SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011 Spring Hill to Play Unique, Versatile Role for GM (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

GM is spending around $60 million at its Spring Hill plant to build the popular Equinox SUV. The setup cost is a relative steal as these things go. That discount is thanks to hundreds of millions GM invested in the plant earlier, before idling it for two years. If GMs factories were a sports team, Spring Hill could play any position. The $700 million GM spent on upgrades five years ago let it switch up assembly lines fast and cheap. When the recession hit, the automaker put Spring Hill on the bench and waited. A couple thousand factory workers were left holding their breaths. Now demand is coming back, and GM cant seem to make the Equinox fast enough. Building more gives Spring Hill a position to play. You could expect that Spring Hill is going to be a very important plant. http://wpln.org/?p=31886

Sprint draws incentives in move from Va. to Tenn. (Associated Press)

Sprint's plan to move a call center a few miles from Bristol, Va., to the outskirts of Bristol, Tenn., means the company could reap millions of dollars in state and local tax credits. Virginia and Tennessee both offered incentives to the company, but ultimately Sprint announced last week it would move to an improved facility in Sullivan County on the other side of the state line. Tennessee Department of Revenue Communications Manager Billy Trout told The Bristol Herald Courier that the company qualifies for the state tax credits even if the current employees in Bristol transfer to the new facility ( http://bit.ly/tFuJ54 The state said the facility, which ). should be completed in 2013, will employ around 600 people. Sprint's investment in the new facility is estimated between $4 million and $6 million, said Richard Venable, CEO of Networks-Sullivan Partnership, an economic development partnership in the region. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=38017955.story

Caterpillar Stirs States' Aspirations (Wall Street Journal)

Forget Kindle Fires and iPads. One of the holiday gifts most coveted by local officials across the U.S. this year is a new Caterpillar Inc. construction-equipment factory, likely to be presented to a North American community in late December or January. The planned factory comes with an expected 1,000 jobs and bragging rights sure to be valuable at election time. About two dozen U.S. states have contacted Caterpillar to bid for the $150 million plant, which will make small excavators and bulldozers, the company says. It also has heard from authorities in Canada and Mexico. "A 1,000-job investment is going to get the attention of every state in the nation," said William Hagerty, commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Economic and Community Development and an appointee of the state's Republican governor, Bill Haslam. Budget squeezes have reduced money available for cash incentives paid by many states to companies making major job-creating investments. Even so, many states still have substantial war chests for such projects, and Caterpillar is sure to set off a bidding war. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203764804577056333902055246.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1

Education Officials Hope Cuts Wont Compromise Program Quality (TN Report)
The state Department of Education anticipates spending $5.2 billion next year, representing one of the largest budgets in state government. The spending plan results in a $365 million or 6.5 percent overall reduction in over the current years budget. Still, the Department of Education is expanding in certain areas, looking for an extra $53.8 million to adjust for mandatory increases in the states education funding formula and another $1.2 million to cover growing costs in existing pre-K classrooms. We think that we can do some of the reductions without it compromising program quality, Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman told Gov. Bill Haslam during a budget hearing at the University of Tennessee Knoxville Tuesday. I think its probably a mix of things that we can absorb and things that give us some heartburn, he said. http://www.tnreport.com/2011/11/education-officials-hope-cuts-won%E2%80%99t-compromise-program-quality/

Not everyone thinks Sprint deal is good for Sullivan Co. or TN taxpayers (BHC)
Last weeks relocation announcement of a Sprint call center from Bristol, Va., to Bristol, Tenn., means potentially millions of dollars in state and local tax credits to the company, although its only moving a couple of miles down the road. Tennessee Economic and Community Development spokeswoman Laura Elkins declined to discuss any specific economic incentives packages offered to the company because nothing is official between the state and Sprint at this point. It doesnt become public until a contract is signed, she said, adding that the company and state discussed potential numbers but its all speculation. To qualify for a state excise and franchise tax credit, Sprint must invest $500,000 in a new facility. The project is estimated at between $4 million and $6 million, Networks Sullivan Partnership CEO Richard Venable said. The company must also hire at least 25 people. In a statement from Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslams office, the facility, which should be completed in 2013, will employ around 600 people. Normally, a company would qualify for a state tax credit of $2,000 per new employee. But because Sullivan County is economically depressed, the company qualifies for $4,500 in tax credits per employee, Elkins said. If Sprint hires 600 employees, it can potentially receive $2.7 million in excise and franchise tax credits. http://www2.tricities.com/business/2011/nov/25/not-everyone-thinks-sprint-deal-good-sullivan-coun-ar-1492180/

Need a Christmas tree? There's an app for that (Times News)

The eight local Christmas trees Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam will display at the State Capitol and the Tennessee Residence will be adorned with slightly more than ornaments this year. Donated from tree farms across the state, the six trees at the Tennessee Residence and two at the Capitol will have a mobile phone quick response, or QR, bar code displayed with the trees, linking many smartphone users directly to the Pick Tennessee Products Christmas tree director y. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture created the bar codes so Tennesseans only have to point their phones camera at the bar code to launch an application giving instant information about local tree farms. Choosing locally grown products is one way everyone can join the effort to strengthen our rural economies, Haslam said. Its a great way for us to help each other, and thats something we all think about during this time of year. Pick Tennessee Products is the states promotional campaign to connect consumers with local farm products. Through the Web site, visitors can access directories, seasonal recipes and find local artisan products from wines and cheeses to aged hams and local honey. The sites Taste of Tennessee Online Store provides links to numerous Tennessee produced or processed products popular during the holidays. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9038765/need-a-christmastree-there39s-an-app-for-that

Unemployment rate falls below 10 percent (Times-Gazette)

Bedford County's unemployment rate fell substantially in October to 9.8 percent, according to preliminary numbers released by the state's department of labor. That's a drop of 0.8 percent, since September's revised jobless rate for the county was at 10.6 percent. Unemployment for the county at this time last year was at 10.8 percent. Labor force estimates for Bedford County showed 20,980 employed out of a work force of 23,260, meaning that an estimated 2,280 are without a job. The state's jobless rate for October fell to 9.6 percent, down from the September revised rate of 9.8, while the national unemployment rate for October was 9.0 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the September revised rate. "The drop in the unemployment rate from September to October is attributable to an increase in employment and fewer people looking for jobs," Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development Karla Davis said. "Education and health services were two of the sectors fueling the monthly increase in employment." University of Tennessee Economist Bill Fox stated that Tennessee has done a better job than the nation in creating employment opportunities. http://www.tg.com/story/1788140.html

County's jobless rate down (Columbia Daily Herald)

Maury Countys unemployment rate fell to 12.1 percent in October, down from 12. 7 percent the previous month, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Its the fourth straight month the countys jobless rate has fallen. In a report to the Maury County Commission on Tuesday, Brandom Gengelbach, president of the county Chamber and Economic Alliance said 994 jobs either have been or will be created in the county because of new business arriving or expansions to existing industries announced since the beginning of the year. Columbias unemployment rate dipped to 13.3 percent in October, down from 14.1 percent the previous month. The city still had the highest jobless rate of any municipality in Tennessee with a population of at least 2

25,000. Spring Hills unemployment rate was 8.8 percent last month, unchanged from September. http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/articles/2011/11/25/top_stories/04jobless.txt

Madison losing thousands on tires (Jackson Sun)

County looks at recycling options Madison County officials say the county has lost more than $100,000 over the past four years in a state tire waste management program. "The intent of it is good," Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said. "And I think it has done some good." "I think it has prevented tires from ending up in ditches and gullies on the side of the road," Harris said. But the program's flaws attach a costly financial burden to waste tire management for counties throughout Tennessee, he said. "Ninety percent of the counties lose money on it," Harris said. Over the past four years, Madison County has lost more than $100,000 on the waste management program implemented around 1988. In 2009-10, the county lost about $11,000 on the program, which nearly doubled the next year to about $20,000 lost in 2010-11, Madison County Finance Director Mike Nichols said. In 2008-09 the county lost more than $54,000 because of more tires coupled with dissolving grant money. In 200708 the county lost $16,000. The state reimburses counties in part for participating in the Department of Environment and Conservation program, in which tire dealers dispose of tires through a recycler. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111126/NEWS01/111260313/Madison-losing-thousands-tires

Wild hog hunters push back on limits in Tennessee (Associated Press)

