Image Credit: TN Dept of Education / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds has paid back all of the travel and event expenses that advocacy group ExcelinEd paid for her last year, after an ethics complaint was filed against her for potentially accepting an illegal gift from the employer of a lobbyist.
Reynolds was employed by ExcelinEd, an advocacy group that works to promote education vouchers, before taking on her state government role. Last year, she attended two out-of-state conferences that were hosted by the group, with expenses totaling around $2000 being covered by the group.
According to state ethics laws, public officials are not allowed to accept gifts from lobbyists or employers of lobbyists. One of ExcelinEd’s employees is a lobbyist registered in Tennessee who pushed Governor Lee’s school voucher program.
After The Tennessean reported the paid expenses, an ethics complaint was filed by State Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville-District 59) against Reynolds. She then repaid the expenses, noting through Chief Ethics Counsel Erin Merrick, that her decision to repay the funds was not an admission of guilt.
Reynolds was then reimbursed for those costs as a work expense approved by the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.
It is likely that the Tennessee Ethics Commission will discuss the complaint at their August 29 meeting.
This is not the first time Reynolds has had to turn over money after being questioned regarding what appear to be shady financial practices.
Last year, Reynolds signed two different state tuition waiver forms, falsifying statements that she had been a state employee for longer than six months, allowing her to receive free tuition at a state university. After acknowledging what was called “an administrative error,” Reynolds repaid the cost of that tuition.
Merrick says complaints against Reynolds are politically motivated, stating that the Commissioner was “wrongly” accused.
“It appears the complaint against Commissioner Reynolds was filed for political reasons to undermine Governor Lee’s school choice agenda,” stated Merrick in her August 1 letter to the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance.
Representative Hemmer responded to The Tennessean, “The only thing politically motivated in the Governor’s ‘Chief Ethics Officer’ and the Commissioner of Education turning a blind eye toward ethical and appropriate behavior whenever their voucher scam proposal is involved.”
He continued, “It’s very telling that Commissioner Reynolds paid back the money in question after reporting by The Tennessean brought this issue to the light of day. I don’t know many people who would pay back thousands of dollars in question from their own pocket if they didn’t do anything wrong.”
Merrick says there is no ethics violation because Reynolds voluntarily repaid the funds.
5 Responses
Isn’t this person appointed by Lee? Of so, send him a matching invoice to pay late fees and interest back.
My grandchildren can’t benefit from the voucher program. Make it accessible for all.
Be careful about demanding that voucher money. As it stands right now it’s a sparkly dangling carrot with the sneaky intent to inject more government micromanaging of the child’s education and push ideology propaganda onto the child whether they’re in public, private, or homeschool. Just look up the voucher. Lots of sloppy loopholes to sneak anything nefarious in by design. Please exercise caution regarding anything on school vouchers. At this time they are a wolf in sheep clothing.
Nailed it. All government assistance comes with strings.
Sounds like grounds to be Fired ! Booted out the window to the street ! Bye ! Bye ! don’t want to see ya’ later !