On the Fly presented by The TN Firefly

Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green is the only contender in next August's Democratic gubernatorial primary who has held elected office. She joins this week's On the Fly to discuss how she'd work with the Republican supermajority if elected, what she'd do with the Education Freedom Scholarship program, and her vision for the future of education in Tennessee.

Early voting is underway for next month's four school board primaries in Davidson County, including District 4, where longtime Metro Schools teacher, principal, and program director, Jenny Bell, is challenging incumbent Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney to represent families in the Donelson, Old Hickory, and Hermitage communities of Davidson County.Bell joins this week's On the Fly to discuss why she's running and how she'd add accountability to the board.

This Tuesday, the Dyer County School Board will decide whether to approve the first truly rural public charter school in Tennessee.  The proposed Trimble Academy would combine classical education and outdoor learning for elementary and middle school students in Trimble.Trimble Forward Alliance President Margaret Prater joins this week's On the Fly to talk about her organization’s proposed charter school and a decision last year that created interest in it.

This week, lawmakers will vote on legislation that’s designed to hold underperforming virtual schools accountable by requiring their closure. The Senate passed its version of the bill last month, and the House will take it up this week.  Education Instruction Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, joins this week's On the Fly to discuss the legislation.

State Representative Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, has filed three bills this session (HB1550, HB1675, and HB2329) to improve access students have to school nurses. She explains what each bill will do and why this issue is personal to her on this episode of On the Fly.

State Senator Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, is sponsoring legislation designed to break down barriers parents face enrolling their child in a school district beyond the one they're zoned for.Lowe's bill will expand public school choice opportunities statewide and give parents an appeal process when they're denied. He joins us this week to discuss why the bill is needed and how it would work.

In this edition of On the Fly, U.S. Senator and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn outlines how she'd approach the future of public charter schools, CTE, and a decision to appoint the next Commissioner of Education.

Tennesseans for Student Success Assistant Director of Government Relations Steven Bergman previews the upcoming legislative session that begins Tuesday at noon.

Speaker Sexton plans to propose an associate’s degree program next year for future kindergarten through sixth grade teachers. In this episode of On the Fly, he explains how the program will work and why he believes it can address Tennessee's teacher shortage without lowering teaching standards.

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission overturned two local school board decisions on October 16th by approving new public charter schools for Madison and Rutherford Counties. The Jackson Museum School will take learning beyond the classroom by infusing subjects like science and math into weekly expeditions to local cultural centers.Rocketship TN #4 will be Rocketship Public Schools' fourth charter school in Tennessee, operating with a similar personalized learning model that the charter operator's Nashville schools utilize.On this episode of On the Fly we talk with leaders of both about why their schools are needed and what makes them different.

U.S. Congressman John Rose discusses why he decided to run for governor in 2026, along with his views on the Education Freedom Scholarship, career and technical education (CTE), public charter schools, and how he'd handle the additional authority President Donald Trump hopes to provide states for education.

The Tennessee Nature Academy is starting its third year this week in Nashville.The public charter school offers students a nature-based education model that founder Jay Renfro says includes what he calls risky (not dangerous) play. The school recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new location that will open on 23 acres of donated land in Cane Ridge next year.We spoke with Renfo following the ceremony along with a mother and student who who moved to Tennessee to attend the academy.

Educator Jeremy Sager has helped students in Memphis and Nashville achieve success. He believes the ‘Two-Educator Model’ of his proposed public charter school Novus SMART Academy (K-8) could do even more in Rutherford County if the Board of Education approves it Thursday.

House Education Chair Mark White, R-Memphis, discusses new legislation that will create a ten-member advisory committee appointed by state leaders to study the state’s testing and teacher evaluation systems, the academic requirements for career and technical education (CTE) students, whether schools should have a minimum number of required instructional hours, and the licensure requirements for teachers. That committee would begin meeting later this year and issue a report by the end of December.

A bill that prevents Tennessee counties from switching from a primary to a caucus or convention for local partisan elections passed the State House last week and now heads to Governor Bill Lee's desk, despite opposition from Republican Party leaders.We take a closer look at the debate, with comments from both supporters and opponents.

Students for Education is a student-led organization that started here in Tennessee in 2021 to help ensure Tennessee's youth have a voice in education policy.Organization president and founder University School of Nashville Senior Brendan West joins us this week to talk about his organization and the bill it's advocating for that's on the path to passage in the Tennessee General Assembly.

This week two key committees will vote on Representative Mark White's legislation enabling state leaders to create a board of managers that would essentially have full authority over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Both sides made made their case last week in Nashville and at a Memphis-Shelby County School Board meeting.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has known newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon for decades from his days as the professional wrestler Kane. He talked with the Tennessee Firefly shortly before her confirmation about why the former wrestling executive is the right person to lead the U.S. Department of education and tells the story of the night he performed a piledriver on her during a Monday Night Raw wrestling telecast.

Cookeville High School English teacher Heather Gates (second from the right in photo) and Martin Middle School science teacher Jody Hatler (far right in photo) are two members of this year's Teachers for Student Success cohort.The annual advocacy and policy leadership development program is designed by Tennesseans for Student Success to empower educators from around the state with the knowledge and tools necessary to enact education policy change at the school, community, and state levels.The Tennessee Firefly is a project of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.

This week LEAD Public Schools is scheduled to see its legal challenge of a controversial school rezoning plan heard in a Nashville courtroom.LEAD operates LEAD Cameron Middle School, one of the rare public charter schools in Tennessee that students are zoned to attend. The rezoning plan approved last year by the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education changes that by rezoning LEAD Cameron students to attend another middle school and forcing any family who want to attend the charter school to file an application by February 7, 2025. Firefly Managing Editor Sky Arnold talked to one of those families before last week's deadline.  Alison and Treymayne Haymer explain why they aren't happy with the decision.

Memphis State Representative Mark White chairs the House Education Committee.Firefly contributor Steven Bergman sat down with him earlier this month to talk about Tennessee's education history and his thoughts on how to address the teacher shortage problem. Chairman White also discussed his plans to push for state intervention in Memphis-Shelby County Schools following the school board's decision earlier this month to fire new superintendent Marie Feagins.

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally named a former teacher, Senator Dawn White, to head up the Senate Education Committee Thursday morning.Tennessee Firefly Contributor Steven Bergman sat down to talk with White about her goals for the new legislative session.