After Stinging Insure Tennessee Defeat, Governor Says He’ll Turn Attention To Education

As Governor Bill Haslam licks his wounds from the defeat of his Insure Tennessee health proposal, he’s making plans to tackle another tough subject. Haslam has had far more success in the education arena. Now he hopes to preserve those victories.

The governor doesn’t get much time to rest. Just days after state lawmakers killed his proposal to expand Medicaid, he returns on Monday to the House chamber, where he’ll deliver his annual State of the State address.

Haslam seemed to hint at what he’ll be talking about when he used a speech in Nashville to shift the topic from Insure Tennessee to education. His goals are modest: He wants lawmakers to stay out of three key areas – Common Core, student testing and teacher evaluations – so his administration can implement its own tweaks.

“It’s a long way from Capitol Hill to that classroom,” Haslam said.

Haslam admits education reforms have been tarnished by bad publicity. But he doubts lawmakers can fix them.

Just holding his turf on education could be tough. Teachers, parents and many lawmakers are up in arms over recent reforms. That means the next few months may be no easier for the governor than the past few.