Lawmakers on the Joint Government Operations Committee met Monday to review administration rules for the newly launched Education Freedom Scholarship program and to ask questions about some of the challenges that appeared during its launch.

The new contract approved Thursday includes a 17 percent raise in the first year and 2.5 percent in each of the following three years.

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and strategic oversight of the University of Tennessee System, including campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Pulaski (UT Southern), and the UT Health Science Center in Memphis. 

The board is scheduled to vote on a resolution at its May 27 meeting to protect immigrant students who attend district schools.

Governor Bill Lee signed the legislation creating the program in February, allowing up to 20 thousand families to use $7,295 in taxpayer dollars to pay for private school expenses.

Thomas B. Fordham Institute Associate Director of Research David Griffith told members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Wednesday that research shows the growth of public charter schools is increasing reading and math scores in traditional public schools.

Rutherford County Schools has identified 12 buses it can purchase from nearby dealers for roughly $2 million. Board members will consider approving that purchase on Thursday.

The lawsuit claims the software provider failed to implement basic cybersecurity measures that could have prevented the data breach that included information on names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and phone numbers.

The Tennessee General Assembly approved $165.5 million in next year’s budget for the new building, which is the largest investment ever funded for a single higher education project.

Both polls asked voters for their support of key education policies that have been backed this year by Republican leaders, including President Trump and Governor Bill Lee.

Under the original plan, school bus service would have been eliminated for students in grades K-5 who live within a mile of their school and students in grades 6-12 who live within a mile and a half, forcing parents to find other ways to get their students to class.

According to the Comptroller’s audit, Tucker is inheriting a university that ended the 2022/23 fiscal year in June 2023 with an operating revenue loss of more than $128 million.

The move coincides with existing CEO Dwayne Tucker’s decision to continue serving Tennessee State University as interim president and not return to LEAD for the 2025/26 school year.

In a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly, the district said each leader represents its ongoing commitment to student success, strong instructional leadership, and inclusive school environments that support student growth.

The district now exceeds the state standard for the percentage of students with disabilities spending greater than 80 percent of their day in a general education classroom and grades 3 through 8 outperform their peers statewide in both English language arts (ELA) and math.

County commissioners could use new legislation to align school board races with other county elections, even if that meant shortening some board members’ terms.

Under the proposed budget, tuition will hold steady at $11,560 per semester for in-state students and $30,704 for out-of-state students for the 2025-26 school year.

If approved by the Metro Council, education will make up more than 37 percent of the total Metro budget.

Board members voted 8 to 1 to reject the Jackson Museum School but left signs they might be willing to approve the school this summer. 

A new report from the National Education Association finds Tennessee’s education investments appear to be making an impact, but not one that’s large enough to vault the state to the head of the class for education spending.