Votes at a glance: State Board of Education meeting, Feb. 21, 2025 — consent items, rule adoptions, elections, and approvals

At its Feb. 21, 2025 special electronic meeting the Tennessee State Board of Education took the following formal actions (selected items and outcomes). Items are reported verbatim where available and reflect roll‑call votes recorded in the meeting transcript.

Votes and outcomes (selected):

1) Motion: Amend the agenda to move the election of board officers up on the agenda. Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). (Motion maker: Daryl Cobbins; second: Warren Wells.)

2) Motion: Approve consent agenda items (minutes, licensure discipline consent orders, master plan supplement, etc.) as amended. Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). (Motion makers: Daryl Cobbins moved; Larry Johnson second noted in roll call.)

3) Motion: Approve automatic teacher licensure revocations (statutorily required automatic actions). Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). (Motion maker: Jordan Mollenhauer; second: Bridal/Holt noted.)

4) Motion: Approve Department of Human Services recommendation for automatic suspension of an educator’s license for failing to comply with a court‑ordered support obligation. Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). (Motion maker: Warren Wells; second: Jordan Mollenhauer.)

5) Motion: Establish consent agenda for teacher licensure discipline items and approve staff recommendations for items b–i and k–l (consent orders). Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). (Motion maker: Jordan Mollenhauer; second: Warren Wells.)

6) Motion: Approve recommended action on individual licensure discipline items convened separately: • Brian Beard — approve a six‑month retroactive suspension with required professional development (board voted to accept recommendation). Outcome: motion passed (10 ayes). • Brenda Smith — (see separate article for detailed debate and amended outcome directing staff to negotiate a one‑year retroactive suspension with one month prospective; motion as amended passed on roll call 9 ayes, 1 nay).

7) Election: Chair and Vice Chair — the board elected officers by roll call. • Robert “Bob” Eby, Chair (reelected), votes recorded: 10 votes for Eby (by roll call); Eby accepted. • Daryl Cobbins, Vice Chair (reelected), votes recorded: 10 votes for Cobbins (by roll call); Cobbins accepted.

8) First reading (approved): Career and Technical Education (CTE) course standards (includes new cluster Energy & Sustainable Resources and Education & Training course). Outcome: first reading passed.

9) First reading (approved): Accountability hearings rule (creates procedures for hearings for schools with repeated D/F grades). Outcome: first reading passed (see separate article for details).

10) Final readings and adoptions (approved on final reading): multiple policies and rules, including but not limited to: • Educator licensure policy 5.502 (final reading — changes to provisional integrated endorsements and license validity periods). • Fine arts academic standards (final reading adopted). • Career and technical education course standards (final reading adopted). • Educator preparation policies (5.504 and 5.505) and professional assessments policy (proposed removal of edTPA for candidates after July 1, 2026, contingent on department‑approved clinical practices) — these items passed. • Textbook and instructional materials waiver rule revisions (first reading passed earlier; later items on final reading passed as listed in the agenda). • Charter school rule updates and Opportunity Public Charter School policy (final reading adopted).

11) Approvals: 2024 authorizer evaluations (Achievement School District rated satisfactory; Metro Nashville Public Schools rated satisfactory; Tennessee Public Charter School Commission rated exemplary) — board approved the evaluation reports on first and final reading. Outcome: adopted.

12) Educator preparation provider actions: approvals, full approvals, and status adjustments for EPPs and specialty area programs (including initial approvals for Memphis area EPP; full approvals for several university providers). Outcome: adopted on final reading.

13) Annual Performance Goals / AMOs for 2024–25: Board approved AMOs (first and final reading) as required by statute for indicators including achievement, chronic absenteeism, graduation rate and ready graduate indicators. Outcome: adopted.

Notes on procedure and votes: Where roll‑call votes were required for an electronic meeting, board staff called the roll and recorded each member's vote on the record. Counts reported in the transcript were used for tallies (examples above show 10 ayes for many consent and final reading motions; for Brenda Smith, the board substituted a more severe sanction and passed an amended motion by 9 ayes to 1 nay). The board frequently used consent agendas for routine licensure discipline actions and approved multiple consent orders in a single roll call.

Provenance evidence (transcript excerpts): "Is there a motion to accept the consent items as amended?... Mister Griffin, will you please call the roll?... Mister chairman, you have 10 ayes." (consent agenda roll call)

"By your vote, you have reelected the honorable Robert Bob Eby... to serve as the chair for the ensuing 2 year term." (election)

Ending: The meeting concluded after taking the actions above and setting follow‑up items (notably: staff to return with clarifications on the accountability‑hearings rule, apportionment policy for corrective action costs, and a special meeting anticipated to consider emergency rulemaking on Education Freedom Scholarships). The board scheduled a May in‑person meeting for further items.