Democrats are proposing overhaul to state's public education funding formula
Proposed legislation also calls for more school counselors, nurses and social workers
Tennessee Democrats unveiled their proposal Thursday to increase funding for public education across the state as well as connect students with vital support services.
The slate of education bills would boost the state's share of teacher salaries, tackle class sizes and add more counselors, social workers and school nurses in every school district.
The eight-bill legislative package would also tackle how the state funds education by increasing funding to the Basic Education Program funding formula.
Some Democrats have criticized legislation passed during last month's special legislative session focused on education.
Gov. Bill Lee called the special session to address the state's dismal literacy rates and other academic issues. The legislature eventually passed a $160million package aimed at tackling student learning loss during the pandemic, the state's stagnant literacy rates and how schools will handle standardized testing after a year of academic disruptions.
Lee also proposed a $341.6 million increase to K-12 education spending, including $70.5 million "to fully fund the state's Basic Education Plan formula" in his State of the State address on Feb. 8. But Democrats say the way the state currently funds schools is not enough.
"We have a K-12 funding system that basically funds K-9 and leaves three grades entirely on the local communities," Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, D-nashville, said during a news briefing Thursday, referencing the provision of the BEP that funds teacher salaries at only 70%, before taking subtle aim at the Republican governor.
"So when people make the statement each year that they are fully funding the BEP, it's really a hollow and empty statement. You are making a minimum payment on the credit card and you are falling further and further behind."
Democrats unveiled eight specific bills Thursday while the legislature was shut down for the week due to the winter storms that have left Nashville and much of Tennessee covered in snow, sleet and ice.
The most dramatic bill, SB808, calls for comprehensive BEP reform. If enacted, the legislation introduced by Yarbro would enact the "Adequate Funding Program for Education" program and revise the current method of funding for public education through the BEP — something several Republican members of the Senate Education Committee said during the special session they were unwilling to do.
Other bills, many introduced by Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-nashville, with a variety of House Democrats sponsoring accompanying legislation, would tackle the social and emotional needs of students, especially following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
SB378 would require the BEP to fund a full-time school nurse per 750 students, an increase from the one nurse to 3,000 students the formula currently provides for, and SB371 would increase the number of school counselors funded by the BEP, pushing the state closer to the American School Counselor Association's national recommendation of one counselor per 250 students.
SB1100 introduced by Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-memphis, would increase the number of school social workers funded by the BEP.
"School nurses are also incredibly critical and we need one in every school," Robinson said during Thursday's briefing. "We know that the reason kids are struggling with their academics and they are struggling with their reading at a young age is because they don't have the support services that they need to meet their needs. Our kids are going to do better as long as they have all of those support services."
Other proposed legislation includes increasing the state's share of funding for instructional positions like teachers from 70 to 75 percent, reducing class sizes in high-needs elementary schools, increasing the number of intervention specialists in schools and directing the Tennessee Department of Education to provide school districts with supplemental funding for special education. Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-chattanooga, said the common thread throughout the proposed legislation is "the broken BEP system."
"It gives me great pause when I think about the fact that we've lowered some business taxes and we've lowered some inheritance taxes and yet the basics for our children to move forward ... we are not making that investment as we should," he said Thursday. "The system we have in place now has reached its capacity."
Tennessee has enough money to invest more in education, Rep. Torrey Harris, D-memphis, said.
Lee and other GOP lawmakers sparked debate and faced criticism from Democrats for proposing to add more to the state's rainy day fund, pushing it to an unprecedented $1.5 billion.
"Our state is not struggling financially," Harris said. "Our state is financially sound and we can put more funding into our students."
Meghan Mangrum covers education for the USA TODAY Network — Tennessee. Contact her at mmangrum@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.