| Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser  Newsletter July 7th, 2013 Communication from the Chairman By: Ryan P. French I'm writing today to share some of the exciting things we are working on here at the CCDP! Shortly after taking the position of Chairman, I announce a plan to move the CCDP to the forefront of online technology with a revamped strategy to become more accessible than ever. In three short months we have realized the goal of building powerful online tools that will allow members to stay up to date with party dealings at the click of a mouse. I encourage each of you to try out these new formats and share them with your friends! Before I go any further, I would like to highlight one of the most important online tools that we have created that will help the CCDP become a force across the state. On July 1st we launched the D.E.M program here at the local level! D.E.M. stands for Donate Every Month and allows you to donate an amount of your choice by automatic bank draft every month. This tool is critical to the success of our local party as we move forward into a very competitive 2014 election cycle. Funds generated from the program will help us provide strategic assistance to democrats at all levels, keep our CCDP Headquarters open year round, and help finance other outreach efforts in our community. I ask that you sign up and give anything you can. To get started click the "Donate" button on this newsletter! As part of our online initiative we have also launched a new website, Facebook page, and you can now follow us on Twitter and Instagram. www.CoffeeCountyDemocraticParty.com www.Facebook.com/CoffeeCountyDemocraticParty www.twitter.com/cc_dp www.Instagram.com/cc_dp While all of this technology gives us a great opportunity to expand our reach, we cannot forget the principals of building a long term successful party: hard work and dedication. Over the next several months our party will be working hard to transition the Democratic Party back into the leading role of shaping issues such as education, equality, and quality job growth in our state and local community. These are exciting times for the Coffee County Democratic Party and we want YOU to become part of it. However you can get involved, DO IT! Be sure to check out our website and click on the "Get Involved" tab at the top of the page. Also, call or text us anytime at (931) 954-2016. Please forward this newsletter to your friends and I look forward to seeing you join our efforts to grown the CCDP. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Rep. Joe Pitts, D-Clarksville, is not mincing his words on Gov. Bill Haslam and Commissioner Kevin Huffman's new reduced pay scale for Tennessee teachers. In effect, the Haslam/Huffman plan, which the state board of education passed 6-3 on Friday, means teachers in the first five years of their tenure would receive less pay and not be eligible for salary increases, despite their performance or obtaining additional education. "This is just another attempt to undermine the profession of education and stick it to the teachers of our state," Rep. Pitts said. "It is time to stop picking on teachers and focus on the issue that has a far greater impact on student performance — poverty." In Tennessee, one of every four children — 25 percent — lives in poverty, according to an annual report published Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It's common sense that children, who go to bed hungry, suffer malnutrition or live in struggling homes, are not prepared to be good students during the day. (Even so, Gov. Haslam and Tennessee Republicans passed a law that cut $40 million of benefits for children of parents who have lost their job through no fault of their own.) And when families struggle or fall on hard times, in many cases it is teachers who pick up the pieces to support the child, House Democratic Leader Craig Fitzhugh said June 19 in an email calling for the pay scale cuts to be stopped. "Our public school teachers are this state's greatest resource. They work long hours for little pay. When school budgets run tight, they dig money out of their own pockets for basic classroom supplies," Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, said. "If kids come to school in tattered clothes or hungry from having not eaten the night before, it's our teachers who figure out a solution and fix the problem." Tennessee teachers are already among the lowest paid in the nation. According to one study, Tennessee ranked 9th on the list of worst paying states for teachers. "This reduced salary schedule is a slap in the face to our dedicated public school teachers," Fitzhugh said. Another Haslam/Huffman policy being rammed into effect would change the license renewal program for teachers in the state. Under the new system, license renewal would be tied to student test scores and more evaluations, which have proven flawed. "Reduced pay, and restricted access to licensure renewal is yet another insult to the teachers in our state," said Pitts. "These proposals will further destroy morale and only drive our fine educators away from the noble profession of teaching." Rayfield Elected 6th Congressional District Representative for Tennessee Young Democrats CCDP Secretary Taylor Rayfield was elected 6th congressional district representative for the Tennessee Young Democrats during the TNYD state convention held on Saturday, June 29th. Rayfield said, "I am looking forward to this new role and opportunity. I am especially looking forward to engaging with all the young democrats in the 6th district, and plan to encourage involvement and growth." | |||
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