Bill > HB1373

This bill transforms Tennessee's school turnaround pilot program into a permanent program for priority schools, expanding its scope and establishing more detailed guidelines for school improvement efforts. The bill increases the maximum number of priority schools that can participate in the program from five to 15, ensuring geographical diversity by requiring at least one school be selected from each of Tennessee's grand divisions each year. Schools selected for the program will develop a comprehensive turnaround plan during their first year and implement it over the subsequent three years, with the state Department of Education evaluating their progress annually using criteria from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The bill introduces a detailed process for creating school turnaround committees, which will include local board members, school principals, parents, teachers, community representatives, and business leaders. These committees will collaborate with independent school turnaround experts to develop and implement improvement plans that address various aspects of school performance, including curriculum, leadership, and instructional practices. The legislation also establishes a payment structure for turnaround experts that ties a portion of their compensation to the school's successful improvement, and requires the department to submit annual reports to legislative committees detailing the program's effectiveness and potential strategies for replication in other schools.