
Marta W. Aldrich
Senior Statehouse Correspondent, Tennessee
Marta W. Aldrich is Chalkbeat Tennessee’s senior statehouse correspondent. A newswoman for The Associated Press for most of her career, Marta has covered state government, politics, business, education and other Tennessee news. She has served as news editor of United Methodist News Service and features editor of American Profile magazine. Her freelance work has been published by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor and Dow Jones News Service, among others. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
College president’s mockery of teacher training won’t necessarily dash hopes to bring charters to the state
Local governments in Nashville and Memphis failed to show that an injunction was warranted, the judges ruled
Speedy voucher rollout draws hopeful families, more legal challenges
Lee meets with private school leaders, while his education chief acknowledges the timeline is ‘challenging’
The legal move comes as the state prepares to officially relaunch the program
Gov. Bill Lee said the state will work “starting today” toward enrolling students.
Some candidates worry that national culture wars will overshadow local education issues
Lee says comments were taken out of context, but teacher groups say governor should have repudiated insults
Meanwhile, one education leader warns against sweeping history under the rug
The court order marks another win for Gov. Bill Lee, but more legal challenges loom
Lee rejects universal background checks and banning gun equipment used in mass shootings
‘We have to do more,’ he says, but gun control isn’t on his list
With more legal challenges pending, ‘there can’t be any steps going forward,’ Gov. Lee concedes
Critics of a 2021 permit-less carry law call again for limiting gun access
Cheers, frustrations, and promises to fight follow after Tennessee’s highest court overrules lower courts, clearing an obstacle to the state’s private school voucher law.
The ruling effectively endorses Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account program, the signature legislation of his first year in office.
From funding formulas to cell phone policies, legislation ran the gamut
Gov. Lee will also sign bill to let a state commission veto school library materials
Republicans step up their campaign against books deemed ‘age inappropriate’
The goal is more funding for students with costlier needs, but will it be enough?
Instead of addressing flood-prone schools, the money appears to go into Tennessee’s rainy day fund
The announcement comes ahead of this week’s key committee votes on TISA.
A late amendment seeks to pave the way for negotiations — or litigation
Schools could lose state funding for letting transgender youth compete in girls sports
Some senators are torn about state legislation aimed at a local matter.
Who will be tested, and on what? We address these and other common questions.
The state’s voucher program for students with disabilities could double in size.