Author: Melissa Brown

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.The Tennessee House passed legislation to expand the state’s voucher program to 35,000 seats next fall despite rare bipartisan opposition from Democrats and a significant group of Republicans. House Bill 2532 passed on a 52-43 vote on Monday night, barely clearing the majority vote needed to pass. The House version now alters the funding floor provision of the Education Freedom Scholarships program passed last year, a “hold harmless” clause promised last year to maintain current levels of public school funding even if local…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.The clock is ticking for Tennessee lawmakers to agree on an intervention plan for Memphis-Shelby County schools as the General Assembly looks to finish its session before April 30.Republican lawmakers released interim Memphis schools financial audit results last week. These results were expected to inform the supermajority’s plan to effectively take over major controls of the state’s largest school district, though the intervention plan did not advance this week. Early voting in the Memphis-Shelby County school board elections begins on April 15, before…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Tennessee elementary schools could limit classroom digital devices under new legislation aimed at minimizing screen time for young students, even on educational electronic devices. The General Assembly this week finalized legislation that will require schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade to develop a policy to limit the use of electronic devices and block any students from accessing social media during school hours. Senate Bill 2310 was significantly dialed back from its original form, which sought to totally ban digital educational devices like Chromebooks…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.A GOP push to double the number of students in Tennessee’s voucher program cleared its first hurdle in the General Assembly on Tuesday. Gov. Bill Lee and Republican leadership want lawmakers to sign off on a voucher expansion plan that would grow the program — which is in its first year — to 40,000 students. If Republican lawmakers are successful, the change could direct $303 million in public dollars to private schools in the state next school year.The K-12 education subcommittee voted Tuesday…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Some Tennessee private school teachers without a college degree would be eligible to teach in public schools under a new bill advanced by the Senate Education Committee this week. Senate Bill 2019 would allow private school teachers without a college degree to obtain a temporary public school teaching waiver, a move one national teacher quality organization said could lead to unprepared teachers. The bill received a unanimous vote from the education committee with bipartisan support after Sen. Dawn White amended the bill to…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Tennessee House Republican leaders will push forward a plan in 2026 to install a Memphis-Shelby County schools oversight panel that would seize significant decision-making authority from the locally elected school board.House Speaker Cameron Sexton and education committee Chairman Mark White confirmed this month they are committed to working with the Senate to pass a form of takeover legislation in the 2026 legislative session. Republicans in the two chambers failed to find a compromise after passing differing versions of the bill earlier this year…

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.The Memphis-Shelby County school board passed the $1.9 billion 2025-26 district budget Wednesday that will fund the return of fall and spring break academies, staffing incentives, and a new preventative maintenance team to address longstanding building issues. The school board scaled back $30 million of proposed school fire safety and HVAC upgrades from the budget after not receiving full funding from the Shelby County Commission for a $35 million investment toward deferred maintenance issues. The district will instead direct $5 million to pressing…