Tommy Tuberville slams inner-city schools, saying he does not know how teachers received degrees
Misty Severi
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) slammed the public school system in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming he does not know how inner-city school teachers received a college degree.
During a guest appearance on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast Triggered, Tuberville pointed to a recent study that claimed 23 public schools in Baltimore did not have any students who were proficient in math.
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“The COVID really brought it out how bad our schools are and how bad our teachers are, in the inner city,” Tuberville said. “Most of them in the inner city, I don’t know how they got degrees.”
The Alabama senator expanded that he was not even sure if the teachers could “read or write,” and he claimed that “work ethic” had been ruined in the United States.
“I don’t know whether they can read and write. And they want a raise. They want less time to work, less time in school,” he said.
“It’s just, we’ve ruined work ethic in this country. We don’t work at it anymore. We push an easy life. If you can’t read and if you can’t write, you can’t live in a country like this and not have somebody help you make it through life, which is what a lot of this government wants.”
Public schools have seen test scores drop drastically since the beginning of the pandemic, with eighth grade scores in history and civics this year reduced to 1990s level test scores, according to the Nation’s Report Card, which was released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress earlier this year. But scores in math, science, and reading have all tested lower than pre-pandemic numbers.
Randall Woodfin, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, said he was disappointed in the senator’s comments in a Twitter thread on Friday.
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“The hard working, committed teachers in our community — including my mom and step mom — give all of themselves to our students, and often serve as more than just educators,” Woodfin tweeted. “Sure, we have challenges. What community doesn’t? We are working furiously to solve them. And we have never been more proud of the people working so hard for solutions. Our teachers are at the forefront of these efforts. They deserve praise and support — not ridicule — from all of us — including an elected official who previously made millions off the backs of the black students our teachers have produced.”
Tuberville has come under fire recently for actions pertaining to the military and abortion. Tuberville is currently holding up the promotions of certain military officers as a protest against Pentagon policies related to abortion. One such policy pays for the travel costs and time off of service members receiving abortions.