27 Tennessee Mayors…and Growing…Join Early Childhood Coalition

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.

“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

The Jackson Sun last week featured a story on 27 rural West Tennessee mayors who have joined the Mayors’ Early Education Coalition supported by TQEE.   Here’s a link to the article.  https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2018/10/30/west-tennessee-mayors-join-early-childhood-education-coalition

The coalition calls for state policies that support initiatives like the Read to be Ready early literacy programs, more training and coaching for early grades (pre-k through 3rd grade) teachers, and improving quality and expanding Tennessee’s pre-k program.

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

Thanks to all of you for supporting Tennessee’s youngest learners!
With gratitute,
Mike, Lisa and the TQEE team

You might also be interested in: TQEE – 2023 State Policy Priorities

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