Last fall, Gov. Bill Lee proposed a bill to change how Tennessee funds public education. If passed, Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) would move the state from the current resource-based formula (BEP) to a student-based formula that includes a base amount allocated per student with weighted factors for students with greater need. Over the past several months, the Tennessee department of Education and General Assembly have convened funding subcommittees, organized a legislative steering committee, provided opportunities for the public to engage through many town halls, and held conversations with community stakeholders and individual school districts.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce would like to alert our members to a letter sent with Chamber board approval to Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn regarding TISA. While we support the change toward a student-based education funding formula, we still believe work needs to be done to improve the bill. Specifically, for the funding formula to be successful long-term, we encourage the legislature to consider the increased cost of educating students in counties with a higher cost of living, more accurately identifying the number of economically disadvantaged students in a district, and providing more clarity around how districts will be held accountable for student outcomes. We appreciate the input our members have provided in this process.