Tennessee wildlife officials had hoped allowing year-round limitless hunting of wild hogs would eradicate the aggressive pigs that can tear up farmland and forests, but they spread even faster and turned up in counties where they hadn't been seen before. So the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency changed tactics and banned hunting of the wild hogs for the general public this year. Some wild hog hunting is still allowed for landowners trying to get rid of nuisance hogs and deer hunters on most agency wildlife management areas on the Cumberland Plateau and in East Tennessee. TWRA started allowing year-round hunting of hogs in 1999, but now the animals have been found in isolated pockets in almost 70 counties as of this year. Hog hunters are pushing back against the change and say the state is trying to protect the destructive hogs. TWRA Wildlife and Forestry Division Chief Daryl Ratajczak told The Tennessean that they promote wild hog elimination but not the sport of wild hog hunting (http://tnne.ws/rYZ2tz ). "If people enjoy or like the sport of wild hog hunting, they will want to continue to do that and expect there to be wild hogs to hunt," he said. Chuck Yoest, TWRA's wild hog coordinator, said trapping of wild hogs in Williamson and Rutherford counties has stopped much of the damage in those areas. TW RA favors trapping them in a corral baited with grain or other food. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=38016817.story

University of Memphis adds new degrees at Lambuth Campus (C. Appeal/Goetz)

7 programs set for 2012 academic year Students at the University of Memphis Lambuth Campus in Jackson will have more variety to choose from when seeking a degree next year. The campus plans to add several new degree programs for the spring 2012 semester. They include: Bachelor of Arts in English; Bachelor of Arts in communication; Bachelor of Arts in psychology; Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting; and Bachelor of Professional Studies in entertainment music industries (an individualized program through University College). That's in addition to the nine undergraduate and six graduate degree programs already offered. "We've been talking to student groups, students that are on the campus already and ones that are coming to visit," Dan Lattimore, dean of the University of Memphis Lambuth campus, said of the additions. "And those are the ones that seem to be the most desired immediately." In the fall of 2012, two more undergraduate degree programs will be added: a Bachelor of Science in biology/pre-med and a Bachelor of Science in nursing for transfer students. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/25/u-of-m-adds-new-degrees-at-lambuth/

Some UTC students still living in hotel rooms (Times Free-Press/Trevizo)

Kareem Bushnag signed up too late for UTC on-campus housing, so he was placed in a hotel room at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. The semester is almost over, and the 18-year-old Knoxville native is still living in a hotel. "There are not too many pros [about living in a hotel]," he said. "It's farther from campus; I have to take the shuttle. It's not as convenient; most of my friends are on-campus." Of about 170 students placed in hotel rooms at the start of the semester, 51 still remain at the Choo Choo on Market Street, said Dee Dee Anderson, associate vice chancellor for student development at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The rest will be moved at the beginning of the spring semester, when some students now in campus housing graduate, 3

transfer or don't return, she said. About 2,900 students live in campus housing, Anderson said. Housing placements are first come, first serve, based on application dates. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/25/some-utc-students-still-living-in-hotel-rooms/?local

TN bill would limit property tax hikes (Gannett)

A proposed state law that would restrict annual property tax increases to 1 percent without voter referendum approval has local officials worried. I just think they (state lawmakers) ought to stay out of it, Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess said Wednesday. Thats a local decision. We dont need the state legislature putting another impediment on us. We dont know whats required of us year to year. State Sen. Brian Kelsey, a Germantown Republican, has proposed Senate Bill 2150 to limit county commission property tax increases to 1 percent unless the majority of voters in a referendum approve a bigger increase. This bill will help keep property taxes low, Kelsey said in a news release from Republican Senate Caucus spokeswoman Darlene Schlicher. Residents deserve a voice in the decision to raise excessive taxes. Every increase in the property tax equals less money for families to buy groceries or pay off a credit card bill. Voters need a voice if politicians propose really excessive tax increases. The Rutherford County Commissions last property tax increase went up by a tad more than 6.8 percent in 2009 to help pay for government services and debt on school construction that could no longer be funded from reserves. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111125/NEWS21/311250056/TN-bill-would-limit-property-tax-hikes? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Washington County calls for Tennessee to ban synthetic marijuana (J. City Press)
At a special called meeting on Monday, Washington Countys Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to ask the Tennessee General Assembly to outlaw synthetic drugs statewide. This has become a pressing public health concern, said Committee Chairman Roger Nave. These products are targeting youth and we want to outlaw them. County Attorney John Rambo explained to the committee that while the county cannot ban a substance, it can request through a resolution that lawmakers in Nashville do so statewide. The resolution approved by the committee will go before the full commission next Monday. Synthetic marijuana is a blend of herbs sprayed with chemicals that produce similar effects to those of marijuana when smoked. It is marketed under several brand names and sold as herbal incense, Rambo said. Sale of some of the products is legal in Tennessee; however, some states including Virginia have not only banned the specific chemical compounds that might be used, but also enforce a broadly worded provision that outlaws other substances drug manufacturers could use to circumvent the ban. Tennessee has made some attempts to ban products containing certain ingredients, but the products become legal again as soon as manufacturers change the specific ingredients banned to those not regulated, county officials said. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php? id=96115#ixzz1eoHRAd8E

