Image: Principal Melanie Simpson Image Credit: Jefferson County Schools & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
Several failed attempts have been made recently to enact a second wheel tax in Jefferson County, Tennessee to improve school facilities, provide for capital improvements, and fund other needs.
Simultaneously at least one Jefferson County School administrator has a policy of denying students the use of lockers, one of many school building features paid for with wheel tax proceeds.
Citizens are asking questions, and many are opposing a higher wheel tax.
For most 6th through 12th graders, lockers have long been a staple of school life, making it convenient for students to manage their laptop computers, school supplies, and several pounds of books.
However, students at Jefferson Middle School in Jefferson City, Tennessee are not permitted to use their taxpayer funded lockers that would make their school experience more pleasant.
As one Jefferson County parent put it, “We’ve paid all these taxes for school facilities for decades, then our kids go to school and get denied use of what we have all paid for. It is no wonder so many parents have pulled their kids out of the system and complained about another wheel tax.”
Based on data obtained from Jefferson County Schools (JCS) through a records request, 835 students had been held out of the JCS district for private, homeschool, and religious schooling detailed in the May 15th, 2024, Non-public Enrollment Report.
The Tennessee Conservative News reached out to Jefferson Middle School Principal Melanie Simpson on August 8, 2024, concerning the locker issue. She confirmed via phone that in fact students are denied use of lockers for a “long list of reasons” and because a faculty survey revealed consensus against allowing students to use lockers at the school.
Simpson was asked if she would be willing to reverse the locker policy. She answered “no.”
The parents that contacted the Tennessee Conservative News asked to remain anonymous for fear that school administrators would impose retribution against their children if they spoke out.
Commentary on this issue is being sought from school board members for future reports.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
Sounds like a dimmercrap. Exactly what are her reasons??
Things like this on the public dime illustrate why public education should be killed and the taxes stopped. Tax money for education should be frozen at the least and never increased again. Public funding should be only for educational vouchers to pay for the private schooling of children as the parents choose and that funding should be permanently capped at present or lower levels. My home is exploding in unrealized gains and I will never profit from it living here all my life as I intend and my taxes keep increasing based on these unrealized gains. How is that fair or equitable? The public education funding is draining away seniors living expense budgets and not giving a good education either for most students. A lose ,lose situation. Damn the kids, food and shelter for seniors is at least equally important and they/we have paid for everything up till our senior years and then suffer under rising tax on our homes or wheel taxes, etc., in our waning years. I don’t want my taxes paying for public education as it exist, with no God , lots of perverts and Marxist on salary and revised “history” and weak on real reading writing and arithmetic. I love children and have great grandchildren and want them to have good educations, but that is not what kids are getting for the most part these days from public education. They are getting a social indoctrination I detest that goes against my core values and weakens their understanding of history, religion, political and family importance, all while I pay for it! Vote against all new public school funding and push for lowering the tax bills for education and spreading it equally to all , including renters and non drivers. Property taxes should never go up after you purchase your home! Taxing unrealized gains that many will never reap ,living their lives in their home, is a patently offensive way to fund school taxes at the expense of poor and elderly home owners.