The TNGOP Was for DEI Before They Were Against It

Republicans reverse course after accidentally advancing racial equality

Photo by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash

Some Hamilton County School Board members are upset about a district policy that encourages the recruitment of educator applicants from diverse backgrounds.

The Chattanooga Times-Free Press reports:

Some Hamilton County school board members are questioning whether the district needs an educator diversity policy.

“If we’re truly honoring what is the moral, right thing to do and following federal law, we’re not supposed to discriminate on race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, sex, anything,” school board member Larry Grohn, R-East Ridge, said at Monday’s policy committee meeting. “I don’t think we need this policy. We’re going to be looking for the best candidate. When you introduce something like this, that says you’re going to put extra emphasis that automatically defers discrimination.”

He called it “a racist policy.”

Another member said diversity was ok, as long as not much effort was put into it:

“I’m for supporting diversity, but I don’t believe in going overboard and a lot of extra expense and choosing candidates over other qualified candidates, more qualified,” said school board member Felice Hadden, R-Ooltewah.

The policy in question states:

Under the updated policy, educator diversity refers to a teacher workforce that “reflects a broad range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic backgrounds and pathways into the profession.”

So, these Republican School Board members are angry about what they see as a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) policy designed to recruit a broad range of applicants to the teaching profession.

Maybe the policy in question is the result of some Woke Mob in Nashville trying to dictate local school district hiring practices?

The original Hamilton County diversity policy was adopted in response to a 2019 Tennessee law that included a number of provisions transferring authority from the state school board to local districts.

Among those provisions:

The commissioner shall recommend, and the board shall adopt, a policy to promote educator diversity. The policy must include: (1) Strategies for LEAs to use in the recruitment and retention of minority educators; (2) A requirement that each LEA set a goal for educator diversity that takes into consideration the diversity of the students that the LEA serves; and (3) A plan to monitor educator diversity in the state.

The legislation was sponsored by former Senate Education Committee Chair Dolores Gresham, a Republican from Somerville, and former House Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn of Knoxville, also a Republican. Dunn currently serves as a Senior Adviser to the Commissioner of Education.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee.

Gresham, Dunn, and Lee are hardly champions of Wokeness.

Among them, Dunn is well-known for being a thorough reader of legislation - so, this provision didn’t just slip by him.

Hamilton County updated its educator recruitment policy this year, after lawmakers adopted anti-DEI legislation. Apparently, even the current policy is too woke for some Republicans.

When the GOP pushed through it’s anti-DEI legislation, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson indicated he wanted to bring state policy more in line with the policies of Donald Trump.

The “Dismantling DEI Departments Act” and the “Dismantle DEI in Employment Act” are meant to align Tennessee with the priorities of President Donald Trump’s administration, according to Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, a Franklin Republican and the Senate sponsor of both bills.

Johnson had some pretty harsh words for policymakers who forced DEI down Tennessee’s throat:

Asked if Black people or women currently employed by state or local governmental entities were hired based on their qualifications or their demographics, Johnson said he believes they were hired because they were qualified, but the DEI movement has become “insidious.”

Interestingly, Johnson also served in the Senate in 2019 and voted in favor of the Gresham-Dunn DEI bill. Given his role in leadership, he was particularly well-positioned to root out any provisions of legislation that he deemed “insidious.”

So, today’s Tennessee Republicans - from school boards to the state legislature - are upset with 2019 Tennessee Republicans for taking steps toward progress.