Tennessees 4th District faces changes in boundaries (Associated Press)

Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais sweeping rural district stands to see the states biggest redistricting changes as the freshman prepares his re-election bid. Democratic state Sen. Eric Stewart of Winchester decided not to wait to find out the new shape of the district in announcing his candidacy for the 4th District seat last week. But several potential Republican challengers have said they want to see the new boundaries before deciding whether to challenge DesJarlais in the primary. The 4th District encompasses all or part of 24 counties arching through two time zones from the Kentucky border over the Cumberland Plateau to the Alabama line. Population changes during the last decade have left the district 17,000 people short of the ideal set by the 2010 census. An obvious place to find the extra population would be among the fast-growing suburban counties outside Nashville, but some in the state Legislature worry about changing the makeup of the district. It traditionally has been the fourth-most-rural district in the country, said state House Speaker Pro Tem Judd Matheny, a Tullahoma Republican who lives in the district. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/26/tennessees-4th-district-faces-changes-boundaries/?local

Knox County's audit comes back 'clean' (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Donila)

Knox County once again received a clean bill of health from its outside auditor, meaning the independent examiner did not have any significant reservations about the information contained in the county's financial statements that look into the executive branch, the fee offices and the school system. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR, covers fiscal year 2011, which ended June 30. The county's overall budget 4

that year was $647.1 million and more than 58 percent was set aside for the board of education. Auditors are not charged with going line by line through every financial transaction but rather looking at the big picture. They review the balance sheets and income statements and make sure the money going into the accounts matches up with the money going out. "An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation," wrote Jack Reagan, a partner with KPMG, the county's independent auditor, in a letter to officials on Tuesday. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/25/knox-countys-audit-comes-back-clean/

Occupy protesters tossed from Green Hills Mall (Tennessean/Haas)

About 20 Occupy Nashville protesters took to the Mall at Green Hills Friday afternoon, decrying corporate greed. The group showed up around 4:20 p.m. and, about 20 minutes later, broke out into chants and a variation of Jingle Bells. Buy no-thing, buy no-thing, buy no-thing today, they sang for the chorus. Better sales will come in time, but family cant wait hey! The group then marched up the stairs and toward the exit chanting, Buy nothing! The group then got ejected from the property by mall security. Jason Steen, an Occupy Nashville protester, said they chose Green Hills because it represents the 1 percent of wealthiest Americans. Were here to basically protest corporate greed and big box stores and to promote small businesses, he said. The group had done similar demonstrations Thursday at Target and W al-Mart stores. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111125/NEWS01/311250096/Occupy-protesters-tossed-from-Green-HillsMall?odyssey=mod|mostview

Corker on autoworkers' boos: 'The saga continues' (Associated Press/Schelzig)

Autoworkers' joy at getting vehicle production back on line at General Motors' Spring Hill plant has done little to quell their disdain for Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. Corker was a lead critic of the federal government bailout of automakers in 2009, and pushed for wage and benefit concessions from the United Auto Workers. Many Spring Hill workers felt Corker's stance did little to keep the plant from being idled that year. The senator was booed and heckled by the audience when he spoke at a ceremony Monday to announce the plant outside Nashville will begin making vehicles again next year. Corker listened to 20 seconds of jeers after his introduction in the plants manufacturing hall. "I see the saga continues," Corker told the crowd. "I think everyone knows that we've had our differences in the past. And I can tell today that that's fine with you, and it's fine with me." Corker then urged workers to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the company's investment in the plant that is projected to result in 1,900 jobs by the 2015 model year. "Citizens across our country have invested in GM, and you and the company have been offered a new lease on life, and a new opportunity to rebuild a great American enterprise," Corker said. http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=38017781.story

