Subcommittee Chairman pushes for continued investments in education, school safety
(NASHVILLE) — Throughout her time serving the citizens of House District 57, State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) has fought for additional resources designed to improve Tennessee’s education system, school bus safety, as well as the safety of our students during school hours.
As a member of the House Finance, Ways, & Means Committee, Lynn led Republican efforts in 2017 to not only fully fund education in Tennessee but also provide additional monies to account for school district growth. Her efforts resulted in Wilson County Schools receiving $746,000 to support education initiatives in the county.
“I have prioritized education as a member of the House Finance Committee, and I have fought to ensure that our local schools have all the resources they need so that they can continue to offer future generations of Tennesseans access to high-quality education,” said Representative Lynn.
Over the past several years, Lynn and House Republicans have increased funding for K-12 education by more than $1.2 billion while also cutting taxes on hardworking citizens. This investment has resulted in our students becoming the fast-improving in the entire nation across math, reading, and science. Additionally, Tennessee posted the highest graduation rates ever last year — 89.1 percent.
Representative Lynn has fought to enhance safety for students who rely on school buses to transport them to and from school each day; she has also spearheaded recent conversations with Governor Haslam as it relates to enhancing protections within our academic institutions.
Two weeks ago, the Governor announced that he is allocating an additional $30 million as part of his Fiscal Year 2019 budget in order to address and identify potential risks to students, teachers, and staff members. Recently, the Working Group On School Safety also released their official recommendations on how they can better protect Tennessee’s students. They include:
- A review and risk assessment of all school facilities to identify vulnerabilities.
- An increase in available resources to help secure school resource officers (SROs).
- A statewide technology application for anonymous reporting of security threats.
Other recommendations focus on training and drills, as well as promoting positive behavioral health for all students. Representative Lynn remains committed to working with her colleagues in order to ensure safe environments for students, teachers, and staff members.
“Our students and our teachers should never have to worry about their safety in a school building,” added Lynn. “They should be focusing all of their efforts and energy on their work in the classroom. I will continue to push for additional resources that better protect them, and I look forward to the work ahead of us as a legislative body so that we can create solutions to end instances of school violence.”
Susan Lynn serves as the Chairman of the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee. Lynn is also a member of the House Consumer & Human Resources, House Finance Ways & Means, and House Ethics Committee, as well as the Joint Fiscal Review Committee. She lives in Mount Juliet and represents House District 57, which includes Wilson County. Lynn can be reached by email at [email protected] or by calling (615) 741-74