NASHVILLE – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) has released this statement from President and CEO David Mansouri about the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement plan and details released today by the Lee administration:
Tennessee needs a new K-12 education funding formula that will better prepare students for success in college, career, and life, and the proposal from Governor Lee and Commissioner Schwinn has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for millions of Tennessee students.
The Lee administration has wisely focused on creating a stronger student-weighted funding formula that recognizes that students with greater learning needs must have greater support. The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement would add $1 billion to K-12 education funding and proposes to provide more resources to students with unique learning needs, students who are economically disadvantaged, and students living in communities that are rural or have concentrated poverty.
Today Tennessee has taken a historic step toward a key SCORE priority: replacing the 30-year-old Basic Education Program with a student-focused system of funding to support greater learning. We believe it is time for the state of Tennessee to take up the challenge of modernizing education funding and increasing investment in students to help them reach higher levels of academic success. We are encouraged by the new details released today and will continue to be focused on elevating student needs in continued conversations over the coming weeks.