As promised here is a special report on secondary education (K-12). I wish I could say we spend more on education than any one thing, but I can't. The largest single expenditure, a little over a third of the budget, is spent on TennCare. Education funding ranks second in the budget.

Common Core has generated quite a buzz this past year. CC is a reference to a set of standards developed at the request of forty-five of the nation's governors. The State Board of Education adopted these standards for math and English four years ago and we are already using them in most school systems. In fact, many Tennessee teachers have received summer training on the new standards. In response to some constituent concerns, the General Assembly enacted legislation to allow the State the last word in any implementation of standards and prohibit sharing the state data for any purpose except the needs of the student The legislature preempted the State Board from adopting social study standards without prior legislative approval and postponed any new form of assessment for a year to give the State time to shop around.

The legislature changed the way members of the State Textbook Commission are appointed, removing some of the appointments from the Governor and giving them to the Speakers. I co-sponsored this bill. Since the legislature gets most of the complaints from parents, we should have some of the oversight.

I also co-sponsored a bill giving public schools a level playing field with charter schools. The Commissioner now has the authority to waive regulatory requirements that will help a local school meet its goals. I am hopeful this will alleviate some concerns public school teachers had about the charter schools.

Although the voucher bill passed the Senate, I voted against it - one of only two Republicans in the Senate to do so. I am very sympathetic to the children trapped in low performing schools (mostly in Memphis) but have a problem offering them a voucher to attend a private school using taxpayer's money. Also, it is ironic to pull funds from a school that may need it the most. The voucher bill was taken off notice in the House so it is dead for the year.

Finally, a huge issue yet unresolved is the funding of rural schools. In 2007, changes were made to the BEP formula which governs distribution of state funds to schools. This change has resulted in more funds for urban schools at the expense of rural schools. I filed a bill to redress this situation but the Governor preempted me by appointing a task force to study the issue. I have withdrawn my bill to see what the task force will report. This is a critical issue to all the public schools in the 12th district. I plan to keep an eye on this.

As always, just direct your questions to me at sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov.