This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.thedailytimes.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
Article published May 14, 2009 Raising education bar: Gubernatorial candidate says culture must change in Blount visit
By Joel Davis of The Daily Times Staff
Tennessee is getting the schools it deserves, according to Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. He wants that to change.
Haslam, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Tennessee governor, compared the state's academic performance with that of the former Soviet Republics during a breakfast at the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. He said the educational culture of the state must change before student performance will improve.
"We wouldn't be 42nd if people cared," he said. "... We need to set the bar higher."The next governor has to be willing to support what Haslam calls a "game-changer," a move by the State Department of Education to raise the standards on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests to match national requirements starting in the 2009-2010 school year.
"There will be push back," Haslam said. "Will the next governor stand in the door and say our standards are great and say how we can raise ourselves up to meet them?"
Haslam is running against Shelby County district attorney Bill Gibbons, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp for the Republican nomination. He said that education influences all the important issues facing the state -- from recruiting new businesses to the growth of TennCare.
Funding alone will not solve Tennessee's education problems, Haslam said.
"It can't be the whole answer," he said.
As governor, Haslam said he would advocate pushing decision-making and accountability down to the level of individual schools, a less restrictive charter school law and finding ways to allow more qualified people to teach. He also proposed establishing leadership academies for principals.
Education directly impacts job recruitment in the state, Haslam said. "When we lose jobs to other states, it's usually because of that," he said.
Recruiting new business to the state remains a priority, Halsam said. "We understand how to go out and bring business in," he said. "When it comes to recruitment, you lead with your strengths."Pilot Oil connection
Serving his second term as mayor of Knoxville, Haslam said that being the executive officer of the city of more than 183,546 people has given him on-the-job training for the governorship.
"Being mayor is a hands-on job," he said. "It's a problem-solving job -- not a problem-finding job."
A successful businessman, Haslam served as president of Pilot Corp., founded by his father, Jim, for 18 years, adding 250 truck stops and employing 11,000 by the time of his departure.
"I can remember my mother wrapping Christmas presents for all the employees," he said. "Now we have 14,000 employees."
Pilot has garnered criticism in recent years as gas prices have fluctuated, drawing allegations of price-gouging during gasoline shortages in 2008. Haslam said the company simply sells a commodity.
"It's a good thing that if you have a local company that has grown up to be a national company," he said. "Are you going to tell me, as a governor, you don't want that here?"
Haslam said he has not directly worked for Pilot Corp. in 10 years.Pellissippi extension
On other topics, Haslam thinks the Pellissippi Parkway extension should be built. "I actually think it should happen given where we are and what the traffic burdens are," he said.
The proposed Pellissippi Parkway extension would tie Old Knoxville Highway to East Lamar Alexander Parkway. The most recent extension of the Pellissippi Parkway to Old Knoxville Highway was completed in August 2006. The state is currently developing an Environmental Impact Statement for the project, looking at alternatives including a no-build option.
Haslam also thinks that state revenues should be increased by growing the business base -- "I don't think we should ever have an income tax," he said -- and that the highway funding mechanism, currently through a gasoline tax, needs to be reformed.
"We can't keep doing what we're doing," he said.
Haslam and his wife, Crissy, have three children: Annie, Leigh and Will. For 26 years, The Haslams have been members of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, and for 20 of those years he has served as an elder.