Tres Wittum could join Republican race for 3rd District seat (TFP/Carroll)
Weeks after Weston Wamp mounted a challenge against U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, another 24-year-old Republican is thinking about joining the race. Tres Wittum, a policy and research analyst for state Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, said his job allows him to observe the legislative process up close and gives him the experience to work in W ashington. The former president of Tennessee College Republicans said he'll make a final decision on running before April. "You can't just go in and say, 'You know what? I'll be the 24-year-old that's going to Congress, and I'm going to tell the president of the United States this is the way it's going to be,'" said Wittum, whose first name is pronounced "trace." "You have to understand the way in which government is operated." Fleischmann declined comment through a spokesman. An Indiana native who graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in August, Wittum said he's not affiliated with a Facebook page called "Draft Tres Wittum For Congress 2012." He said a conservative group of people approached him last March, encouraged him to consider Congress and started the Facebook page. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/26/wittum-could-join-republican-race-for-3rd/?local

Clean air, water rules spark different responses (Associated Press/Margasak)

Large and small companies have told Republican-led congressional committees what the party wants to hear: dire predictions of plant closings and layoffs if the Obama administration succeeds with plans to further curb air and water pollution. But their message to financial regulators and investors conveys less gloom and certainty. The administration itself has clouded the picture by withdrawing or postponing some of the environmental initiatives that industry labeled as being among the most onerous. Still, Republicans plan to make what they say is regulatory overreach a 2012 campaign issue, taking aim at President Barack Obama, congressional Democrats and an aggressive Environmental Protection Agency. "Republicans will be talking to voters this 5

campaign season about how to keep Washington out of the way, so that job creators can feel confident again to create jobs for Americans," said Joanna Burgos, a spokeswoman for the House Republican campaign organization. The Associated Press compared the companies' congressional testimony to company reports submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The reports to the SEC consistently said the impact of environmental proposals is unknown or would not cause serious financial harm to a firm's finances. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/26/clean-air-water-rules-spark-different-responses/

PACs gain super powers (Tennessean/Cass)

As Belle Meade fundraiser shows, campaign spending has few limits When Vice President Joe Biden came to town Nov. 7, the price to meet him was high. The afternoon fundraiser at venture capitalist Andrew Byrds Belle Meade home was for some of the Democratic Partys biggest, most loyal donors. Some of the people in the crowd of about 20 gave not only the maximum contribution of $5,000 to President Barack Obamas re-election campaign but also $30,800 the current calendar-year limit to the Democratic National Committee. As guests munched on finger sandwiches and petit fours in Byrds living room, Biden spoke for more than an hour about the high stakes of the 2012 election, answering every question, posing for pictures and working the room. But he never said a word about all the money changing hands. While the combination fundraiser for candidate and party is fairly commonplace in the world of presidential politics Its what every president has done, said Michael Beckel, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics this campaign cycle also is seeing a new type of giving and spending. Recent court rulings have allowed corporations to support or oppose specific candidates with their cash. Theyve also permitted the formation of super PACs, officially known as independent expenditure-only committees. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111126/NEWS02/311250084/PACs-gain-super-powers?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|News

CDC confirms cases of new swine flu virus (USA Today)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed three cases of a new flu virus, which originated in pigs but apparently spread from person to person, in three Iowa children. However, there's no reason to fear the beginning of a new pandemic, says Arnold Monto, a flu expert and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. "I don't think this is anything to worry about for the moment," Monto says. "W e have known that swine viruses get into humans occasionally, transmit for a generation or two and then stop. The issue is whether there will be sustained transmission (from person to person)- and that nearly never happens." The CDC has counted a total of 18 cases of this new virus, an influenza A strain known as S-OtrH3N2, in two years. That suggests that it's not spreading quickly or easily, says William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Schaffner notes that flu viruses mutate and swap genes all the time. Infectious disease experts may only be noticing these new viruses because of better technology, he says. The USA's beefed-up state medical labs, which have lots more firepower than before 2001, are much better at spotting novel viruses, which in the past might have gone unnoticed. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011-11-24/CDC-confirms-cases-of-new-swine-flu-virus/51384636/1? loc=interstitialskip

