This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
A leader of the panel exploring whether Tennessee can reject federal education funding said he doesn’t expect the state to do so, even if it can find a way.
Sen. Jon Lundberg, who co-chairs the special legislative committee looking into the idea, said that based on what the panel has learned during two weeks of hearings that ended Wednesday, it would be premature to make big changes in the funding streams for Tennessee students.
The Bristol Republican also expects the panel’s work to continue “well into 2024″ as members seek information from the U.S. Department of Education about rules and regulations tied to acceptance of federal funding.
“My expectation is that we’re not going to say no to federal funds. We’re not going to kick more than a billion dollars back to the U.S. government,” Lundberg told Chalkbeat on Thursday.