Lawmakers, Lee replace Tennessee State’s Board of Trustees
Almost immediately after the General Assembly gave final approval to legislation vacating the Tennessee State University Board of Trustees, Gov. Bill Lee appointed an entirely new board.
The move comes after several years of lawmakers issuing complaints about inadequacies at TSU, the state’s only state-supported HBCU.
A federal inquiry found the state has underfunded TSU by $2.1 billion over the past 30 years, and TSU leaders have been pressing legislators to devise a plan to correct the shortfall.
Following the takeover vote, advocates spoke out about Lee’s power grab:
Rev. Wesley King, a Disciples of Christ pastor in Nashville, said:
“I’m horrified but unfortunately not surprised by the atrocious vote of the Tennessee Supermajority today to vacate the entire Tennessee State University board. Instead of addressing the historic underfunding of TSU, the TN Supermajority has decided that they will use their ‘power’ as a legislative body to replace the board of trustees and take over the decision making power of the University.
