With education being on the agenda of Tennessee lawmakers this year, organizations across the state are asking for increased funding for schools to counteract long-standing issues complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, educators, parents and labor organizations – including Memphis For All, AFL-CIO, Stand Up Nashville, Nashville Organized for Action and Hope and Memphis Labor Council – held a news conference to discuss the challenges facing the state’s public school systems.
Tennessee uses a complicated system decide how state education funds are distributed to schools, and lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum are seeking to overhaul the formula that drives it.
Gov. Bill Lee is seeking to shift the program to a “student-based” formula, as opposed to providing funding at the school system level, critics believe Lee is making attempts to shift state funds to provide subsidies for parents seeking to send children to private institutions.