a group of Williamson County teachers to assuage concern about the new evaluation system that will use student tests for up to 50 percent of a teacher’s annual evaluation.
Legislators also streamlined core curriculum education classes taken in community colleges ensuring all 60 hours will transfer to state colleges and universities and changed the way higher education institutions receive money. The new system bases funding on performance – graduation rates – rather than enrollment.
“Tennessee is quite a bit below normal on graduation rates,” said Casada. “Tennessee has to do a better job than we are doing today.”
However, if federal money doesn’t show up, any part of the education legislation that has a price tag to it will not be instituted. Williamson County’s share of the pot is estimated at about $306,000.
Casada also discussed a bill he is drafting in response to the recent Supreme Court decision regarding campaign finance. Currently the state’s Attorney General is looking current state law, which was changed to coincide with the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation and how it Casada can craft a bill that will allow corporations to donate larger amounts to state campaigns.
He also commented on the possibility of legislation going forward regarding the guns in bars bill passed last year and deemed unconstitutional by a judge.
“The attorney general is appealing the ruling,” he said. “I’d like to see it run its course through the courts before we act on it.”
Carole Robinson can be contacted at crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Posted on: 1/28/2010
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