NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE
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Bishop experiences Catholic Schools Week Students at St. Mary-Johnson City ask him about his episcopal ring, how much he is paid, and more By Bill Brewer
DAN MCWILLIAMS
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ishop Mark Beckman was in impressive company during one of his most recent get-toknow-you meetings with Diocese of Knoxville parishioners. In attendance were young leaders of the community, including a paleontologist, a sheriff, a soldier, a physician, a nurse, a firefighter, a police officer, a school principal, an athlete, a chef, a NASA astronaut, a ballerina, a princess, and Spider-Man. The bishop had a captive audience at St. Mary School in Johnson City during Catholic Schools Week as these heroes, and even the superhero, took part in a question-andanswer session with the diocese’s shepherd. Bishop Beckman visited St. Mary on Jan. 28 and met with various classes in the pre-kindergartenthrough-eighth-grade school. On this theme day, students could dress as their favorite vocation and teachers could dress as St. Mary students. It was a fun and fascinating turnabout. As Bishop Beckman asked the younger students who they were dressed as, they asked him about being a bishop. The questions were insightful and probing. And Bishop Beckman didn’t hesitate. Among the students’ questions were: n “What do you wear around your neck?”
Question-and-answer session Bishop Mark Beckman speaks with Mason Mock, a pre-K student in Carrie Booth’s class at St. Mary School in Johnson City. Alondra Quiroga has her hand raised to ask the next question. n “Why do you wear a ring?” n “Can bishops get married?” n “How much do you get paid?” n “What are your favorite movies?” n “What is your favorite book?” n “What do you like to do when you’re not being the bishop?” n “How did you get to be a bishop?” n “What’s the different between a
priest and a pastor?” n “Do you have to be a priest first before you become a bishop?” n “Have you ever met the pope?” n “Do bishops have to travel?” Bishop Beckman answered each question, fully explaining the details of his position and interjecting personal anecdotes along the way. “God called me to be your bishop
in the Diocese of Knoxville. So, all of East Tennessee I’m responsible for taking care of. We have 51 churches, eight grade schools, and two Catholic high schools. We have three university centers on the campuses of UT-Chattanooga, UTKnoxville, and East Tennessee State University,” the bishop told the Catholic Schools continued on page B2
Education Freedom Act passes legislature By Bill Brewer
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chool choice will soon be available to students in East Tennessee and across the state as the General Assembly in Nashville approved the Education Freedom Act on Jan. 30 during floor votes in the House and Senate. Gov. Bill Lee called the approval a “milestone in advancing education,” and it is expected to have a significant impact on the 10 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Knoxville. Gov. Lee is expected to sign the legislation into law soon. It was adopted during a special session of the legislature that began Jan. 27 and concluded Jan. 30. During the four-day session, legislators also took up and approved a comprehensive disaster-relief package for residents, businesses, and governments affected by Hurricane Helene as well as measures for Tennessee to assist in implementing the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The school-choice legislation was backed by Tennessee’s three Catholic bishops, who wrote to state legislators in support of the bill. The bill also had support from parents and organizations across the state. “I’ve long believed we can have the best public schools and give parents a choice in their child’s education, regardless of income or ZIP code,” Gov. Lee said shortly after the legislators cast their votes. “Now families can move forward with an opportunity that they’ve never had before.”
The Education Freedom Act establishes Education Freedom Scholarships, which are the foundation of the state’s first universal school-choice program. In addition to the scholarships it provides for students, the act invests in public schools by providing bonuses to teachers, increasing funding for kindergarten-through-12th-grade facilities, and ensuring state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment as students transfer to different schools. An amendment to the act requires local school boards to approve the program to access the one-time, $2,000-per-teacher bonuses. The act, which has a cost of $447 million, appropriates $145.9 million for the Education Freedom Scholarships, $198.4 million for bonuses for the publicschool teachers, $77.2 million for K-12 infrastructure directed from existing sports wagering revenue, and $2.7 million for administrative costs. Each annual scholarship will be valued at about $7,000 for students to use at state-accredited private or parochial schools. Independent homeschool students or students attending church-related homeschools are not eligible for the scholarships. Gov. Lee said he and the legislature will continue their commitment to public schools by further investing hundreds of millions of state dollars in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula and increasing pay for starting teachers from $35,000
BILL BREWER
The legislation was backed by Tennessee’s Catholic bishops, parents, and organizations
Playtime at St. Dominic Kindergarten teacher Michelle Miller, kindergarten assistant Lauri Moncla, and school director of development and admissions Beth Barnette accompany a group of youngsters to the playground. in 2019 to $47,000 in fiscal year 2025-26. According to the act, Education Freedom Scholarships will be available to all Tennessee families with school-age students beginning with the 2025-26 school year. Parents have the opportunity to choose the school for their children, regardless of income or where they live. The act provides 20,000 scholarships for Tennessee students, with 10,000 scholarships reserved for families with household incomes that do not exceed 300 percent of the amount required to receive free or reduced-price lunches in public schools, for students with disabilities, or for students who are eligible for the existing Education Savings Account program. The other 10,000 scholarships have no income limit.
The Education Freedom Act will grow with demand as 5,000 scholarships will be added each year after 75 percent of total scholarships are taken in the prior year. The scholarship money will be deposited into an account for parents to use on tuition and fees first, followed by other qualified education expenses. More than 350 private and parochial schools, including the 10 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Knoxville, will be eligible to receive Education Freedom Scholarships. They would qualify as either Category I (stateapproved or -accredited), Category II (approved by a private-school accrediting agency), or Category III (approved through accreditation by a state-authorized accrediting School choice continued on page B2