NASHVILLE – As Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee prepares to unveil details of his proposed K-12 public school funding formula overhaul this week, uncertainty remains as to whether state lawmakers will approve it this year or decide more time is necessary to vet the replacement for a formula that impacts 1 million students, 1,700 public schools and billions of dollars in state spending.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, the Republican Senate speaker, said that while discussion of revamping Tennessee’s 30-year-old education funding formula is “desperately needed,” he wasn’t sure “whether this is a one-year or a multi-year process.”
Later qualifying that last week in his weekly news conference with other GOP leaders, McNally said, “I think we might have to make some extra time for the Education and Finance committees” to make it happen this year.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, told reporters he believes there’s still time to get there.
“It’s going to have to move at a little bit quicker pace and a little bit more urgency, meeting with members,” Sexton said. “But there’s still the possibility to get a vote on it.”