Tennessee’s $9.5 Billion School Funding Plan Provides Fewer State Dollars Per Student than the Education Freedom Scholarship Plan
Tennessee education officials on Friday unveiled the full set of public-school funding allocations for districts across the state, and the average portion the state is providing is less per student than Tennessee is giving families through the new Education Freedom Scholarship Act.
The act, sometimes referred to as school vouchers, provides 20 thousand families with $7,295 in taxpayer dollars to use for private school expenses this school year.
That amount is $273 more than the $7,022 per pupil funding average Tennessee is providing school districts, according to Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) data presented to the Tennessee State Board of Education.
Democrats Criticize Funding Disparity
The Education Freedom Scholarship Act passed earlier this year despite opposition from some Republicans and every Democrat in the Tennessee General Assembly. Supporters argue it will provide school choice options to families who can’t afford private school while opponents worry it will eventually siphon needed tax dollars away from public schools.
Senate Democratic Caucus spokesperson Brandon Puttbrese sent an email to the Tennessee Firefly further criticizing the funding disparity in the new TISA data.
“The average public school student in Tennessee will receive hundreds of dollars less in state funding than students enrolled in Gov. Bill Lee’s private school voucher program,” said Puttbrese. “The TISA chart is another stark reminder of how 15 years of Republican-controlled budgets have failed our students and teachers.”
Local Contributions and Equity
Despite criticism from Democratic leaders, public school students will still receive more taxpayer funds overall than students receiving Education Freedom Scholarships, because local school districts are required to provide funding under TISA.
According to data provided by the Tennessee Department of Education, local school districts will be chipping in an additional $2,787 on average per student this school year, bringing the total per-student average in public schools to $9,810.
The state calculates local contributions by weighing the ability of local communities to raise revenue. This ensures districts with higher tax bases, like Williamson County, contribute more locally than those with lower revenue capacity.
It also means some school districts will receive more state funding per student than the Education Freedom Scholarship $7,295 amount.
In West Tennessee, for example, Tennessee provides Haywood County Schools with an average of $7,843 per student, while Memphis-Shelby County Schools receives $8,025.
TISA in the National Context
The Tennessee General Assembly passed TISA in 2022 to replace the state’s 40-year-old Basic Education Program (BEP) funding formula with a system that’s based on individual student needs rather than system-wide averages. AT the time, most states, including California and Texas, utilized a similar system.
This year, TISA additionally includes a $164 million investment in new state dollars, including $125 million for teacher pay increases.
