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SOCM SOCM is a 54-year-old, member-driven organization dedicated to empowering Tennesseans in their efforts to have a greater voice in determining their own future.

We take on local, state and national campaigns to make lives better for everyday people.

Knoxvillians - be sure to join the Knox County Education Coalition Chapter of SOCM at this great local event Friday, fea...
10/06/2026

Knoxvillians - be sure to join the Knox County Education Coalition Chapter of SOCM at this great local event Friday, featuring member Michael O'Malley, Knox County Schools teacher and parent who will join the panel, and a resource table at the fair. It's free (donation requested) and includes lunch and coffee. and all attendees (be sure to RSVP!) will receive a free copy of "All Boys Aren't Blue" by the keynote speaker, author George M. Johnson. Check out this community event and stop by our table to say hello! RSVP link in comments!

What happens when almost 80 SOCM members from across Tennessee get together for a day? A lot of learning, laughing, conn...
10/05/2026

What happens when almost 80 SOCM members from across Tennessee get together for a day? A lot of learning, laughing, connecting, and planning for what comes next.

Thank you to everyone who joined us Saturday at Montgomery Bell State Park for SOCM’s 2026 Annual Meeting. We spent the day celebrating the work happening in our communities, sharing lessons from local organizing campaigns, building our skills, and looking ahead to 2027.

From “Building Our Base” workshops and small-group conversations to presentations, activities, and plenty of time to simply connect with one another, the day was a reminder of what makes SOCM work: our members.

We left Montgomery Bell grateful for the people who showed up, energized by the ideas shared, and excited about what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.

Our roots are local. Our impact is statewide. And there’s a lot more work to do. 💙

Thank you to everyone who made the day such a special one!

✍️ Members continue to show up at local school board meetings and hold school board members accountable to the needs of ...
10/01/2026

✍️ Members continue to show up at local school board meetings and hold school board members accountable to the needs of our public schools.

Want to join your local Public School Strong group?

Attend the next Public School Strong orientation on Monday, October 19th to learn more about the PSS movement and why organizing at the school board level can have a huge impact in your community and beyond. If you make the pledge, we'll send you a free t-shirt to wear to your next school board meeting!

RSVP to receive the Zoom link to the orientation 👇 https://secure.everyaction.com/TnlB9ws_pUaV1OFJkZlpQA2

To learn more about our Public School Strong work 👇 https://www.socm.org/publiceducation

09/29/2026

School board candidate forum tonight in Blount County with candidates Brian Davis and Irene Guerinot.

What could the future of South Knox public schools look like if more of us helped shape it?On Sunday, members of the KCE...
09/24/2026

What could the future of South Knox public schools look like if more of us helped shape it?

On Sunday, members of the KCEC Chapter of SOCM working on Public School Strong gathered at Sam Duff Memorial Park with an incredible mix of people who care about our public schools—teachers, parents, retired educators, students, graduates, local business owners, community members, and local elected officials.

Together, we talked about Knox County Schools’ proposed “South Knox Solution,” what we’re learning about school capacity, teacher-student ratios and funding, and—most importantly—what South Knox residents are telling us.

So far, we’ve knocked on nearly 600 doors and heard from more than 150 people through our community survey. And we’re just getting started.

Next up: more conversations with residents, neighborhood groups, school district leaders and elected officials, more outreach across South Knox County, and another community gathering in October.

Public schools belong to all of us, and decisions about their future are stronger when the people who live, learn, teach, and work in our communities are part of the conversation.

Want to get involved with Public School Strong? Follow SOCM, take our survey, join us at an upcoming gathering, or reach out to learn how you can help bring more South Knox voices into the conversation.

Together, we can imagine—and work toward—a strong future for South Knox public schools. 💪🏫

"We believe it's important for folks such as yourselves, decision makers, to understand what people in the community fee...
09/23/2026

"We believe it's important for folks such as yourselves, decision makers, to understand what people in the community feel should happen with this land...For the past four months, we've conducted a survey in the local area. We had 109 respondents let us know what they felt."

SOCM member Jon Jonakin presented the results from our door-knocking campaign in Cookeville to the Putnam County Commission on Monday. Most community members they surveyed want the county to use the old fairgrounds site for a public park or affordable housing.

People power works. ✊

Read the full article from the Herald-Citizen: https://www.herald-citizen.com/

09/23/2026

💵Would saving $400 a year make a difference for you and your family?

🥩🥕 That’s what you would save if we eliminated the grocery tax and made corporations pay their fair share. On Thursday September 24th at 6:00 PM the TN4All coalition is hosting a town hall on a bill that would deliver relief for working people while stopping corporations from sending their profits overseas.

Speakers include Rep. Ronnie Glynn, Councilmember Eric Claunch, Melissa Lindsey from CMC Education Association, Trina Hill a Resident Commissioner at the Housing Authority, and Ashanti Lyle from SOCM.

RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/tn4all/event/1015678/

Last weekend, the Sumner County Public School Strong group participated in Affirming Sumner, a community celebration of ...
09/23/2026

Last weekend, the Sumner County Public School Strong group participated in Affirming Sumner, a community celebration of diversity, inclusion, and love at Fruity Farms. The group set up a self-portrait mural where people could stop by and doodle a quick self-portrait, and they passed out bubbles and candy while encouraging people to sign up for Public School Strong or Sumner Advocates for Immigrant Dignity.

SOCM's Blount County Public School Strong team invites you to our candidate forum on September 29th at 6:00, where you c...
09/21/2026

SOCM's Blount County Public School Strong team invites you to our candidate forum on September 29th at 6:00, where you can hear directly from our Alcoa and Maryville city school board candidates about how they plan to support our public schools!

As part of SOCM's Public School Strong campaign, we are fighting for honest, equitable, safe, and fully-funded schools in our community. This in-person forum will give us a chance to share our hopes for our public schools and for candidates to share their plans to support our schools if elected.

To RSVP and submit questions for consideration: bit.ly/sept29forum

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