Former State Representative and Tennessee Commissioner, Page Walley, announced his five-point education plan for success in his race for State Senate in District 26. The plan includes preparing students for tomorrow, helping students become strong readers, raise teacher pay, improve teacher preparation, and support innovation.
“I am so excited to share my vision on education for Tennessee’s future and look forward to working with local teachers, parents, legislators and Governor Lee to get the job done,” Walley said. “Every child in Tennessee deserves a quality education and my plan will help guide us in that direction.”
Walley’s plan includes the following:
- Prepare our students for tomorrow. We need to invest in workforce development, apprenticeships, vocational training, and career advising to ensure that all students graduate high school ready for a job.
- Help all students be strong readers. Tennessee needs to ensure reading is being taught well in every school. That means teaching phonics and investing in training so that every teacher is prepared to teach reading in every classroom in Tennessee.
- Raise teacher pay. Nothing is more important for student success than a high-quality teacher. We need to pay teachers more – a lot more – to ensure great teachers stay in the classroom and new teachers enter the profession.
- Improve teacher preparation. Higher education institutions that train teachers need to do a better job at working with local districts to prepare future teachers. When a new educator enters the classroom, Tennessee students are counting on their preparation and training. Let us all work together to improve that training so that every teacher is ready to teach on day 1.
- Support innovation. From public school choice to distance learning, we need to create more pathways for innovation in public education.
A staunch conservative, Walley served five terms in the Tennessee State House during the 1990’s and has served as a licensed Clinical Counselor for over 35 years. Walley is pro-life, a member of both the NRA and Tennessee Firearms Association, Tennessee Farm Bureau, is a licensed minister and author, and received numerous awards for his leadership in the Tennessee State House. Walley and his wife Terry have been married for 35 years and have three children and three grandsons.
Visit the Walley for State Senate website at www.pagewalley4tn.com