Help Wanted: In Unexpected Twist, Some Skilled Jobs Go Begging (WSJ)

Ferrie Bailey's job should be easy: hiring workers amid the worst stretch of unemployment since the Depression. A recruiter for Union Pacific Corp., she has openings to fill, the kind that sometimes seem to have all but vanished: secure, well-paying jobs with good benefits that don't require a college degree. But they require specialized skillsexpertise in short supply even with the unemployment rate at 9%. Which is why on a recent morning the recruiter found herself in a hiring hall here anxiously awaiting the arrival of just two people she had invited to interviews, winnowed from an initial group of nearly five dozen applicants. With minutes to go, the folding chairs sat empty. "I don't think they're going to show," Ms. Bailey said, pacing in the basement room. Her challenge is a familiar one to recruiters, especially in industries that require workers with trade skills such as welding. Union Pacific struggles to find enough electricians who have worked with diesel engines. Manufacturers in many places can't find enough machinists. Oil companies must fight for a limited supply of drilling-rig workers. "There's a tremendous shortage of skilled workers," said Craig Giffi, a vice chairman of the consulting firm Deloitte. A recent survey it did found that 83% of manufacturers reported a moderate or severe shortage of skilled production workers to hire. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203707504577010080035955166.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0 (SUBSCRIPTION) 6

School boards oppose slate of bills (Tennessean/Hubbard)

Association wants to keep local control Tennessee school board members dont want parents using public funding toward private school tuition. In addition to opposing vouchers, they dont want superintendents to be elected rather than hired by school boards or for the state to dictate the start of the school calendar. All of those proposals are coming before the state legislature and all erode local authority over education, a delegation of Tennessee School Boards Association members said at a meeting this month. There are some decisions best left to school board control, Rutherford County School Board Chairman Mark Byrnes said. But this years legislative push is only the most recent in a movement that has reduced local authority over schools and the children in them. Four decades ago, local boards controlled nearly every decision affecting public education in their communities. More recently, the federal No Child Left Behind law provided for consistently low-performing schools and districts to be controlled by the state. Independently run charter schools pull students and the money to educate them from local districts. The new Common Core push to standardize curricula nationwide, of which Tennessee is a part, will decide whats taught and how. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111125/NEWS/311210060/School-boards-oppose-slate-bills

Backlashing (Memphis Flyer)

As previously noted, mid-January specifically, January 16th, according to Bartlett mayor Keith McDonald is the deadline for Southern Educational Strategies, a consulting group that has contracted with all six suburban Shelby County municipalities to report to them on the prospects for their forming separate school districts, as permitted by a key provision of the legislature's Norris-Todd bill. At a town meeting in Bartlett on November 14th, McDonald reasserted his support for his city to hold a referendum on a separate Bartlett system to be established when merger between Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools occurs in September 2013. "In politics you have to be careful on which sword you are willing to die on. I'm willing to die on this one," said McDonald, a member of the 21-member merger Planning Commission established by Norris-Todd. Interestingly, however, a different sort of resolve was issuing from the man who had been the leading figure in the suburbs' push for special-school-district status in the decade or so leading up to the school-merger developments of the last year. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/backlashing/Content?oid=3082742

Metro schools releases online interactive annual report (City Paper/Garrison)

Metro Nashville Public Schools released an interactive annual report at Tuesdays school board meeting, marking the second consecutive year school officials have turned to an online format to detail what they say are the districts achievements. W e are excited about the progress our district is making, Director of Schools Jesse Register wrote in a letter that greets people visiting the annual report webpage, found at www.annualreport.mnps.org . The report which includes videos, graphs and slideshows highlights areas that have become familiar themes over the past year within Metro schools, many which fall under the umbrella of MNPS Achieves, Registers education reform initiative. Among items the annual report accentuates are: The state of Tennessees $501 million in federal Race to The Top money, $30.3 million that is earmarked for MNPS; the districts Academies of Nashville, the instructional model found within high schools; Metros six new thematic magnet schools; and the school systems efforts to address the needs of special-needs and English Language Learner students. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/metro-schools-releases-online-interactive-annual-report

