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Tennessee’s 114th General Assembly gaveled in Tuesday with another GOP supermajority and an expectation from Republican Gov. Bill Lee to pass his universal school voucher proposal early in the session.
Lee’s statewide plan is expected to dominate legislative business for a second straight year, and the governor has hinted he may call a special session late this month to focus on it, as well as to discuss emergency aid for flood-damaged parts of northeast Tennessee.
But other proposals this year could affect public school students and families, too, even as sluggish tax collections will make it harder to launch and sustain expensive new programs.
Bills to require restrictions on student cellphone use in schools, improve school safety, and encourage wider access to child care have been filed, or are expected to be filed.
Legislation rejected by lawmakers in 2024, and back again this year, would establish programs to provide students with free breakfast and lunch, as well as free menstrual hygiene products for adolescent girls.
Rep. Scott Cepicky, of Culleoka, wants to significantly expand the amount of physical activity for elementary and middle school kids. The state currently mandates 15 minutes of daily recess for elementary schoolers, but no recess time for middle schoolers. His bill would require two daily 30-minute, unstructured, screen-free recess periods for elementary students — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — and at least one 30-minute recess period a day in middle school.
A bill by Rep. Kirk Haston, of Lobelville, aims to end required end-of-course state testing for high school students. Instead, the state would rely on the results of ACT, SAT, or other college entrance tests for school accountability purposes.
There also may be proposals to try to bolster reading instruction in kindergarten and first and second grades — part of the state’s continuing effort to raise reading proficiency among third-graders. Currently, 39% of third-grade students are considered proficient readers, based on annual state tests.
With turmoil in Tennessee’s largest school system, as some Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members seek to oust the superintendent after less than a year on the job, Rep. G.A. Hardaway filed a bill Tuesday that would create a process for recalling school board members.
And several legislative leaders believe the Achievement School District, the state’s most intensive school turnaround program, will likely be phased out through legislation after more than a decade of mostly disappointing results. Meanwhile, a smaller pilot school turnaround program that is showing some success could be expanded.
Culture war issues likely will play prominently in debates again in a state that has led the nation in banning school library books in recent years and was among the first to enact a law restricting what teachers can teach about topics such as racism, gender, and bias.
Already, Rep. Michael Hale, of Smithville, has a bill to allow and encourage public schools to display the Ten Commandments, along with certain historical texts such as the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution that are already allowed. Another measure, by Rep. Gino Bulso of Franklin, would require the parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a student who is not a lawful U.S. resident to pay tuition if the student attends public school. Such a measure would violate federal law preventing public schools from denying a free public education to children who were not legally admitted to the United States.
Republicans continue to maintain their stronghold on legislative politics, maintaining their supermajority status in the House with 75 out of the 99 seats, the same number the GOP held before last year’s elections. In the Senate, Republicans have 27 members while Democrats continue to have just six.
Nearly all members of the supermajority represent districts located outside of Memphis and Nashville, the state’s largest two cities.
Democrats will try for a second straight year to fend off Lee’s plan for universal private school vouchers and have issued a call to action to pass legislation that strengthens public schools — from salary increases for teachers to establishing a grant fund to pay for afterschool programs, mental health services, teacher training, and facility upgrades.
“Education is not a partisan issue; it’s a Tennessee issue,” said House Democratic Leader Karen Camper, of Memphis, in a statement.
Bills won’t be debated for several weeks in a session that’s expected to last through at least April. With a new General Assembly, organizational business comes first.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton likely will announce committee assignments and chairs of those panels next week, including pivotal education committees. Those appointments are important because committee leaders and members serve as the gatekeepers of legislation, deciding which bills advance and which ones don’t.
Closely watched will be a successor to former Senate Education Committee Chairman Jon Lundberg, of Bristol, who lost his Republican primary election last year.
Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.
