Shining a light on education & government in TennesseeShining a light on education & government in TennesseeIn 2023, Tennessee replaced the Basic Education Program (BEP) with the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) — a student-based funding formula that follows each student to their school. The change shifted billions in education dollars and reshaped how every district plans, hires, and advocates. Below is the full library: what changed, who benefits, and what’s still being fought over.
Ten focused explainers covering every angle of the state’s funding mechanics, district impact, and the politics around the dollars.
A plain-English walkthrough of the formula: weights, base allocation, and how it adds up for a real student.
Read explainerWhat changed in 2023. Side-by-side of the old Basic Education Program and the new student-based formula.
Read explainerWinners and losers. Which districts gained dollars, which lost them, and the gap-by-gap details.
Read explainerSpecial education, English learners, low-income students, fast-growing districts — what every weight does.
Read explainerA retrospective on the formula that funded Tennessee schools for three decades.
Read explainerHow the state's match interacts with county and city dollars — and where local school boards still hold leverage.
Read explainerFederal Title funds, IDEA, ESSER, school-level fundraising, and the dollars TISA doesn’t touch.
Read explainerThe ongoing political fights — adequacy lawsuits, voucher expansion, charter pulls, and the funding-equity question.
Read explainerWhat a district budget actually looks like, line by line, and how to read your own.
Read explainerHow parents, teachers, and community members can show up and have an impact on funding decisions.
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