Join NOAH on Monday, Dec. 6th at 5 pm for a town hall at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, about reforming the funding of K-12 public schools in Tennessee. State funding of schools falls far short of what Tennessee can afford. Racial disparities in trauma and poverty for children are not being addressed by funding resources that can help these students!  The Commissioner of Education, Penny Schwinn, presides over the events. The Town Hall will be live-streamed on the Facebook and YouTube pages of Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church.

At the Town Hall, NOAH will address these issues:

* Tennessee spends $31,000 a year to incarcerate an adult and only $9,500 a year to educate a child.

* The national average is $12,624 per student. Tennessee spends $9,500 per student.

* Increasing teacher pay and making teacher salaries adjustable to the cost of living

* Covering the cost of professional development for teachers

* Funding the teacher-to-classroom size mandates

* Providing physical and mental health supports—Social worker, school counselor, and nurse ratios that mirror national recommendations

* Bringing all of our children into the 21st century with adequate technology

* Adequately addressing the needs of low-income students, English learners, and students with disabilities, in order to produce predictable, equitable allocations to every school district

Inadequate funding is another way of setting up our children for: 

* Low-paying jobs

* Inability to afford housing

* Involvement with the criminal justice system