By Tony Jones
NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons issued a press release Friday, April 5 calling Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds an “embarrassment” after reportedly twice signing applications falsely seeking a tuition waiver to earn a master’s degree and teaching credentials, and stated that she should either be terminated or resign from the position.
This is not the first time Clemmons and co-horts have called for Reynolds’ ouster. This past January, he and Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators Chairman Sam McKenzie voiced objections stating she did not meet the requirements outlined by Tennessee state code. The new information bolsters their objections, but the legislature cannot remove her and the administration stands firmly behind her.
The updated call cites a recent article in the Tennessean reporting Reynolds “was granted a tuition waiver that she was ineligible to receive when she enrolled for classes at the University of Tennessee-Martin.”
The release explains “she used the free wavier available to state employees to take classes towards earning a master’s degree and a teaching credential. However, to get the waiver, you have to have worked for the state for at least 6 months. Reynolds twice signed applications misrepresenting that she had been an employee for six months in order to receive the waiver, which was granted, after only 6 weeks of employment. Administration officials told The Tennessean that granting her the tuition was “an administrative error” and that she has since repaid the money. However, Reynolds is continuing to use the wavier, now that she is eligible, to take classes despite being paid a salary of approximately $255,000 a year.”
States Clemmons, “The latest embarrassing revelation about Reynolds continues to raise issues about her character and fitness to hold the job, as well as the questionable competence of the entire Lee Administration. There are multiple issues with the ongoing debacle. First, she is wholly unqualified for the job. Second, there is a fair debate to be had about whether the tuition waiver was intended for Cabinet members who make far more money than other state employees.”
He continues, “Additionally, and most importantly, the commissioner of the Department of Education is not a position for which you hire someone who literally requires on-the-job-training. It is utterly offensive to think that our governor left the state to hire someone less qualified than thousands of Tennessee educators to run what is arguably one of the most important departments in our state government. Then, when we called him out on it, Lee had the audacity to defend Reynolds’ credentials knowing that he had already tried to send her back to college on the taxpayers’ dime.”
The release ends on a truly excoriating note. “Given Bill’s never-ending crusade to destroy public education in Tennessee, I guess it’s not surprising that he had to hire a Texan whose only qualification is her willingness to promote a voucher scam and other school privatization schemes. Tennessee educators are too smart and have too much respect for public education to be a part of Lee’s snake oil agenda.”
Citing her background as Vice President of Policy for ExcelinEd and Deputy Legislative director for then-Governor George W. Bush, Gov. Lee said when appointing Reynolds, “Lizzette’s significant education policy expertise and leadership make her well-suited to continue our work to deliver a high-quality education and expand school choice for Tennessee students.”
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