For Immediate Release: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013       

Contact: Jim Waters 270-320-4376                                                                          

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.)  — “Free to Learn,” a series of three debates designed to tackle the issue of charter schools in Kentucky, will begin with the first debate at Southern Baptist Seminary’s Heeren Hall in Louisville on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.

The debate series is sponsored by the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s first and only free market think tank, and conducted by TAC4, a Louisville-based organization that has led several events committed to addressing controversial issues.

Panelists include Wayne Lewis, Ph.D., assistant professor and Principal Leadership Program Chair in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky, and Linda Duncan, a retired public school teacher and administrator who currently serves as a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education and at-large Director on the Kentucky School Boards Association.

Lewis will be the presenter in favor of school choice; Duncan will offer the opposing viewpoint. Kentucky is one of eight states without charter schools. Several bills have been filed in recent years that would allow the creation of charter schools. None have received a vote in the Kentucky House of Representatives. “With school choice a hotly debated topic in Frankfort, this event gives all Kentuckians a chance to hear important information from credible panelists who both favor and oppose charter schools,” said Bluegrass Institute president Jim Waters. “We urge citizens, educators and legislators of all political persuasions to take advantage of this opportunity to hear a full yet reasonable discussion about bringing parental school choice to the commonwealth.”

Each debate will include an interactive Q&A segment with the audience.

TAC4 founder Alan Claypool, who will moderate the debate, says the format and approach used by his group attempts to go beyond just what both panelists want to say and get each debater to speak to the concerns of their fellow debater. “We seek to find effective solutions on tough issues and change the tone of the conversation,” Claypool said. “Using a new set of ground rules, debaters learn to hear and address the needs of the other side equal to caring about their own viewpoints.”

Find more information and reserve your free tickets at https://tackle20131203.eventbrite.com/

The “Free to Learn” series will also include debates on school choice in Frankfort and Lexington during the 2014 session of the Kentucky General Assembly.  Media outlets are welcome to attend and cover this event. For comment, contact Alan Claypool at (502) 645-6119 or alanclaypool@tac4solutions.com, or Jim Waters at (270) 320-4376 or jwaters@freedomkentucky.com.