TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Feb 28, 2023

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton said he plans to introduce legislation that would do away with federal funding for the state’s education system, WATE in Knoxville reports. The state receives $1.8 billion in funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The federal money covers many programs within the school systems. “This helps those who are most in need, the low socio-economic students, our students that need it for special ed,” says Tanya T. Coats, President of the Tennessee Education Association. Speaker Sexton said that Tennessee would replace those funds with state tax dollars, citing $3.2 billion in new spending outlined in Gov. Lee’s recent budget proposal as evidence that the state could cover the difference.