Tennessee ELA standards committee elects chair and vice chair; staff reviews open-meeting, public-record rules

The Tennessee State Board of Education's English Language Arts Standards Recommendation Committee convened electronically at 9 a.m. Central on Aug. 25, 2025, elected Larry Kernagas as chair and Lucas Hilliard as vice chair, and heard staff legal guidance on Tennessee's open-meetings and public-record laws, Common Core restrictions and the state's statute on "prohibited concepts."

The committee, charged with reviewing and recommending K-12 ELA standards to the State Board of Education, also heard that members will receive stipends and was briefed on how public comment, communications and document handling must be conducted during the committee's work.

Why it matters: The committee's recommendations go to the State Board of Education and could shape ELA expectations for districts across Tennessee. The legal and procedural guidance staff provided clarifies what committee members may discuss outside public meetings and what records are subject to public inspection, which could affect how members gather input and edit draft standards.

Committee organization and formal votes - Chair: Larry Kernagas was nominated and elected. The roll call recorded eight votes in favor and Kernagas accepted the position, saying, "I do. Absolutely. Thank you." (Election recorded by committee roll call.) - Vice chair: Lucas Hilliard and Lacey Nao were nominated. The committee voted by roll call; Hilliard received five votes and Nao three. Hilliard accepted the…