Committee Appointed to Guide New State School Funding Formula

A new school funding formula takes effect in 2023-24, this committee will supervise implementation

2023 marks the last year of Tennessee's legacy school funding formula - the Basic Education Program (BEP). The BEP formula determined how much each of the state's school systems received in state and local dollars each year based on an intricate set of inputs and desired outcomes. That formula governed school finance in the state for 30 years and is essentially retiring at the end of this year.

Now, school systems will receive funding from the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula. The new formula assigns a dollar amount to each student, allocates those dollars to districts based on the students served, and grants the districts some leeway as to how they fund the schools in their system.

As this school year ends and systems look ahead to a new funding scheme for 2023-24, the Tennessee Department of Education has appointed a Steering Committee to guide implementation of the new formula.

"Tennessee is embarking upon an exciting new chapter with the implementation of the TISA funding formula to meet the needs of each Tennessee student,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Thank you to these dedicated and passionate individuals, who are willing to continue their service on behalf of our kids.”

The Committee's mission is to serve as a resource for school districts as they work through the changes of the new formula.

Committee members include:

• Senate Education Chairman Jon Lundberg
• House Education Administration Chairman Mark White
• House Education Instruction Chairlady Debra Moody
• Warren Wells, Member, State Board of Education
• Bo Griffin, Director of Schools, Millington Municipal Schools
• Cat Stephens, Director of Schools, Tullahoma City Schools
• Steve Barnett, Director of Schools, Johnson City Schools
• Justin Robertson, Director of Schools, Hamilton County Schools
• Sara Carpenter, Executive Director, The Memphis Lift
• Christy Carroll Highfill, Parent
• Jennings Wilson, Parent
• Jen Aprea, Parent, The ARC
• Melissa Collins, Teacher of the Year, Memphis-Shelby County Schools
• Kyle Loudermilk, Principal of the Year, Kingsport City Schools
• Guy Respess, Data Management Director, Knox County Schools
• Teresa Winter, CFO, Bartlett City Schools
• Nancy Dishner, Executive Director, Niswonger Foundation
• Teresa Sloyan, Executive Director, Hyde Family Foundation
• Victor Evans, Executive Director, Tennessee CAN
• Jack Powers, Regional Legislative Director, ExcelinEd
• Gini Pupo Walker, Executive Director, EdTrust

Photo byAgence OllowebonUnsplash