K-12 Subcommittee advances several bills to full committee, rejects others

The K-12 Subcommittee met Oct. 12 and advanced multiple education measures to full committee while voting down several others, including a high-profile school funding proposal and two voucher-accountability bills.

Why it matters: The committee’s decisions move a mix of bills — on charter authorizations, childcare facility access to LEA properties, preschool enrollment, testing and CTE funding — closer to potential action by the full education committee. Several measures that would change funding formulas or add new accountability requirements for private schools receiving public dollars were rejected, leaving those policy choices unresolved for now.

House Bill 11 62 (Rep. Stevens): The committee adopted an amendment (drafting code 6041) and voted 8–0 to send the bill to full education. The bill clarifies that when two school districts overlap, a charter school authorized by one local education agency (LEA) may operate within the geographic boundaries of the other LEA if the county-authorizing LEA approves the charter and the county contains a single municipal district. The committee debated the amendment and its effect on counties with a single municipal LEA before the unanimous vote to advance the measure.

House Bill 6 98 (Rep. Love): The committee adopted an amendment (4410) and voted 6–1 to move the bill to full education. The measure would give childcare providers a right of first refusal to lease or purchase LEA-owned vacant or underutilized school buildings; if a charter operates in the LEA, the childcare provider would have the second right of refusal. Discussion focused on existing lists of vacant facilities and the need to reconcile similar language that may appear in other bills when both reach the full floor.

House Bill 6 (Rep. Hale): The committee voted 8–0 to send the bill to full education. The bill would allow local school districts to enroll children in pre-K programs from out of county when open seats remain after federal eligibility and reporting requirements are met. Committee members clarified the bill applies to voluntary pre-K (VPK) seats and discussed whether future safeguards should be considered for seat accounting.

House Bill 9 (Rep. Hale): The committee considered an amendment (3785) that adjusted a per-student maintenance payment to $25. After extensive debate over the TISA formula, weighting factors and statewide fiscal impacts — including a cited fiscal note of roughly $80 million — the committee voted 3–5 against advancing the bill.

Voucher transparency and curriculum bills (House Bills 12 13 and 12 14, Rep. Johnson): The committee rejected two related bills by 2–6 votes. The first would have required private schools that receive public funds under scholarship or voucher programs to administer the same statewide standardized test given in public schools (TCAP/TNReady/ACT) so results would be comparable. The second would have required those schools to post curricula, syllabi and lists of textbooks/instructional materials to the Department of Education website. Sponsors argued the measures increase transparency for taxpayers and parents; opponents raised concerns about existing accreditation, parental choice, and the burden on private providers. A fiscal estimate of about $33,000 for the change was discussed but not determinative.

House Bill 11O9 (Rep. Salinas): The committee considered a measure that would require private schools eligible for vouchers to run criminal background checks, review the registry of offenders and check licensing suspensions for any person in roles that require proximity to students. Committee discussion noted that State Board of Education rules already require criminal history checks for schools seeking category 1–5 approval and that private schools typically pay for those checks; the bill failed 2–6.

House Bill 91 (Chairman Haston): The committee adopted an amendment (5309) and voted 4–3 to advance the measure to full committee. The bill would reduce some end-of-course testing in high school and place greater emphasis on ACT preparation and use of the ACT as the accountability measure tied to college and scholarship opportunities while retaining science end-of-course assessments. Sponsors said the change would reduce redundant testing time and better align accountability to postsecondary measures; opponents cited concerns about removing state-standard final exams and the need to preserve Tennessee standards-based assessment information.

House Bill 138 (Chairman Haston): The committee approved an amendment making the proposed CTE grant funds nonrecurring and voted 4–1 to advance the measure. The bill would establish a grant fund to help public schools purchase high-quality career and technical education curriculum.

House Bill 1001 (Chairman Hastings): After an amendment that rewrote the bill, the committee split 3–3 and the bill failed for lack of a majority. The measure would have allowed CTE courses to substitute for Algebra II, a foreign language, or chemistry when a student completes certain CTE pathways; debate focused on alignment with industry credentials and graduation requirements.

House Bill 1003 (Chairman Hastings): The committee adopted an amendment and voted 7–0 to advance the measure. As amended, the bill exempts private schools that provide fully online, self-paced programs from certain class-size, calendar, vaccination and assessment requirements for approval as nonpublic schools; the committee removed a requirement that such schools administer a particular test annually.

House Bill 11 25 (Chairman Farmer): Two amendments were adopted and the committee voted 7–0 to advance the bill. One change prevents student-achievement growth data from being used in teacher/principal evaluations if the student was enrolled in the school for 50% or less of the year. A second change permits (but does not require) local education agencies to reimburse an estate for unused accrued sick or vacation leave when a teacher dies.

What’s next: Bills advanced to full education will be scheduled for broader committee consideration. Measures that failed may be refiled, amended, or reconsidered in other forms. The committee signaled further cross-committee coordination will be necessary where multiple bills touch the same subject (for example, facility lists for charters and childcare or virtual-school approvals and extracurricular eligibility).

Meeting note: Legal counsel (Katie Robertson, Legal Services) provided rule and background-check guidance during debate; the clerk recorded roll calls and vote tallies. The committee adjourned and continued remaining business to the next scheduled session.