TVA Makes Big Wind Purchase

The Tennessee Valley Authority has been on a shopping spree for wind energy. Thursday the power provider announced contracts for 815-megawatts from planned wind farms in Illinois and Kansas.

As the state legislature considers Governor Bredesen’s proposal to revamp the way the state evaluates teachers, a new, national study gives solid marks for Tennessee’s current methods of assessing teacher quality. But Education Week Magazine’s annual Quality Counts report says the state lags behind the national average when it comes to offering teacher incentives.

Fort Campbell troops are spending this week driving humvees off road and getting a little mud on the tires. But this isn’t recreation. They’re training for the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan and the country’s lack of paved roads. Soldiers are also learning techniques for avoiding roadside bombs, which account for 60 percent of the military casualties in Afghanistan. WPLN’s Blake Farmer reports.

Wednesday, Governor Phil Bredesen asked the boards who oversee public education in Tennessee to sign on to his revamp of the system.

State lawmakers will likely make substantial changes this week in how teachers’ job-performance is assessed. That comes as part of Governor Phil Bredesen’s push to position Tennessee to receive hundreds of millions of federal ‘Race to the Top’ dollars. Bredesen says the change is crucial for Tennessee to have a serious shot at the money. He appears to have support from both Republicans and Democrats in the legislature. And last night the state teachers’ union signed off on the change as well. WPLN’s Daniel Potter reports.

The Metro Nashville School District is bracing for an estimated $35 million shortfall next school year. What’s helped bail the district out of similar budget situations isn’t an option anymore.

Last night the state teachers’ union agreed to proposed changes in the way the state assesses teacher performance. Governor Phil Bredesen has said such changes are vital to positioning the state to receive hundreds of millions of federal ‘Race to the Top’ dollars.

Wednesday morning Tennessee lawmakers begin debating the most controversial of part of Governor Phil Bredesen’s education proposals – using student test scores to help determine a teacher’s pay. Currently schools may not use such data for salaries or tenure decisions.

Members of the Metro Council’s Black Caucus heard from unhappy business owners last night about the city’s new minority contracting policy.

Tennessee lawmakers today voted to postpone any implementation of the Voter Confidence Act until 2012. The law was supposed to require a switch paper ballots this year.