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Department of Education outlines budget priorities including Education Freedom Scholarships expansion and summer learning costs
Summary
Commissioner Lizette Reynolds presented DOE priorities: expansion of the Education Freedom Scholarships program (20,000 new seats), TEASA base update, $5M for summer learning transportation, paid parental leave costs, school turnaround phase funding, IT modernization and a small AI training line.
Commissioner Lizette Reynolds presented the Department of Education’s budget priorities and detailed several cost increases senators will see in the governor’s proposal.
"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 while describing Education Freedom Scholarships and TEASA adjustments. She also highlighted a $5 million transportation request tied to summer learning supports and implementation costs for paid parental leave.
Reynolds described targeted investments—Jobs for Tennessee Graduates supporting nearly 4,000 students, grants for Appalachian campus experiences, and teacher raises at state special schools—and described efforts to modernize IT systems and begin responsible AI training for educators. She framed the requests within recent gains on NAEP and TCAP while acknowledging remaining challenges.
Senators pressed DOE on the summer learning program’s effectiveness: one member cited departmental figures showing a 6% gain for summer camps versus a 58% positive impact for tutoring. DOE staff said measurement methods changed (the pretest was eliminated) and that districts should be given flexibility to target supports through summer or in‑year tutoring. The committee moved the DOE budget to Finance with a positive recommendation (clerk reported 9 ayes).
