How Bad Does Hillsdale Want It?
It looks like their pursuit of taxpayer cash in service of Christian Nationalism is relentless
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It seems Hillsdale College is continuing its full court press in pursuit of tax dollars to support their Christian Nationalist school privatization agenda.
If Hillsdale succeeds in their quest to open 5 charter schools next year - one each in Maury, Madison, Montgomery, Robertson, and Rutheford counties - they stand to gain nearly $15,000,000 in combined state and local public education dollars.
Make no mistake: While Gov. Lee and others continue to assert that these are public schools, Hillsdale charters have a very clear, very religious agenda.
While the state’s policymakers pursue their privatization plans, Tennessee’s existing public schools languish with billions of dollars in unmet needs.
A recently released report from the bipartisan Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) suggests the state’s K-12 schools have $9 billion in necessary infrastructure improvements.
Chalkbeat reports:
Tennessee needs to invest more than $9 billion in its K-12 education infrastructure over five years, an increase of nearly 9% from an assessment done a year earlier, a new state report says.
Of that amount, about $5.4 billion is needed for renovations and technology improvements, while nearly $3.6 billion is needed to build additions and new schools, according to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
The report, approved Thursday by the commission, comes as local and state officials grapple with how to cover the soaring costs of school construction, which have doubled in the last decade due to rising material and labor costs.
While Lee’s allies in the legislature look to expand school vouchers and champion charters, research on student achievement indicates investing in infrastructure pays off:
Meanwhile, years of research shows that fixing school buildings can improve student learning, health, and behavior. One study in Tennessee shows a direct connection between student achievement and the condition of school buildings. Another study from New York found that poor building conditions can lead to higher rates of chronic absenteeism.
Oh, and the state is on track for a surplus in excess of $2 billion this year.
They are always willing to play the long game
Typo in title. Their, not they’re.