(The Center Square) – Tennessee will be looking at whether it wants to reject federal funding for K-12 education.
The move comes as Republican leaders in both the Senate and House examine if the funding is worth accepting the “restrictions, mandates and additional regulations” that come with the funding from the United States Department of Education.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Lieutenant Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, have created a 10-member Joint Working Group to examine the question.
“Any time the federal government sends money, there are always strings attached to those dollars, and there is always a possibility that it opens the state up to other regulations or restrictions,” Sexton said. “This working group will help provide a clearer picture of how much autonomy Tennessee truly has in educating our students.”
A study from the Sycamore Institute showed that in 2019, before the COVID-19 increases in funding, $1.1 billion was sent to Tennessee schools with the state’s 142 school districts receiving between $314 and $2,500 per student in federal funds.
The bulk of those funds went to rural districts with more low-income and disabled students that were judged to have less local revenue capacity and lower English Language Arts test scores.
Districts received an average of $7.9 million in funding with Shelby County schools receiving $192.5 million on the high end and the single-school Richland City Special School District in Marion County receiving $311,000.
One member of the work group is Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, who represents those Shelby County schools. She pointed out that those funds help support schools teaching students with special needs, low-income students and English-language learners.
“This funding helps level the playing field by providing financial support to states with fewer resources,” Akbari said. “This enables schools in economically disadvantaged areas to offer competitive educational programs, reducing disparities in education quality.”
The work group will look at whether Tennessee believes it can provide similar services without taking federal funds.
Tennessee began a new funding formula for K-12 education this school year by injecting $1 billion additional state and federal funds into the overall distribution formula with $9 billion total proposed to go into the formula in fiscal 2024.
The work group does not have any meeting scheduled yet. It will be co-chaired by Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington, and Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol.
It will include Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, and Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin.
Senate members include Akbari, Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, Sen. Bill Powers, R-Clarksville, and Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro.
