Tennessee Department of Education asks for recurring $164 million to raise base student funding, expands summer learning and teacher pay proposals

The Tennessee Department of Education asked the Finance, Ways and Means Committee on March 10, 2025, for several new and recurring investments, led by a $164 million recurring request to raise the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) base funding to $7,295 for fiscal 2025-26 and by separate proposals for teacher bonuses and summer learning supports.

Commissioner Lizette Reynolds presented the department's budget and enumerated cost increases enacted during the special session and included in the department's request: teacher bonuses ($198,400,000), funding tied to the Education Freedom Scholarship Act ($148,600,000), $17,000,000 for "grade A" LEA incentives and $6,200,000 for tourism-zone LEA grants. The commissioner and her budget team also requested recurring funding to raise the minimum teacher salary to $47,000 in 2025-26 (with a statutory target of $50,000 by 2026-27), $27.3 million recurring for summer learning camps and transportation, $10 million recurring for paid parental leave, and smaller recurring and nonrecurring items for programs including advanced placement exam fees, Jobs for Tennessee Graduates, Junior Achievement and special schools salary adjustments.

Why it matters: TISA base increases, teacher minimum-pay proposals and the package of special-session appropriations together would expand the department's recurring obligations and change how state K-12 dollars are distributed to districts and charter schools statewide. Committee members focused on how one-time and recurring revenues are being used, whether funds previously allocated have been spent, and the distribution and local control of incentive dollars.

Major program and funding items described by the department

- TISA request: $164,000,000 recurring to raise the base funding to $7,295 for FY 2025-26 and to continue the phased increase to a $50,000 minimum teacher salary by 2026-27 (the department said the 2025-26 step would be $47,000).

- Special-session and related items (as presented): teacher bonuses ($198,400,000); Education Freedom Scholarship Act funding ($148,600,000); Grade A schools incentive ($17,000,000); tourism zone LEA grant ($6,200,000).

- Summer…