Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn are scheduled to announce legislation for the new student-based funding formula, known as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement formula (TISA) this week.
According to an emailed statement, Lee and Schwinn are scheduled to present the legislation on Thursday, February 24.
“Tennesseans will have access to a livestream presentation that breaks down key aspects of the legislation and funding proposal,” according to the statement.
“Details about the presentation will be announced next week.”
Lee and Schwinn said that, for the first time in more than 30 years, the TISA will move to a student-based funding formula, including the following components:
• Student-based funding starts with a base funding amount for every public-school student.
• Additional funding may then be allocated based on weights to address individual student needs.
• Direct funding is another opportunity for students to receive additional funding allocations to support specific programs, like tutoring.
• Outcome incentives are awarded based on student achievement to empower schools to help all students reach their full potential.
The local officials who lead public schools throughout Tennessee said in a recent poll that they want state officials to overhaul the state’s current school funding framework.
This, according to a poll that the Nashville-based TennesseeCAN released in December. Members of TennesseeCAN, according to the group’s website, prioritize “K-12 education policies that put children first.”
When asked how Tennessee should handle the state’s Basic Education Program (BEP) school funding formula going forward, nearly half of the 75 district leaders surveyed suggested overhauling the BEP completely and creating a new funding formula. Of the 359 Tennessee school leaders surveyed, zero percent wished to leave the BEP formula as is.
District leaders also said they need more funding to better recruit, hire, and support principals and to pay competitive salaries.
People who attended regional town halls this fall said they want legislators to pump even more money into public schools. One state legislator, however, said that’s not a remedy for improvement.
Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said in December that the state’s funding formula should change, but it needs to recognize how many teachers and principals are needed.
Staff at the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) last fall invited state residents to eight regional public town halls to discuss the state’s public education funding strategy.
State officials have not updated the state’s current school funding framework in more than 30 years. BEP is the funding formula through which state education dollars are generated and distributed to Tennessee schools.
The current Basic Education Funding formula will remain in place until a new one is recommended to and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
