Governor Lee unveils new plans for technical education and K-12 spending in State of State address
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee stressed the need for innovation in education during his seventh State of the State address to the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday night.
Fresh off the passage of his plan to let parents use tax dollars to send children to private school during last month’s special session, Lee used the annual address to unveil multiple new proposals for education that would be funded by the Governor’s proposed $59.5 billion state budget.
Among them is a $12 million proposal Lee has named the TennesseeWORKS Scholarship that’s designed to help students attending one of the state’s Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) afford the tools and equipment they’ll need for technical skills and professional training.
“Our current system covers the cost of TCAT tuition for most students, but some are still left out. We also know that a lot of these courses require expensive books, tools, and equipment – costs that may deter many from enrolling. These gaps hold thousands of Tennesseans back from the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Lee. “We are sending the message that TCATs are open, available, and free to any Tennessean who’s ready to skill up and enter our best-in the-nation workforce.”
Governor Lee also unveiled what he called an “innovative but obvious” solution to help deal with teacher shortages for career and technical education. The Governor is proposing creating a limited occupational teaching license to allow experienced tradesmen and women teach without having to pass extra coursework.
Teacher raises and funding
Governor Lee’s budget includes $580 million more public education spending which would include an additional $244 million through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that provides schools with funding per pupil and previously approved teacher raises.
All Tennessee teachers currently make at least $44,000 and the Governor’s budget would bump that up to $47,000 during the 2025/2026 school year, with the goal of eventually reaching $50,000 by the time Lee leaves office.
“Our budget confirms what I’ve said all along – Tennessee will strive to have the best public schools in the nation and give parents choices in their child’s education, both at the same time,” said Lee.
Democrats in the Tennessee General Assembly, including Senator Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, pushed back on the Governor’s statement following the address, saying teacher pay hasn’t kept up with inflation.
“We have to actually have investments in our education system that beats the costs of inflation and that actually invests in public schools, not private schools,” said Akbari.
Other education proposals
The Governor’s other proposals for education unveiled Tuesday night include:
Expanding the concept of teaching American exceptionalism created through the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee to K-12 public education.
$6.3 million investment to create a statewide Micro-Credentialing Program, to develop short-term, targeted certifications that equip Tennesseans with high-demand skills identified by industry and state partners.
$25 million additional investment in the Fast Growth Fund, to support fast-growing school districts.
$17 million for Grade A School Grants.
$10 million to provide paid parental leave for Local Educational Agency employees.
$52.8 million to fully fund the outcomes-based funding formula, which may be used for program improvements that assist higher education institutions in meeting outcomes including student progression, degree production, research and service, efficiency metrics, and other measures related to institutional mission.
$2.27 million to the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Center for Workforce Development to expand workforce training for businesses and industries, including specialized onboarding and apprenticeship programs.
$2 million to create a common application system for Tennessee’s community colleges, streamline student transfer, and implement a statewide customer relationship management system to enhance student outreach and support.
The Governor’s budget proposals will need to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly.
