Department of Education outlines FY27 priorities including EFS expansion, TEASA update and summer learning funding
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Summary
Commissioner Lizette Reynolds told the Senate Education Committee the Department of Education's FY27 request funds Education Freedom Scholarships expansion (20,000 seats), TEASA base adjustments, $5 million for summer learning transportation within a broader $120 million program, paid parental leave implementation costs, school turnaround phased funding and a small AI training investment.
The Tennessee Department of Education presented its FY27 budget priorities to the Senate Education Committee, detailing program investments that include Education Freedom Scholarships (EFS) expansion, formula updates, summer learning supports and school turnaround funding.
Commissioner Lizette Reynolds said the governor's budget includes increases tied to the Education Freedom Scholarships program to cover both existing scholarships and 20,000 new seats (including 5,000 trigger seats and 15,000 new seats) and reflects an updated TEASA base. "These increases ensure that both the existing scholarships and the 20,000 new seats ... are funded in alignment with the new TEASA base," Reynolds said.
Reynolds listed other priorities: a TEASA adjustment that reflects an updated base amount of $7,530 under the K-12 funding formula; an additional $5,000,000 to support summer learning transportation (the department described total summer-learning funding needs of about $120,000,000); paid parental leave implementation costs; continued support for the charter school facilities fund; phased funding for a school turnaround program; IT operational funding to modernize data and grants systems; and a modest investment for responsible artificial-intelligence training for educators.
On evaluation and evidence, senators pressed the department about summer learning effectiveness and alternative tutoring models. Reynolds said changes to pre/post testing make comparisons harder now than in earlier years and that the department is asking for flexibility so districts can use targeted dollars for the mix of summer camps and tutoring that best fit local needs.
Committee members also asked about device policies (PC 103 of 2025) and teacher bonuses. Reynolds said wireless-device policies are district-level choices and that one district did not pass the teacher-bonus resolution last year; the department did not have a final statewide count of teachers who received the $2,000 bonus at the hearing but offered to provide the number.
After questions, the committee voted to forward the Department of Education's budget to the Finance Committee with a positive recommendation; the clerk recorded nine ayes.
