On Feb. 24, state education commissioner Penny Schwhinn and Gov. Bill Lee announced the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act. If the proposal passes in this year’s legislative session, it could change the way Tennessee’s schools are funded, starting in the 2023-24 school year. The TISA Act would replace the current Basic Education Program — a 30-year-old funding formula that many have sought to change for years on the grounds that it does not adequately fund education. Not only would the TISA Act change the funding structure, it would also inject a recurring $1 billion of state funds into education spending.
“This plan makes an important down payment, but when it comes to public school funding, the details matter,” says state Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), who sits on the Senate Education Committee. “This law could affect an entire generation of students and teachers. With stakes this high, we cannot afford to get this wrong.”
The TISA Act is set to pay for everything that is already covered in the BEP and more. The formula includes a base that covers school staff, technology and safety, and weights for students and their specific learning needs, plus direct and outcome-based funding to districts. While every student starts out with a base amount of $6,860, some students are eligible for additional funding based on their individual needs, socioeconomic status and location, among other aspects. Charter school facilities also get additional weighted funding.Â
“We think [the formula] incorporates a lot of the things that we were looking for in terms of weights and an ambitious base,” says Metro Nashville School Board District 8 representative Gini Pupo-Walker, who also serves as director of the Education Trust in Tennessee, a nonprofit that has led education-funding-related discussions in Nashville. “We think it is an important step in the right direction.” Pupo-Walker notes, however, that she would have liked to see the formula address pre-K.
A significant aspect of the TISA Act is its emphasis on transparency. The legislation would require schools and districts to publicly report their spending. It would also hold low-performing districts accountable by requiring them to present to an ad hoc education finance committee.Â
“While we applaud this transparency, we are uncertain how the plan’s shift in accountability will play out,” says Nashville Public Education Foundation president and CEO Katie Cour in a press release. “We will continue to monitor any potential impacts of changes to accountability on Nashville’s governance structure.”
Sen. John Lundberg (R-Bristol), acting chair of the Senate Education Committee, thinks the TISA Act is “really transformative, number one in transparency [and] number two in the funding formula. … I think something like this has the potential to make a huge impact in a very positive way down the road.”Â
Lundberg does, however, question the longevity of the TISA Act. “I want to make certain that what we do isn’t just good for next year, but in five years and 10 years, because this is a plan that should live with us for a long, long time.”
Now that the formula is out, legislators will begin reviewing the bill through seven different committees before it hits the House and Senate floors for voting. This process could introduce changes to the bill, and some are concerned that such a momentous piece of legislation will be rushed through by lawmakers. There is still time, however, to call legislators and provide feedback of your own.
“We didn’t get into this education funding deficit overnight, and we are going to need more than a few weeks to set us on the right path forward,” says Akbari.
