LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee on Friday said his administration was aware of the qualifications required under Tennessee law before appointing Lizzette Reynolds as education commissioner, rebuffing Democratic lawmakers’ criticism that his appointee is not licensed to teach in Tennessee, despite a statute that says she should be qualified to do so.
Earlier this week, House Democrats called for Reynolds’ resignation after raising questions about whether she met the legal requirements to serve as the top education chief. That’s because Reynolds doesn’t currently have a teacher’s license, a revelation that critics have raised nearly six months after she was appointed by Lee.
According to the century-old law, the education commissioner “shall be a person of literary and scientific attainments and of skill and experience in school administration,” and “qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority.”
“If she doesn’t resign, I call on the Lee administration to make another choice,” Rep. Sam McKenzie, a Democrat from Knoxville, said Monday. “There are plenty of qualified people out there to lead this great education system we have.”