Gov. Haslam visits Union City school to get local perspective on education

UNION CITY, Tenn. — Three years ago, Gov. Bill Haslam created a Governor’s Teacher Cabinet where teachers across the state were able to voice their concerns about their local education systems.

“Gov. Haslam has made an effort to go to every school that is on that cabinet,” said Union City Middle School Principal and Teacher Cabinet member Lance Morgan. “That’s why Gov. Haslam has chosen to come here at Union City Middle School.”

Morgan said it was an opportunity to help highlight not only the middle school but Union City’s overall education system.

“I just hope to be able to highlight Union City Middle School and Union City school system as a whole, and what our students do here and how hard our teachers work and what they do to bring forth a solid education,” Morgan said.

One of the main reasons for the governor’s visit is to let rural communities much like this one know that they are not forgotten.

“We just think it’s really important to have real teacher voices from all around the state,” Gov. Haslam said. “Rural, urban, suburban, men, women, black, white — just all the different folks that teach, and have a good representative of that and give us good feedback.”

Haslam says education has always been a main priority for teachers and students and a solid foundation helps prepare students for higher education.

“At the root of everything we do is great public education,” Gov. Haslam said. “We have Tennessee Promise — two years of free community college for everybody — but if they’re not prepared when they get there, that doesn’t do us any good.”

And much like how members of his Teacher Cabinet come to him with their concerns, this opportunity helps bring it back to the state.

“It helps me to come here,” Gov. Haslam said. “I learn a lot that I can take back, and hopefully we can share those learning around the state.”

Haslam also visited other locations in West Tennessee, including the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he talked about job expansion and economic growth, along with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.