California: Occupy L.A. to Be Evicted on Monday (New York Times)

The Occupy Los Angeles protesters have probably received a warmer reception than most of their counterparts elsewhere in the country. With vocal support from the City Council, the protesters have been allowed to remain on the lawn outside City Hall for almost two months, without any major confrontations with the police. But even here, city leaders have finally lost patience with the Occupy encampment. Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa announced on Friday that City Hall Park would be closed at 12:01 a.m. on Monday. Those who refuse to leave may face arrest. The movement has awakened the countrys conscience. It has given voice to those who have not been heard, the mayor said. I am proud of the fact that this has been a peaceful, nonviolent protest. It has been peaceful because we decided to do things differently in Los Angeles, not stare each other down across barricades and barbed wire. The impending end of Occupy L.A.s stay outside City Hall one of the last of the movements major encampments may signal the end of a phase of the protests that has been characterized 7

by large camps in parks and public spaces. At the Occupy L.A. encampment, protesters on Friday were considering what to do next as they prepared for the tents to come down, one way or another. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/occupy-los-angeles-to-be-evicted-from-city-hall-park.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper

OPINION Times Editorial: Give school reform a chance (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, on the job for less than a year, is working diligently to improve the state's struggling schools. The task, he candidly admits, is difficult. Success, he said at an editorial board meeting with The Chattanooga Times Free Press earlier this week, won't come overnight. Initial efforts at reform do show promise, however, and should continue without undue interference from either politicians or educators motivated by self-serving considerations. There's little doubt improvement is needed. In recent decades, Tennessee consistently has ranked near the bottom of state rankings in almost every educational category. That trend continues. Tennessee ranked near the bottom in fourth-grade math performance on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, familiarly known as the national report card. Indeed, state students performed more poorly in 2010 than in 2009 on the same test. Other tests in a variety of subjects and across grade levels indicate similarly embarrassing scores. Varied Prescription Clearly, change is in order. Old methods and programs have not appreciably improved student performance across the state. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/nov/26/give-school-reform-a-chance/?opiniontimes

Editorial: Higher ed must stem escalation of tuition (Daily News Journal)

We realize it's very early in the budgeting process, but reports that MTSU is making plans for a potential 5 percent cut in state funding prompts us to issue an early caution about ever rising college tuition. As MTSU President Sidney McPhee told The DNJ recently, "there are a lot of factors" that will come into play surrounding funding at the state and federal levels before determining tuition. But the trend has been to offset funding cuts by raising tuition, often considerably in recent years, with the result being a growing number of graduates who leave campus with significant student loan debt and other prospective students who decide that they simply can't afford to enroll. Consider: MTSU's undergraduate tuition for two semesters this year is $5,256, a 9.3 percent increase from last year. Over the last five years, MTSU's tuition for undergraduates is up 31.2 percent. In the last 10 years, tuition has grown 84.4 percent. Considering the still shaky job market for graduates and the strains on family budgets, the annual ritual of tuition hikes has become an economic slap in the face to many households. Of course, MTSU's enrollment has exploded over the past decade and its share of state funding hasn't kept pace. The university has navigated through a sometimes painful budget-cutting process over the last two years, but it appears that more cuts may be on the horizon. http://www.dnj.com/article/20111126/OPINION01/111260320/Editorial-Higher-ed-must-stem-escalation-tuition

Pam Strickland: Tax increase whispers should get louder (News-Sentinel)

Editor's note: An earlier version of this column contained an error regarding the Knox County Commission's actions in setting the school system's budget. The error appeared only in the online edition. So far, no one has been willing to say it out loud, but there are some whispers that the way to take care of the expected $7 million shortfall in next year's Knox County Schools budget is to raise property taxes. A little background: This year's $384.6 million budget was balanced with $7 million from the Education Jobs Bill. Even then the district went through layoffs and other cost-cutting measures to balance the books. Superintendent Jim McIntyre has already suggested that balancing next year's budget be achieved by taking four steps: outsourcing custodial services, closing a middle school and four elementary schools, tweaking the policy for letting community groups use school facilities and adjusting the budget for high school block scheduling. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/25/pam-strickland-tax-increase-whispers-should-get/ 8

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