The 6th district congressman made a commitment to appoint a commissioner for the Department of Education that has experience in a Tennessee classrom

Senator Todd Gardenhire’s, R-Chattanooga, legislation would expand the Education Savings Account (ESA) pilot program implemented in 2022 to include students in Montgomery, Knox, and Rutherford Counties.

Representative Cochran’s legislation removes every end of course assessment high school students take but science and instead requires students to take a postsecondary readiness assessment like the ACT in math and English language arts each year in grades 9-11.

School board members unanimously supported a resolution Tuesday night opposing state intervention in the Tennessee school district and calling on elected officials elsewhere to join them.

Rutherford County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and school officials there are weighing how to handle an influx of students while trying to maintain a community feel.

Representative White’s amended legislation would empower the commissioner of the Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor to jointly create a board of managers for Memphis-Shelby County Schools. This board would essentially supersede the district’s existing school board and director of schools.

Legislation presented by Representative Debra Moody, R-Covington, Tuesday would sunset the state ASD, replacing it with a progressive, three-tiered intervention system that would give more control to school districts.

During Thursday’s meeting, Board Chair Joe Smith asked Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson what the impact would be if the district reduced the number of benchmark tests given from three per year, to two or even one per year.

A welder, a sixth-grade teacher who’s been on the job 14-years, and a first-grade teacher who expanded a forest learning program are the Tennessee school district’s three 2025 Teachers of the Year.

The legislation, referred to as the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act, would allow the commissioner of the Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor to create a board of managers over specific school districts.

Stephanie Boshears received a welcome surprise during a school assembly when she was named a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award.

Senator Adam Lowe’s legislation would allow charter applicants the ability to apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission if they want to open a school in a district that has had three charter denials overturned in three years.

Under the proposed change for the Tennessee school district, librarians would be required to develop a “Mature Materials List” identifying materials within the library collection that have mature content. 

Tuesday night, newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon went on the Fox News program the Ingraham Angle to reframe a major reduction in her department’s workforce as the tool to provide states with more education funding.

Bulso’s bill would require restrooms, changing areas, and showers that are multi-occupant to be segregated by sex in residential education programs involving minors.

That list includes more than three dozen schools in Shelby County and more than two dozen in Davidson.

Representative William Lamberth’s, R-Portland, bill would give school districts the option to refuse to enroll students that do not have legal immigration status.

Representative Cochran’s amendment would reduce elementary and middle school testing by continuing to require annual state ELA and math assessments but only requiring students to take science tests once in grades 3-5 and once in grades 6-8.  Additionally, middle school students would only have to take state social studies assessments once, instead of each year.

Thursday the group held one of it’s first community discussions involving panelists who acknowledged the critical issues within the district but believe these problems can be better solved at the local level.

Speaker Cameron Sexton said leaders in the House and Senate are still working out the details of legislation to create state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools, but one thing that will be proposed is a forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools to look for fraud abuse and waste.