Tennessee County Closes All Schools Indefinitely, Director Blames Obamacare

Jay Hathaway
Filed to: SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER

One small county in Tennessee is running out of money, and its Director of Schools has taken it upon himself to address the problem by closing all schools in the middle of the academic year, affecting more than 1,100 students. According to him, it’s all Obamacare’s fault.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was really the Affordable Care Act for us,” Clay County Director of Schools Jerry Strong told the Greenfield Reporter, “and it has made it very difficult for us to have our employees properly covered and meet the mandates of the law.”

Strong wants the County Commission to increase taxes to get the schools open again by November.

“[Obamacare] was going to require new revenue and the commission felt like they couldn’t do that through a tax increase.”

In an interview with FOX 17, Strong called Obamacare “a totally unfunded mandate.”

County Commissioner Parrish Wright says the schools, which have been struggling with budget issues for three years, actually have enough money to stay open through the academic year. A wheel tax referendum comes up for a vote in March, and if it doesn’t pass, officials will still have the same options they have right now.

“It’s going to hurt a lot of people,” Wright said of the school closure, “Either way it goes, Clay County has lost. Nobody’s won.”

He argues that Clay is a “poor, rural county,” and property taxes there are already high by Tennessee standards, so taxing vehicle registration is a better option.

Two students have filed a lawsuit that will be heard Monday, Oct. 19, and a judge has issued an injunction to delay the school closures. Schools are closed this week anyway, for the regular fall break.

The state mandates 180 days of instruction, so the students at the county’s three schools will likely have to make up the closure days at the end of the school year.

http://gawker.com/tennessee-county-closes-all-schools-indefinitely-direc-1736473639?utm_source=taboola/

I'll bet the kids are devastated.

The comments at the bottom of the article are great ..

"SCHOOLS OUT" ~ Alice Cooper & The Monster Muppet…:

http://youtu.be/z8j3NAA0uis/

Wtf?

Tennessee has had universal healthcare,
for many, many years.

"TennCare", as it's called, has already all but bankrupted the state of Tennessee.

But Now they can jump on the Band wagon of blaming ObamaCare.



Great Story Sassy...
Also great song

I see two good points in the Director actions.
1- It draws everyone's attention to Obamacare & it's failure & how Americans never wanted it.
2- That not only businesses have closed because of Obamacare or laid off or fired full time workers.. because they can not afford the mandatory health coverage.
Unfortunately most of those who lost their full time & are only part timeare not covered in the Stats.
So there is many more unemployed & downsized� & no longer middle class.


I think the director may be making a protest statement , that Obamacare has hurt the entire country.

Passing the buck, and making a political statement.

As far back as 2006, Tennessee's bean counters, we're already talking about how TennCare, couldn't be sustained, without bankrupting the state.

While I've opposed the ACA from the beginning, i have no respect or support for people who play games like this over it.

Using your and other peoples childrens education to play political games is disgusting.

Well lots of things use to interfere with education.
Teachers strikes, back when they were allowed to.
Public transit strikes, would paralyze a city.
If parents weren't happy with a something at a school & refused to send their kids.
(Bad weather days- that had been cut down too.).

We have really lost the right to protest. Even last month a law was passed that it is illegal to protest outside the Supreme Court building.

i blame obama too

this begs the question...if they have the money to stay open thru the academic year,
then why is the director closing the schools NOW ? this doesn't make any sense at all..

what's his purpose ? to set back the education of 1,100 students ? or to get some publicity for himself ?

sending a message to the POS president we have... the sad thing is, the kids and families have to pay for it...

director of schools Jerry Strong and county clerk Kim Davis...
you both said "Yes" and have been matched together on this date...10/22/15

now STFU and do your F*ing jobs....

<----waving arms furiously in Canada.

Um, ok guys. Cut me a little slack if the questions seem stupid but bear with me.

The schools are being closed because the Obamacare costs will be a burden in future budgets, right?

The employer(school board) is closing the schools, and so in essence is laying off the teachers for a couple weeks. So, if laid off, is the school board still paying them, or do the teachers have to collect unemployment?

IF they are 'laid off', then that usually interrupts your length of service with the 'company'. So if Miss Jones has been a teacher for 24 years, and gets laid off for a month, does she lose all her seniority? A year from now she puts in for her 25 year pension and the school board says "What pension? You've only been here a year!"

IF laid off, I assume the school board WILL NOT pay for the teachers Obamacare, and I assume the teachers are collecting an unemployment check. If they cannot pay for their own Obamacare, are they deemed poor enough to qualify for some subsidized version of Obamacare, or do they get nothing?

IF they get nothing, does this not illustrate the point that the most at risk people (losing health coverage due to job loss)are STILL vunerable in America?

IF then that is the case, then WHAT THE **** DID OBAMACARE CHANGE?????

*drops mic*

October 21, 2015

CAIR Asks DOJ to Probe Threats to Tenn. School Board Member Over Teaching... -- WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-asks-doj-to-probe-threats-to-tenn-school-board-member-over-teaching-about-islam-300164060.html/

October 20, 2015
Parent Rebellion Brewing in Tennessee Over Islam-Centric Educational Standards - Breitbart

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/20/parent-rebellion-brewing-tennessee-islam-centric-educational-standards/

October 2, 2015
Christian group has Islam-fearing freakout over Georgia schools teaching basic facts about religion

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/christian-group-has-islam-fearing-freakout-over-georgia-schools-teaching-basic-facts-about-religion/

September 30, 2015
Tennessee Schools Want Islam Lessons Secret | The Daily Caller

http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/30/tennessee-school-districts-say-revealing-islam-lessons-may-cost-millions-take-too-long/

September 28, 2015
Legal group calls Islamic teachings in TN schools 'indoctrinatio - WSMV Channel 4

http://www.wsmv.com/story/30135183/legal-group-calls-islamic-teachings-in-tn-schools-indoctrination /
-------------------
Obama and the “Christian Nation” Quote http://www.factcheck.org/2008/08/obama-and-the-christian-nation-quote/

March 9, 2008
Obama: We are no longer a Christian Nation - YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmC3IevZiik&app=desktop/

August 3, 2014
Obama twists the BIBLE, declares" We are no longer a Christian nation . . . " - YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOOrSAbU9z8&app=desktop/

September 2, 2014
Ben Carson: Obama Says ‘We Are Not a Judeo-Christian Nation’ – But He Doesn’t Get to Decide, We Do http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/ben-carson-obama-says-we-are-not-judeo-christian-nation-he-doesn-t /

February 26, 2015
Founding Fathers: We Are Not a Christian Nation | Jeff Schweitzer http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/founding-fathers-we-are-n_b_6761840.html/

they are all so Goddamn confused,it's a crying Shame!

Here is the clinker in my opinion.
I remember when they wanted to take " God" out of public schools completely & prayer & silent prayer, & moments of silence & songs that referred to God & even ' The Pledge of Allegiance' (some states have or some schools have removed that it is optional to the state or board of education).... There was peaceful & legal resistance to all of it.


And now this