Metro Files Education Funding Lawsuit Against State

Metro Nashville has followed through on the school board's June vote to sue the state for adequate funding for english language learners.

In a petition filed Thursday, the city asks the state of Tennessee to "fulfill it's constitutional obligation to fully fund the Basic Education Program (BEP)."

The move follows a preemptive letter of support for the lawsuit from more than 30 members of Metro Council.

The lawsuit argues that the state should follow code, which outlines that "funding shall be provided by the state at a ratio of 1:20 for teachers and 1:200 for translators."

Currently the state is only funding ELL at an estimated ratio of 1:25 for teachers and 1:250 for translators.

Before the lawsuit was filed, the state agreed about the code and ratio, but referred Metro Legal to another section of the code, which says "the changes in components or factors of the BEP implemented by this at shall be implemented in accordance with funding as made available through the general appropriations act."

In future years, the state said the ratios will be "reviewed against available funding" to determine whether changes might be made to "achieve the goal of funding ratios of 1:20 and 1:200."

Updated (1:31 p.m.): The Tennessee Department of Education responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:

"We are disappointed by MNPS’ action to file a lawsuit against the state on the basis of funding for our English learners. Since 2011, Governor Haslam and the General Assembly have worked together to provide more than $730 million in new funding for K-12 education. Just this year, the state provided a record investment for our schools — $220 million in new funding, including $14 million in new funds for school districts to serve English learners. This increased ELL funding benefits MNPS more than any other school district in the state. MNPS’ use of taxpayer dollars to sue the state only serves to remove funds from classrooms and the very students the district is attempting to help.”