West Tennessee mayors join early childhood education coalition
“It is a fact of life that to attract good paying jobs to our area, we must have a skilled workforce. What many people don’t think about is that building those workforce skills starts with development early in life — through learning to read, solving math problems and learning how to get along with others.” — Madison County Mayor, Jimmy Harris
Expressing concern that a majority of Tennessee third-graders are not proficient in reading and math, mayors from across rural West Tennessee have formed a coalition to support the advancement of early education. The group is part of Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, a statewide, bipartisan, advocacy organization.
“It is a fact of life that to attract good paying jobs to our area, we must have a skilled workforce,” Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said in a released statement from TQEE. “What many people don’t think about is that building those workforce skills starts with development early in life — through learning to read, solving math problems and learning how to get along with others.”
“We can and must do a better job of educating young Tennesseans in the critical early years of learning to set the stage for success in middle school, high school and beyond,” TQEE Executive Director Mike Carpenter added in the release.
With a new governor soon to be elected and a large turnover occurring in the state legislature because of retirements, the Mayors’ Coalition aims to ensure new policymakers continue current early education investments and expand programs and policies proving to be successful. The coalition believes the state has made significant progress in improving student outcomes, but that there is much more to be done to elevate Tennessee’s citizens and communities.
“I strongly urge our next governor and legislature to continue to promote early literacy with proven efforts like Read 2 B Ready,” Harris added. “I believe this program helps our young children to establish a firm foundation for their education journey. I believe we need to continue to improve the quality and expand pre-Kindergarten programs across the state, and support our teachers with quality training and coaching.”
The Mayors’ Coalition plans to grow its ranks to include mayors of counties, cities and towns across the state over the next several months leading up to the start of the new legislative session.
West Tennessee area mayors presently part of the organization include:
Barry Hutcherson, Chester County
Benny McGuire, Obion County
Bill Rawls, Brownsville
Brent Greer, Henry County
Brett Lashlee, Benton County
Chris Young, Dyer County
Dale Kelley, City of Huntingdon
David Livingston, Haywood County
Eddie Bray, Henderson County
Jake Bynum, Weakley County
Jeff Griggs, City of Lexington
Jill Holland, City of McKenzie
Jimmy Harris, Madison County
Jimmy Sain, Hardeman County
John Carroll, Perry County
Jon Pavletic, City of Ripley
Joseph Butler, Carroll County
Julian McTizic, City of Bolivar
Kevin Davis, Hardin County
Larry Smith, McNairy County
Mike Creasy, Decatur County
Robert King, City of Henderson
Roger Pafford, City of Camden
Skip Taylor, Fayette County
Tim David Boaz, City of Parsons
Tom Witherspoon, Gibson County
Wes Ward, City of Linden
About TQEE
Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE) is a statewide advocacy organization focused on education policy from birth to third grade. Our bi-partisan coalition is comprised of business, law enforcement, faith, education and civic organizations and individuals in communities across Tennessee. The group’s members support high quality early education to improve academic achievement, boost workforce development and enhance quality of life in our communities. Learn more by visiting our website at: www.tqee.org
