Phone Blitz to Gov. Haslam
Contact Governor Haslam's Office and ask him to remove Commissioner Huffman (who he appointed as our TN Commissioner of Education). Ask Governor Haslam to put a REAL educator in charge of our children's education... one with an education degree and experience in a Tennessee classroom, one with a commitment to public education, and one who supports our teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Call, email, write a letter, send a fax, visit the state office:
Office of Governor Bill Haslam
1st Floor, State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243
PHONE: (615) 741-2001
FAX: (615) 532-9711
EMAIL: [email protected]
Twitter: "@BillHaslam"
Use any of these hashtags on Twitter & Facebook:
#GetRidofHuffman
#ListenToUsGovHaslam
#OurPublicSchoolsAreNotForSale
#StrongPublicSchools
I jotted down what I wanted to say, in case I got nervous. Then I dialed 1(615)741-2001. It rang twice, and then a very nice receptionist answered, "Governor Haslam's office, how may I help you?" (Her voice reminded me of Vanna White's from Wheel of Fortune).
I said, "I am a Mom in TN who voted for Governor Haslam. I am calling to ask him to get rid of Kevin Huffman as our TN Commissioner of Education, and fill that position with a qualified and experienced educator. Huffman is hurting our public schools."
The receptionist kindly said, "Thank you very much. I will give your message to the governor. Have a nice day." That was it. Done.
It took less than 2 minutes of my time, and was really easy to do. In hindsight, I wish I'd said something about all the expensive and excessive Standardized Testing, but I might just call back today and tell them how those tests are stressful and harmful for our children, not to mention a huge waste of our tax money that could be spent on more teachers and smaller class sizes. (Our school district is desperately starved for money right now... teachers and staff have been cut to the bone, and teachers will have too many students in their class to teach next year... but yet they are spending even more money and class time on testing our children next year!) No, sir, priorities are not in order in TN. We need a Commissioner of Education who will prioritize our children over profit!