BillHobbs.com is a frequently updated blog of original reporting and commentary by Bill Hobbs, a longtime Nashville journalist and media relations adviser. I am currently serving as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, a job I began on Oct. 29, 2007.
Tennessee state Rep. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, Tennessee's only blogging legislator, has a pretty good summary of the issues involved with the governor's pre-k proposal, over on his blog. Here is a small excerpt of his post, which I've edited because typos and misspelling drive me nuts...
Our state's greatest weakness is in 8-12th grade. We don't graduate as many as we should, and those that do, don't go to college. The original goal of the lottery was to increase the number of students getting a college education.
I think before we start spending excess money we should fully fund existing programs. Our K-4 students score the highest internationally. Once we get to 4-8, we have a drop off. Grades 8-12 drops off even more. Pre-K testing from other areas has had mixed results-some say no noticeable differences after grade 2, some say no difference after grade 4.
The Georgia model that is similar to ours reveals no noticeable difference at all. They have had this program for 10 years and spent over a billion dollars. (Please see the Georgia results in Drew Johnson's Policy Study on the Pre-K program. You can download or view this study at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research at www.tennesseepolicy.org)
I have heard statements made frequently about one study that showed "every $1.00 invested returns $7.00." The Governor often quotes this statement. Unfortunately, the program is not at all like the one being proposed, nor has it been duplicated by anyone.
Many representatives wanted to discuss some of these questions and facts, and therefore held a press conference to openly discuss and address the issues and questions. The Governor and/or his office were invited to attend. But guess what? He did not appear and not one staff member showed up.
This is not an isolated incidence. Many representatives have questions. Since session began many have asked "how will children be tested?", "what will be considered a successful result?" etc.
The Governor's response? Silence.
The governor's silence about such issues is matched only by the Tennessee news media's failure to fully explore these issues. The good news is, blogs like this one and Rep. Campfield's are breaking through the stonewall and providing the people of Tennessee with a more balanced and in-depth look at the issue.
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Tennessee state Rep. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, Tennessee's only blogging legislator, has a pretty good 