11/08/2022
In addition for the election of governor of the state of Tennessee, there will be four proposed amendments appearing on the November 8, 2022 ballot directly after the candidates for governor.
The Lenoir City Association of Educators believe the following candidates and positions on the proposed constitutional changes are in the best interests of educators and public schools.
Governor's Race:
Gov. Bill Lee (R)
Dr Jason Martin
The LCAE endorses Dr. Jason Martin for governor of Tennessee. Dr. Martin has shown his support of public education repeatedly and has proposed effective resolutions to the funding of schools in our state. Tennessee ranks 45th in the nation in per-pupil spending, and has received an ‘F’ in school funding. On average, we don’t spend nearly as much on our schools as other states in our region. Dr. Martin recognizes that what works for one community may not work for another, and the way our state has looked at education is outdated. We need a better way to fund our schools, taking into account the different economies across communities and the different resources that are needed in each school district. We need to reevaluate the Basic Education Program, and make sure that going forward, no school in Tennessee is underfunded. This includes hiring teachers and paying them a fair salary. It also includes increasing the necessary resources schools used to depend on to keep kids healthy, educated and safe – resources such as social workers, after school programs and guidance counselors.
Many Tennesseans also look to trade and vocational schools, training programs and apprenticeships, and 2- and 4-year colleges and universities to achieve their goals. This means increased incentives for trade programs, certifications, future nurses and healthcare workers, and technical training for a more technologically competitive workforce. It also means strengthening our Historical Black Colleges and Universities system so that every single student has access to the same opportunities.
On the other hand, his opponent Gov. Bill Lee has proposed diverting public funds to a private out of state college in order for them to establish 50-100 charter schools in Tennessee, further draining away money and resources from our public schools. Gov Lee refused to follow or endorse mitigation efforts to curb the spread of Covid 19 throughout our state resulting in 2.31 million cases of infection, and 27,839 deaths, many of which were avoidable if he had simply implemented and enforced the suggested Covid-19 protocols. This neglect is simply unacceptable.
If Tennessee is to move forward in educating our students we need a new governor who has public schools and the safety of our students and communities as priority #1.
Proposed Constitutional amendments are presented on the ballot as yes or no questions. A yes vote is a vote to amend the Constitution and adopt the proposed language in the amendment. A no vote is a vote not to amend the Constitution and keep the current language in the Constitution unchanged.
Two things must happen for an amendment to pass and become part of the Constitution. The first is the amendment must get more yes votes than no votes. The second is that the number of yes votes must be a majority of the total votes in the gubernatorial election. This long standing process Tennessee uses to determine the result for proposed Constitutional amendments was confirmed by a court decision following the 2014 general election.
To determine the number of votes needed to adopt a proposed Constitutional amendment, votes for all candidates for governor are added together and then divided by two. If there are more yes votes than no votes on the proposed amendment and the number of yes votes exceeds 50%+1 of the total votes for governor, the amendment passes and becomes part of the Constitution. The Constitutional amendment fails if the number of yes votes does not meet or exceed the threshold, or if there are more no votes than yes votes.
Constitutional Amendment #1:
This amendment would add a new section to article XI of the Tennessee Constitution to make it illegal for any person, corporation, association, or the State of Tennessee or its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person because of the person’s membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.
Question:
Shall Article XI of the Constitution of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language as a new section?
" It is unlawful for any person, corporation, association, or this state or its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person by reason of the person’s membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization."
LCAE Position on Article #1:
We strongly suggest voting NO on amendment #1. Tennessee is already a "right to work" state and the protections "being provided" by the amendment are already in effect. It is illegal to force a worker to join a union in the state of Tennessee. By creating an amendment to the state constitution reiterating this already held right would make it extremely more difficult for future administrations to change in the future when the majority of Tennesseans see this for what it actually is: an attempt to weaken unions and shift the power to fire and hire at will to the strict whims of the employer. Businesses are in place to make as much money as possible, not provide employment and benefits to its workers. You can look around you and see that most stores are using self-checkouts, for example. By increasing the number of self-checkouts, stores can reduce their labor force. This is no judgement of business practices as they are in the business of turning profit. However, keep in mind that labor is their largest expense and usually the first thing to go when the money gets tight. We simply believe that an employee who has devoted his time and energy toward making a company profitable should likewise be provided some protections as a result of YOUR hard work.
Constitutional Amendment # 2:
Shall Article III, Section 12 of the Constitution of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language immediately following the current language in the Section?
Whenever the Governor transmits to the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a written, signed declaration that the Governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, the powers and duties of the office of Governor shall be temporarily discharged by the Speaker of the Senate as Acting Governor, or if that office is unoccupied, then by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits to the same officials a written, signed declaration that the Governor is able to discharge the powers and duties of the office.
LCAE Position on Article #2:
LCAE supports voting YES on proposed amendment #2. There needs to be a clear chain of command in place if the governor is unable to discharge his duties.
Constitutional Amendment # 3:
Section 33. Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.
LCAE Position on Amendment #3:
LCAE's position on Amendment #3 is to vote YES. Slavery is a stain on the history of our state and should be stricken from the state constitution. Although this change is largely symbolic and carries no legal weight since the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution banning slavery, the words of endorsement for slavery still appear in the text of the Tennessee Constitution and whether it's removal is symbolic and mere political grandstanding or not, these words need to be gone once and for all.
Constitutional Amendment # 4:
This amendment would delete article IX, section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution, which prohibits ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomination from holding a seat in either House of the legislature.
Our position on Constitutional Amendment # 4:
LCAE believes that since ministers are already holding office in the Tennessee Legislature this has become a moot point. This however, does not dispel the concerns of citizens based on religious leaders being able to codify their particular beliefs over the beliefs of others. Religious leaders have the constitutional protections in place to teach their congregations any doctrine they choose. However, this privilege should not be extended into the public domain using the full force and power of the state to do so. Having the power to enforce one belief over another is the antithesis of what our Founders intended and can produce disastrous results. Additionally, there has been no mention of the ban on holding office by members who claim no religious beliefs. Again, this ban on non-religious members of the legislature is meaningless in light of the federal constitutional ban on the requirement of religious tests for holding public office but if are going to cleanse our state constitution of outdated text, this should be enthusiastically included as well but has instead received no mention at all making the efforts to update the state constitution appear a bit disingenuous. For these reasons we suggest that you vote NO on Amendment #4.
Most importantly, be thinking of your best interests and the best interests of our public school system and GO VOTE!
