NASHVILLE – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has released this statement from President and CEO David Mansouri after Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State address:

Governor Lee has shown a strong commitment to public education and to our students tonight. We are encouraged by his proposals to improve and heavily invest in literacy instruction, postsecondary attainment, improving educator pay and support, and innovative approaches to recruiting and preparing the teachers of tomorrow. These are critical policy areas that need focus from Tennessee leaders.

While Tennessee has made tremendous gains in the past several years, persistent challenges in third-grade literacy, postsecondary completion, competitive pay for teachers, and workforce readiness remain. Governor Lee has shown a commitment to tackling these challenges, and we look forward to working with leaders across Tennessee to continue improving public education for all Tennessee students.