School leaders ask lawmakers to continue accepting federal education funding

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Interim Superintendent Tutonial “Toni” Williams (Photo by Memphis-Shelby County Schools)

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Interim Superintendent Tutonial “Toni” Williams pleaded with state lawmakers to invest federal funds into schools for the state’s most vulnerable students rather than reject them.

In recent months, some Republican lawmakers have expressed an interest in rejecting more than a billion federal education dollars to avoid some of the requirements that come with taking them. This week a Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding has held multiple hearings to discuss the idea’s feasibility.

The group called Williams to speak at Tuesday afternoon’s hearing along with Hawkins County Director of Schools Matt Hixson, Jackson-Madison County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marlon King, and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Chief of Staff Hank Clay.

Williams originally served as the chief financial officer for MSCS before becoming the interim superintendent and she used that experience to make the case to lawmakers why federal funds should be invested in schools.

“Often dismissed as a mere number, our district funds represent far more than financial assistance,” said Williams. “These funds are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they’re hope.”

Williams told the joint taskforce that her district encompasses a dynamic network of 211 schools that cater to a diverse population of 86,000 K-12 students, 5200 Pre-K students, and 19,400 public charter school students. Roughly 60 percent of those students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

One of the main uses for federal funding is providing supplemental services to programs that address the needs of economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, English language learners, students dealing with homelessness, and professional development for students and teachers.

Williams says these funds also help tackle hunger and food instability. The district receives $89 million from the federal government to fund a food/nutrition program that provides students with two meals each day.

The interim superintendent also told lawmakers about the latest infrastructure challenges the district as been facing.

“So, funding for students, no matter the origin, I’m not merely a number on a spreadsheet, right, I’m an old finance being counted here. But I want to say it definitely provides strategic and moral investments that ensures that our students are set up for success in Tennessee and nationwide,” said Williams.

Like Williams, MNPS Chief of Staff Hank Clay said federal funding is needed to help Davidson County’s most vulnerable students. He also told the taskforce members that this funding is vital for Davidson County’s ability to make strategic investments for its students.

“This funding provides extra supports for these students who need resources to support learning and provides protection for those students. We see this federal funding as some of our most strategic resources that we can use to experiment with without using state and local funds to research whether the funds are providing the evidence that we need to increase student achievement,” said Clay.

Tuesday non-partisan think tank the Sycamore Institute told members of the taskforce that Tennessee would likely have the state dollars to replace federal dollars rejected.

Clay made the case that those extra dollars could do more good if they were invested with federal dollars and not in replacement.

“If there’s funding on the table to replace these federal dollars, we would welcome that, but ask that it be an addition to because our students deserve it,” said Clay.

Members of the joint taskforce asked education leaders, including Clay, whether their opinion on rejecting federal funding might change if the state could provide more flexibility without the federal strings attached.

Clay directly addressed this by saying federal funds bring needed transparency and accountability to how school districts spend public dollars and families have important input the process.

Jackson-Madison County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marlon King shared similar thoughts on the importance of federal funding. King says those dollars have allowed the district to fill in the gaps and supplement where state dollars could not.

“There’s a great need in these areas and one of the things I want to share is these dollars have allowed us to supplement where wouldn’t have been able to provide the support families and students need to improve,” said King.

The joint working group will hold additional hearings next week to continue its comprehensive review of federal education funding. Members plan to provide the General Assembly with a full report on the feasibility of rejecting federal funds next year.