Latest news with #114th
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MTSU Mondays: Internship gives capitol closeup; Honorees receive community service awards
Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University: Middle Tennessee State University senior journalism major Tiffany Parker took her communications skills to the state Capitol during the 114th General Assembly as a legislative intern for state Rep. Mike Sparks thanks to an ongoing university program. Parker, who has been focused on working with local media outlets to gain expertise in her field, also aspires to be an attorney one day — so getting a closeup look at the state legislative process was definitely a draw. 'I've been very busy in these last two years building a rich tapestry because I want to stand out and I want to build a career,' said Parker, who plans to attend law school after graduating from MTSU in the coming year. 'I've just had my nose down and working and that's what I think Rep. Sparks saw. I've had a rich experience working for him and I'm so grateful.' Each year, 70 to 80 students from around the state participate in this program to learn about leadership responsibilities as well as develop legislative process skills. The interns assist legislative offices with their activities and work functions. Although Parker is majoring in journalism, Sparks connected her with the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program through the Department of Political and Global Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts, which coordinates the program at MTSU. Many students who take part in the legislative internships are political science majors. But the major doesn't matter, said Amy Atchison, chair of the Department of Political and Global Affairs. 'We welcome applicants from any major on campus,' she said. Parker's internship duties vary, from writing press releases to working on paperwork, answering calls from constituents, doing research and running errands. Sparks, who completed his second degree at MTSU in December 2024, said it's a 'win-win' for everyone involved, including his constituents in District 49, which represents the Smyrna and La Vergne areas in Rutherford County. 'All my interns have helped me be more effective, be more productive and more efficient. So I'm proud to get an intern,' said Sparks, who has hired multiple MTSU students to intern in his office. 'I think it's life-changing for them and it's such an opportunity for them.' The Tennessee Legislative Intern Program was established in 1972 to provide Tennessee college and university students with an opportunity to work and learn in a hands-on legislative environment. State Sen. Shane Reeves, a native of Murfreesboro and six-year veteran of the legislature, has employed an intern each year he's been in office. 'I've been a senator for six years and all of those years I've had an intern, and they have proven to be invaluable in my office,' said Reeves, 'not just in customer service, but doing research projects for me, in the committees I'm involved with in health, commerce and agriculture.' For Parker, the experience as an intern at the state Capitol has opened a whole new world to her. 'Everything I've learned is all coming together. Now I understand the jargon,' Parker said. 'Being at the Capitol just feels right. I can't put my finger on it.' Visit to learn more about the legislative intern program. Middle Tennessee State University's Nancy Prescott, a graduate student in history; Dianna Rust, professor in University Studies, and Violet Cox-Wingo, Department of Social Work lecturer, were recently honored among recipients of the 2025 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. Presented by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the prestigious award honors exemplary service and leadership in community engagement across the state's higher education institutions and were presented during a special ceremony at the Tennessee Capitol. The award is given to students, faculty or staff members from Tennessee's two- and four-year postsecondary institutions each year. It recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to volunteerism, public service and leadership in community organizations. Each recipient receives a $1,000 cash prize for their outstanding contributions. Named after late Rep. Harold Love Sr., the award was established in 1991 and later renamed in 1997 to honor his legacy of public service. The program continues to celebrate individuals who serve as ambassadors for community engagement throughout Tennessee's higher education system. Read more about the three honorees at MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations. This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Internship gives capitol closeup; Honorees receive community awards
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
How rural lawmakers could prove pivotal in Tennessee voucher debate
How rural lawmakers could prove pivotal in Tennessee voucher debate Show Caption Hide Caption Tennessee legislature: 3 key issues to watch The 114th Tennessee General Assembly convenes on Jan. 14 for a new two-year term. With pressure mounting from out-of-state groups to support a statewide school voucher program in Tennessee, rural officials oppose bringing vouchers to their community, while many rural lawmakers say they will support the policy anyway. Tennessee's current voucher program is restricted to low-income residents in Shelby, Davidson and Hamilton counties. But Gov. Bill Lee's new proposal would offer up to 20,000 slots to Tennessee families in its first year, with only half the vouchers tied to income and no geographic restrictions. Support in rural areas is mixed. Some of the most outspoken critics of the plan – and a few of the policy's most stalwart advocates – represent rural areas. In an effort to win over skeptics, Lee's proposal this year includes some sweeteners: a one-time $2,000 pay bonus for every public school teacher, and a dedicated fund for school construction and maintenance, funded by sports betting revenue and reallocated from the HOPE scholarship program. Likewise, pressure from out-of-state groups to support the plan is intense: A national group that spent millions on five Republican primaries in August has threatened to primary any GOP lawmaker who votes against the plan. While rural leaders have voiced overwhelming opposition to the plan, proponents like Lee and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, say the school choice program will help establish more rural private options. And despite opposition from their district, some lawmakers say they will support the plan. Rural lawmakers support despite local opposition Last spring, more than 80 local school boards and county commissions passed resolutions opposing Lee's voucher proposal. Many have done so again this year. Some rural lawmakers are among the most outspoken critics of vouchers, including Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill. After the special legislative session was announced to address vouchers, immigration and storm damage, mayors from Helene-impacted areas of Northeast Tennessee wrote an open letter of support for school choice. And many lawmakers will support the policy anyway, despite their own local governing bodies' opposition. Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, who represents rural areas in Bradley, Meigs, McMinn and Rhea counties, co-sponsored Lee's proposal last year. He said he supports the plan because it would 'allow a small fraction of families who feel trapped in a system or school the opportunity to have more control of where their student is educated.' 'Every resolution I have received argues the adverse impacts that might happen to schools. I am not elected by schools or educators alone. I am elected by the families of my district and there is a disconnect between what parents and educators want,' Lowe told The Tennessean. 'Schools exist to serve students. Students do not exist to serve schools. I am encouraging my school board colleagues to listen to their families, not just their educators.' Likewise, Sen. John Stevens, who represents a handful of counties that passed resolutions opposing the plan last year, also signed on as a co-sponsor. Stevens questions the validity of critical resolutions, arguing that they appear to have been drafted identically, and many were passed before language of Lee's latest proposal was released. His support for Lee's school choice proposal is based on extensive feedback from constituents, including constituent responses to his legislative survey and 12 years of openly supporting school choice initiatives. 'Does my support for school choice effectively represent the wishes of my constituents given these Astroturfed school board resolutions opposing school choice? Absolutely,' Stevens told The Tennessean. 'I listen to parents and constituents. I am a parent of a child in the public school system and have been for the past 14 years.' Policy will spark more private schools in rural areas One outcome of passage will likely be a swath of new, pop-up private schools in rural areas, fueled by state voucher funds. When asked why rural lawmakers and constituents should support vouchers, Lee indicated that while private school options may not yet be available in rural areas, they soon will be. 'It's not about just what today holds, it's what the future holds,' Lee told reporters in December. 'How we create opportunities for children that may not exist today, but might exist tomorrow.' Sexton – who opposed Lee's first school choice program in 2019 – agrees. 'If you do nothing in rural areas, they're never going to have choice,' Sexton told The Tennessean. 'But if you … have scholarships to go to private schools, over time, there will probably be schools, not in every rural community, but they'll be in close proximity that will allow parents the opportunity to maybe make a different decision.' Rural vouchers could destabilize rural public school funding, expert says But such pop-up schools rarely have impressive student outcomes and often shutter within about 3 years of opening, according to a school voucher expert, Michigan State professor Josh Cowen. The Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy has found that private school voucher programs tend to be harmful to local public schools in rural communities, while offering little actual access to private schools, as few, if any, private options exist for many rural students. 'There's a couple of particular threats to rural communities,' Cowen said, explaining that the lack of private school options won't drain funds from public schools immediately. 'The problem comes at the state level.' Funding issues may not come in the first or even the second year, Cowen said, but state budgets elsewhere have not been able to sustain two school systems – public and private – in the long term. 'Especially for rural areas, the state portion is the great equalizer. That's the thing that protects rural communities when a recession hits … when property values go down or fluctuate and create budget uncertainties – it's the state portion that stabilizes that,' he said. 'The state portion was threatened by the voucher bill.' Rural lawmakers face primary threats by out-of-state groups Club for Growth President David McIntosh, whose associated School Freedom Fund PAC spent $3.6 million in August seeking to flip five legislative seats pro-voucher, recently wrote an opinion column openly threatening to primary GOP lawmakers who oppose vouchers: 'Republicans who vote against TN Education Freedom Act will be primaried and lose.' Americans for Prosperity lobbyist Michael Lotfi thanked McIntosh in a social media post. 'The clock has run out for Republicans who chose to side with liberal unions over conservative leaders like President Trump & Gov. @BillLeeTN!' Lotfi wrote. Last year, Lotfi circulated a memo strongly indicating primary threats to lawmakers who didn't support the plan. Likewise, groups like American Federation for Children and Club for Growth are running ads statewide to support Lee's proposal – despite dozens of resolutions passed by local governing bodies. Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, posted on social media that he's received more than 500 emails supporting vouchers – with only one coming from inside his district. 'This is what the DC special interest mob thinks about your elected reps who dare to listen to you and vote the way you tell us to vote,' Barrett wrote of Lotfi's post. 'Out of state special interests have corrupted our political and legislative process to push this agenda,' former state Rep. Sam Whitson wrote in a recent opinion column, noting the record spending by dark money groups in August primaries. 'The results were a mixed bag,' Whitson wrote, 'but the message they wanted to convey was clear: get on board or you're next.' Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@ or on X @Vivian_E_Jones.
