Tom Humphrey reports that school boards across the state have noticed that this year’s BEP Review Committee report is missing a few items that total some $500 million or more in shortfalls in the state’s funding of schools.
From his story:
Last week the Bradley board, also part of the suit, passed a resolution denouncing the exclusion of the recommendations and calling on the TSBA to adopt its own resolution “calling upon State officials to fund the true cost of educating Tennessee students, specifically to include the cost components recognized and recommended by the BEP Review Committee in past years.”
That’s what happened Sunday night, when 217 of the 219 delegates voted for the resolution seeking full funding of past priorities.
I noted earlier that the Committee’s omissions this year amounted to, “a deliberate attempt to avoid tough issues.”
And, it’s not like the state is short on funds to actually begin properly investing in schools. In fact, there’s a surplus that’s projected to be at least $1 billion by the end of this fiscal year.
For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport