Lawmakers Reconvene the 114th General Assembly

Stock image of the Tennessee State Capitol

Tennessee lawmakers reconvened the 114th General Assembly on Tuesday for what’s expected to be a shorter legislative session to accommodate this year’s elections. Every House seat and odd-numbered Senate seat will be up for re-election this year, with the primary vote in August and the general election in November.

Lawmakers are expected to debate multiple issues that played a prominent role in last year’s legislative session, including state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Both houses passed conflicting bills last year, tabling the measure until those differences can be worked out in a conference committee this year.

The Senate version of the bill would allow the Tennessee Department of Education’s commissioner the ability to recommend the removal of the district’s director of schools and some or all school board members, who would then be replaced by the county commission. The House version would create a nine-member oversight board with the authority to supersede current district leadership.

State lawmakers opened the possibility of intervention into the district following last year’s school board decision to fire former Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins after less than a year on the job.

Legislative schedules list the bill on Thursday’s House Message calendar, though it’s unclear if members will take any action on it.

Expansion Proposals Expected for the Education Freedom Scholarship

Lawmakers are also expected to discuss expanding last year’s most discussed piece of education legislation, the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship. The program allows families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses, and applicants quickly reached the program’s 20,000 student cap.

Lawmakers and gubernatorial candidates have discussed expanding the number of scholarship recipients this year, and recent polling suggests Republican voters support such a move, though a tighter budget could impact any plans.

Governor Lee shared a video on Tuesday that praised the program’s impact on students across the state.

“Education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life forever — and we’re already seeing the impact of education freedom across Tennessee,” wrote Lee on Facebook.

The program has received criticism from Democratic lawmakers and the Tennessee Education Association (TEA), who argue that it diverts needed dollars from public schools.

The TEA released a statement from President Tanya T. Coats on Wednesday to attack expected plans to expand the Education Freedom Scholarship.

“Last year’s passage of Tennessee’s first universal private school voucher program was another attack on our state’s great public schools and the public education profession,” said Coats. "There is little doubt that the lame duck year of this administration will feature further efforts to erode Tennessee public schools in favor of privatization schemes."

Associate Degree Teaching Program

This year’s legislative session is also expected to see debate over House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s proposal to remove the bachelor’s degree requirement for elementary and middle school teachers and create a new associate’s degree program for them.

Sexton told the Tennessee Firefly in a November interview that his proposal will help address the state’s teacher shortage by enticing those who can’t afford a four-year degree to enter teaching, as well as retirees and those in areas where it’s challenging to staff classrooms.

“And I think with the junior colleges being in more rural parts of Tennessee, you’d have a lot more opportunities and probably a lot more individuals willing to go into the teacher profession who may not have done it because a four-year degree was not something they wanted to go do,” said Sexton.

Last Year in Governor Lee’s Term

This year’s legislative session will be the final one of Governor Bill Lee’s term.

During the last seven years, the governor has signed notable education legislation, including the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act (TISA), which reformed the state’s school funding formula and invested a billion new dollars in education, historic pay increases for teachers, the Literacy Success Act, and other legislation to advance tutoring programs that addressed pandemic learning losses.

Education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success released a statement encouraging lawmakers to build upon the impact those pieces of legislation have created for students. The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.

“Tennessee leaders should seize the opportunity before them to make the historic progress students made during the Lee administration a catalyst for future achievement,” said Tennesseans for Students Success President and CEO Lana Skelo. “We look forward to working with lawmakers this year to provide public-school students with more opportunities and choices and further improve their pathways to college and career readiness. This critical work will send a strong signal to the next administration that the legislature remains laser-focused on student outcomes and setting Tennesseans up for success.”

This year’s bill-filing deadline for the Senate is January 29, and the House deadline is January 30.