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Tennessee Education Department seeks $164 million TISA increase, expanded summer camps and parental leave in FY26 budget
Summary
Commissioner Lizette Reynolds presented the Department of Educationbudget request that includes a $164 million recurring TISA increase, $27.3 million for summer learning and transportation, $10 million for paid parental leave, and new charter facilities and fast-growth funds.
Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizette Reynolds asked the Financial Ways and Means Committee on March 10 for a package of recurring and nonrecurring funds that would expand base funding and programs for K-12 education in fiscal 2026.
Reynolds told the committee the request includes an additional $164,000,000 in recurring funding to raise the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) base to $7,295 per pupil for FY26 and to support the TISA policy that will raise the state minimum teacher salary to $50,000 by the 2026-27 school year. "This increased base includes $125,000,000 to raise the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 by the 26-27 school year," Reynolds said.
The department also asked for $27,300,000 in recurring funds for summer learning camps and transportation, which Reynolds and Chief Academic Officer Christie Brown said serve about 90,000 students and are stabilizing attendance. Mary Ann Dursky, the departmentCFO, said remaining federal FSAG funds would be used to cover this summer's camps and that districts will submit for reimbursement by December 2025.
Other requests in the presentation included $10,000,000 in recurring funds for paid parental leave (the department reported 1,300 families used paid parental leave last year across 135 districts), $5,000,000 nonrecurring and $20,000,000 nonrecurring for a Fast Growth Fund, and $5,000,000 nonrecurring to create an equitable facilities fund for public charter schools. The department said the charter facilities fund would provide low-cost facility loans and that repayments would be recycled into the fund.
Reynolds listed smaller program requests and supplements, including grants for Jobs for Tennessee Graduates and Junior Achievement, a $950,800 recurring request for state special schools teacher raises, and administrative increases for the Charter Commission and Textbook Commission. She also presented several reductions and reversion items.
The department pointed committee members to program documentation on the committee dashboard and said officials would follow up with committee members on detailed questions about timing and distributions.
Reynolds concluded the presentation by asking for questions from committee members.
