Officials meet to discuss new funding framework for Tennessee schools
JACKSON, Tenn. — State officials are one step closer to changing the face of school funding.
Governor Lee and Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn met Tuesday to discuss a new framework for education funding.
Over the last three months, subcommittees in rural, urban, and suburban Tennessee have met and taken comments from the public.
Schwinn says educators want to ensure that each district gets funding that meets their specific needs.
“Want to make sure that whatever they received last year or the year before, they won’t get less funding from the state,” Schwinn said. “They want to make sure, and this is across the board, that there is flexibility so that people can invest in ways that meet local needs.”
Schwinn says one need is advancing technology for classrooms and planning ahead for when they will need to be replaced.
“Technology and facilities, especially when we look at the deferred costs in the state when we look at our school districts. Replacing the devices that a lot of folks just purchased with the relief fund.”
Students also joined the conversation and say they want to make sure that they have the same opportunities to a better education.
“They want to make sure no matter where they live, they have access to CTE courses, dual-credit opportunities, and that they get that leg up in high school,” said Schwinn. “It shouldn’t matter what part of the state you live in, so they have been very strong on that.”
Schwinn says they are also looking into incentives that will benefit both students and local districts in their education.
“If they pass an AP class, if they earn the certification, the district would then earn additional dollars for that student. It allows the district to keep funding those programs.”
She says the next steps are to get public feedback on the new framework in January and present that to the subcommittees for discussion.
Schwinn says they are going to close public feedback mid-January.
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