State Senate passes legislation that would prohibit public school teachers from asking a student’s preferred pronoun
The bill from Senator Paul Rose would extend existing pronoun policy to students and prohibit teachers from asking students to call them by a name or pronoun inconsistent with their biological sex.
State representative pushes for task force to examine the impact of President Trump’s education cuts
The legislation would create what a federal education deregulation cooperation task force charged with investigating the Tennessee impact of recent presidential administration efforts to slash the U.S. Department of Education.
House Education Committee advances state intervention bill for Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Speaking to House Education Committee members Wednesday evening, Representative Mark White said only 17 percent of the district’s students demonstrate proficiency in math, and just 23 percent meet reading proficiency standards.
House committee breaks with the Senate on bill to reduce Tennessee’s testing system
Representative Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, announced Wednesday morning that he plans to amend his legislation without including the key compromise announced in the Senate that would study the state’s accountability system instead of weakening it.
Knoxville lawmakers share misinformation about public charter schools to attack legislation that supports them
Legislation that supporters say will help ensure public charter schools are approved timely and without political bias advanced from the House Education Committee Tuesday, but not without multiple misleading statements by Knoxville-based opponents.
Bill requiring student citizenship verification passes key Senate committee vote
Watson told committee members his bill is meant to help gather information and ease what he calls a financial burden placed on local districts with English language learnerprograms, pointing to a steady rise in the costs of those programs over the past eight years.
Lawmakers could pass legislation designed to ensure parents are notified about school threats Monday
State Representative Rick Scarbrough is co-sponsoring legislation that would require school districts that report credible threats of violence or significantly disruptive behavior to law enforcement, to notify parents within 48 hours.
Potential compromise reached to study Tennessee’s testing and accountability system, instead of weakening it
Senator Lowe’s legislation would create a ten-member advisory committee appointed by state leaders to study the state’s testing and accountability systems.
Legislation allowing state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools advances following debate by two Memphis lawmakers
Under the bill, the education commissioner would be able to recommend the removal of the director of schools and some or all school board members.
Bi-partisan opposition fails to stop legislation that would let school districts charge undocumented students tuition
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 Plyler vs. Doe decision prohibits public schools from refusing to admit undocumented students and the legislation is envisioned by supporters as an opportunity to challenge that decision.
Memphis Shelby County School Board pushes back against proposed state intervention
During a school board meeting Tuesday night, the MSCS board voted unanimously to support a resolution opposing state intervention and calling on other elected officials to oppose it as well.
House Education Committee advances bill allowing merit-based pay for public school teachers
The bill, brought by Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, would allow local school boards to introduce a merit-based pay structure to award additional compensation to high-performing educators.
Republican Senators unanimously support legislation to ensure the approval process for public charter schools is fair
The Governor Bill Lee backed legislation would allow charter applicants the ability to apply directly to the charter commission if they want to open a school in a district that has had three charter denials overturned in three straight years.
Congressman John Rose launches gubernatorial campaign with a promise to appoint an education commissioner with Tennessee teaching experience
The 6th district congressman made a commitment to appoint a commissioner for the Department of Education that has experience in a Tennessee classrom
Senate Committee advances expansion of original Education Savings Account program, despite passage of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act
Senator Todd Gardenhire’s, R-Chattanooga, legislation would expand the Education Savings Account (ESA) pilot program implemented in 2022 to include students in Montgomery, Knox, and Rutherford Counties.
House subcommittee advances legislation that would reduce high school testing
Representative Cochran’s legislation removes every end of course assessment high school students take but science and instead requires students to take a postsecondary readiness assessment like the ACT in math and English language arts each year in grades 9-11.
Memphis-Shelby County School Board puts division over superintendent aside to oppose state intervention
School board members unanimously supported a resolution Tuesday night opposing state intervention in the Tennessee school district and calling on elected officials elsewhere to join them.
State Representative Mark White narrows state intervention bill to only impact Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Representative White’s amended legislation would empower the commissioner of the Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor to jointly create a board of managers for Memphis-Shelby County Schools. This board would essentially supersede the district’s existing school board and director of schools.
House subcommittee advances plan to eliminate the Achievement School District and create a new model for struggling schools
Legislation presented by Representative Debra Moody, R-Covington, Tuesday would sunset the state ASD, replacing it with a progressive, three-tiered intervention system that would give more control to school districts.