JOHN RAY CLEMMONS

 

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
DISTRICT 55 COMMITTEES
HEALTH
CORDELL HULL BUILDING, SUITE 424 $tat2 nf BUSINESS AND UTILITIES
425 FIFTH AVENUE NORTH SUBCOMMITTEE
HEALTH

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August 14, 20l8

Mr. Shawn Joseph? 

Director of Schools, I\I?letro Nashville Public Schools
2601 Bransford Ivenue

Nashville IN 37204

Mr. DorseyE. I-Iopson II Esq.
Superintendent Shelby County Schools
160 S. lIollywood St.

Memphis, IN 38112

Dear Dr. Joseph and Mr. Hopson:

\We, the undersigned members of the Davidson and Shelby county legislative delegations, write to express our full
support For your call for the State offli?ennessee to hit the pause button on the. failed experiment known as 'l?NReady.

As members of the Tennessee General Assembly responsible for helping set policies and appropriate taxpayer funds
for public education, we have been dismayed at the failed implementation of and wasted resources associated with a testing
system that is universally considered by any set of objective measures to be a colossal failure.

\Vi?e concur with 3our comments that when the delivery mechanism for the test fails repeatedly over a period of years,
the nuclei lying integrity of the test itself must be called into question. E,urthermore we agree. that unfunded state mandates
have led to tens ot millions of dollars in wasted investments at the expense of local taxpayers in each of 0111 respective
communities . and others.

 

Based on the comments made in the ongoing gubernatorial campaign, we are hopeful that the next governor will
appoint a new Commissioner of Education and immediately embark on a collaborative effort with local school districts to
scrap the failed TNReady system and transition to a new system that works for both our students and teachers. They deserve
a system that is functional, reliable and useful, as opposed to "I?NReady, which is broken, unfair and punitive.

Thank you for your leadership on this matter and we look forward to continue working with you both, for the bene?t
of ou1 public school students and teachers in the yea1 ahead.

Sincerei3 

@W?t 
EMU??them 

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