Pam Strickland News for Knoxville, TN from Knoxville News Sentinel

Pam Strickland

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Pam Strickland writes a weekly column for the News Sentinel. She also writes a blog entitled Strickly Impolitical for knoxnews.com.

Pam Strickland: Evaluations needed but so are changes Published 6/15/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 10 comments
Seven convoluted recommendations for change came out of the study of the new teacher evaluation system conducted by State Collaborative on Reforming Education, the think tank known as SCORE that Gov. Bill Haslam asked to provide feedback on the evaluations ...
Pam Strickland: Slide rules won't reign in digital world Published 6/8/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 23 comments
On Monday, after spending two hours listening to citizens comment on the pros and cons of a proposed $35 million budget increase request from Knox County Schools, Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown said the county hadn't been so divided on ...
Pam Strickland: Transferred Lenoir City teacher did his job Published 6/1/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 66 comments
Lenoir City High School teacher James Yoakley was transferred to Lenoir City Middle School last week, a move that removed him from his educationally sound performance in his six years as yearbook and newspaper advisor to high school students.
Pam Strickland: School funding battle hits social media Published 5/25/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 16 comments
If the social media are any indication, Knox County commissioners are being heavily lobbied this week regarding their upcoming vote on the Knox County School Board's 2012-13 budget.
Pam Strickland: Women in Black group celebrates 10 years of urging peace Published 5/18/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 13 comments
For Renee Jubran, Easter 2002 was very hard. A Palestinian Christian living in Knoxville, Jubran decided that she couldn't wear bright spring colors when she was so saddened for her homeland, where the Israeli Defense Forces had reoccupied several cities ...
Pam Strickland: Homeless data must translate into action Published 5/11/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 22 comments
Each month in 2011, an average of 1,595 people accessed services for the homeless in Knoxville. For the year, the total number of individuals using services was 7,320 — a 3 percent increase over 2010.
Pam Strickland: Knox Mayor Tim Burchett's buddy system isn't working Published 5/4/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 50 comments
Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has spent most of the first half of his four-year term telling us how conversations with this or that buddy have helped him reach a decision about this or that government matter. Of course, he's ...
Pam Strickland: Lawmakers avoid the important matters Published 4/27/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 15 comments
If all goes well, and well is certainly in the eye of the beholder, the Tennessee Legislature will be wrapping up its 2012 session and heading home this week. Yet for most of time its members have been in Nashville ...
Pam Strickland: IRS policy makes identity theft easier Published 4/20/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 21 comments
In 2010 the U.S. Internal Revenue Service had stopped almost 49,000 tax fraud cases based on identity theft, with refunds of $2.47 million. In 2011, that number jumped to nearly 262,000 claims, with refunds totaling $1.45 billion. As of March ...
Pam Strickland: Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero offers model tolerance ordinance Published 4/13/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 48 comments
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is proving over and over that she is a woman of her word. The latest example came Wednesday with word that next week she will present the Knoxville City Council with the first reading of a ...
Pam Strickland: Bad idea to let locals enforce immigration laws Published 4/6/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 12 comments
Although President Barack Obama has proposed a phasing out of the controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program known as 287(g), the Knox County Sheriff's Office is one of two local law enforcement agencies in the country that will get ...
Pam Strickland: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam needs to show leadership Published 3/30/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 23 comments
The state Legislature continues to confuse religion and public education, and along the way is highlighting Gov. Bill Haslam's problem with leadership since he moved from East Tennessee to the state capital. In both cases, what we have is an ...
Pam Strickland: Lack of substance marks Tennessee Legislature Published 3/23/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 63 comments
In an effort to figure out what exactly the Tennessee Legislature had done that could truly be called legislating over the last two months, on Wednesday I called a friend who spends most of his days wandering the halls of ...
Pam Strickland: McIntyre's school budget plan necessary Published 3/16/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 37 comments
Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntrye calls his proposal to add $35 million to the school budget each of the next five years a bold move. I call it a sensible move that is long overdue.
Pam Strickland: Despite law, ID was not needed to vote Published 3/9/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 35 comments
Tuesday was only the third time that I've voted at Sequoyah Hills Elementary School. I moved to the neighborhood in March 2011 simply because some folks at my church had a condo for rent. It was a big change from ...