Last Thursday Republican State House District 65 candidate Brian Beathard took to his Facebook page to attack what may be Governor Bill Lee’s biggest education accomplishment.In 2022 lawmakers passed the Governor’s Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that invested a billion dollars into K-12 education and fundamentally changed the formula the state uses to fund schools.  Beathard told his supporters that TISA is reducing the amount of money schools in Williamson County are receiving.

The education and parent advocacy organization Nashville PROPEL has released a white paper detailing what local parents think about “Nashville’s hidden literary crisis,” as well as how that crisis affects students of color.According to a news release emailed to Tennessee Firefly, less than 30 percent of students in the Metro Nashville Public Schools district are reading on grade level despite nearly 80 percent of parents believing their children are at or above grade level, a finding consistent with national trends.

Metro Nashville Public Schools' alternative learning centers, or ALCs, will provide students with support "every step of the way" under redesign plans unveiled by district leaders at Tuesday’s school board meeting. 

On May 8 floodwaters rushed into Sumner County, damaging property, and forcing emergency crews to execute dozens of water rescues.The storm also washed up new criticism for a far right-wing political organization that’s gained power in the county in recent years, and is challenging to take its politics to a bigger role in state government this year. That group is the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans.

Governor Bill Lee signed legislation Tuesday that should ease some concerns parents have that their fourth-graders could be held back this year.That possibility is due to a provision of the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law that went into effect last school year.

Nashville State Community College broke ground this week on a Clarksville campus expansion that’s designed to serve students with new academic programs in healthcare, information technology, secondary education, and industrial process control.The expanded facility on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard will include a complete renovation of the existing building in addition to a second building and expanded parking. 

Last summer Rutherford County teen Taylor Aslup took advantage of every opportunity to read.Aslup balanced work and cheerleading while still finding time to spend more than 31 thousand minutes reading books she frequently downloaded on her phone. That devotion to reading helped her earn a $1,000 scholarship as the overall winner in the annual Tristar Reads contest.

Rutherford County Schools (RCS) is recommending purchasing backpacks for participants in the upcoming June summer learning camp.

Members of the Rutherford County School Board unanimously rejected what could be the district’s fourth public charter school Thursday but not without offering a gleam of hope for its supporters.The board provided more than a dozen stipulations for leaders of Novus SMART Academy (K-8) to address if they choose to file an amended application.

The arts can be a place where students find community and acceptance as they navigate through their school years.Some students in Williamson County worry the art teachers that help provide that community aren’t adequately valued by their district. Monday night more than half a dozen students and parents told Williamson County Board of Education members those teachers deserve to be paid more.Fairview High School junior Rosalie Mobley was among them. Mobley has been active in theater since the fifth-grade and she told board members it’s given her opportunities few people get.

Leaders of Novus SMART Academy (K-8) hope to provide families with another public school option.

Mental health is a growing concern for children across the country and a new report shows Tennessee is no exception.Earlier this month the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), NashvilleHealth, and the Belmont Data Collaborative joined together to release a report called “Connecting the Dots: Mental Health and Student Success in Tennessee” that explores the mental health challenges facing Tennessee youth.

Students, faculty, and alumni gathered Tuesday night to celebrate a new chapter in Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) work in political and global studies.The university is merging its existing Political Science and Global Studies departments into one new Political and Global Affairs department at its Spring Alumni Showcase. The departments have had plenty of overlap over the years, sharing many of the same students and faculty and the merger is part of a plan to adapt to changes in the future.

Members of the Rutherford County School Board narrowly voted 4 to 3 to extend the contract of Director James “Jimmy” Sullivan during Thursday night’s board meeting.Dr. Sullivan became the Director of Schools for Rutherford County Schools (RCS) in 2022 under a four-year contract. Prior to becoming the director of schools, he served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction from 2019 and served as the founding principal of Rocky Ford Middle School in Smyrna.

Some residents in Rutherford County say a proposed policy change to public comments at school board meetings could infringe on their First Amendment Rights.Current Rutherford County School Board policy allows attendees to make public comments without prior notice and without the topic being on the agenda. The board is considering changing both by requiring advance notice for public comments that must align with topics on the agenda.

This year nine potential charter operators met the February 1 deadline to file an application to open a new public charter school.School board members in Memphis, Nashville, and Rutherford County will vote on those applications later this spring, and any parents who are interested in them now have access to an independent evaluation of the proposed schools.Education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) launched this year’s edition of the Quality Charter Review on Monday with an evaluation of each application’s academic, operations, and financial plans. The review also provides an outline of each proposed school's strengths and needed improvements.

Stephen White Eagle approached the Rutherford County School Board Thursday evening to fight for his son’s right to wear an eagle feather in his graduation cap.White Eagle’s son is a senior at LaVergne High School and he says school administrative staff and district administers told his son he wouldn’t be allowed to weather the feather because of school policy.

Future students of American Classical Academy Rutherford will begin school at a building just off I-24 in La Vergne.Leaders of the new public charter school announced Tuesday morning that 2 Ingram Boulevard in La Vergne is under contract and they’re in the process of purchasing the building.

The Rutherford County Board of Education is joining a national lawsuit against social media companies for alleged damages to students.School board members unanimously voted Thursday evening to join the suit against multiple companies including Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat and YouTube.Multiple lawsuits across the nation are currently arguing that social media is contributing to the teen mental health crisis due to the lack of adequate age verification measures, insufficient parental control, and how the platforms endless scrolling is designed to lure and attract teens and expose them to harmful content.

Independence High School student Elaina Reed told Williamson County School Board members that she was scared when one of her classmates bullied her for her race.Reed says that classmate called her a racial slur and said he was going to shoot up every black person in the school. She immediately spoke to the principal following the student’s threats.