Governor says Educational Opportunity is Moving in the ‘Right Direction’

Gov. Bill Lee speaking at the Governor’s Address at The Pinnacle in Nashville Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jacob Holley)

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee highlighted the improvements the state has seen in education and opportunity to business leaders on Tuesday morning.

The annual address to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was Lee’s final one as governor before his final term in office ends.

Lee spoke for about 23 minutes, during which he discussed a variety of subjects, including how the number of economically distressed poverty counties has been cut in half due to greater access to opportunity and, by extension, to education.

“We have watched our children have greater access to a better education, our public schools, our private schools (and) our options for parents (have expanded),” Lee said. “We have seen our outcomes, NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) scores, the measurement of national norms for children typically measured in fourth grade and eighth grade, (increase).”

First in the SEC

Lee mentioned climbing from the lower half of all states in education to 17th in outcomes in educational attainment and first in what he called the "SEC” (every state in the southeast). He said that means Tennessee is moving in the right direction in economic development and educational opportunity.

“17th is not something to be overly excited about unless you've come from the 40s,” Lee said.

He also touted his work history before becoming governor – working with skilled workers, such as plumbers, pipefitters, electricians and mechanics – and how that inspired him to help the state invest in creating more of those workers to attract companies to the state.

“When we came into the opportunity to shape our education system, we started in year one with the Give Act, the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education Act, and really added a half a million dollars to CTE (career and technical education) programs in middle schools and a billion dollars to our College of Technology to create 10,000 more skilled workers every year,” Lee said. “We knew that those companies in those faraway places were looking to see this, which state had workers, because that state would win.”