Education A State Capitals Roundup

Tenn. Bribery Charges Include Ed. Panelists

By Joetta L. Sack — June 07, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

One current and one former member of the Tennessee Senate’s education committee have been arrested as part of an FBI sting that nabbed four lawmakers and three others with ties to the legislature on bribery charges.

Federal and state investigators allege the lawmakers accepted payoffs from companies wanting to do business with the state. The investigators set up a phony computer-recycling company that offered bribes in exchange for the legislators’ sponsorship of measures that would help the company.

Sen. Ward Crutchfield, a Democrat and member of the education committee, and former Sen. Roscoe Dixon, a Democrat who served as vice chairman of that committee, were among those arrested May 26. Rep. J. Chris Newton, a Republican, and Sens. John N. Ford and Kathryn I. Bowers, both Democrats, also were charged with accepting bribes. Mr. Ford has since resigned from the Senate.

Sens. Ford, Bowers, and Crutchfield have told local media that they are innocent of all charges. Rep. Newton sent a letter to his supporters last week asking them to pray for him and to pray that justice will be served.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP