Need to Teach Phonics In Tennessee Schools

I moved to Tennessee from Alabama a few years ago. My kids are attending public schools in Maury county (locals pronounce it Murray) and I am furious that schools do not teach the students phonics. Even the principal with a Doctorate Degree never learned phonics. The principal said to me just the other day, "I'm happy yall came to the sku!" I replied, "It is pronounced school, not sku." He snapped back, "I refuse to talk like a yankee and will talk like a southerner even if it aint right." This encounter with the principal just adds fuel to the fire that all people from the south are just dumb rednecks.

How can these students excel if the teachers and principals are purposely holding the student back because of tradition? One day, these students will falter as they enter into college and the jobs market thanks to the "Old South" mentality in the school system.