Bill > SB2385

This bill modifies how economically disadvantaged students are identified and supported within Tennessee's education funding system, specifically impacting the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula. It broadens the definition of "economically disadvantaged" to include students who are Medicaid beneficiaries or receive benefits from programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations), in addition to those already eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The bill also mandates that if a Local Education Agency (LEA), which is a school district, experiences a reduction in its TISA allocation due to fewer economically disadvantaged students being counted, the state's Department of Education must provide additional state-funded money to compensate for that loss, though this provision is temporary, expiring in 2030. Furthermore, the Department of Education is required to seek an amendment to Tennessee's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan to align the definition of economically disadvantaged students with these expanded criteria, aiming to ensure that students from these specific benefit programs are automatically considered for free school meals and thus counted as economically disadvantaged.

Education

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/Default?BillNumber=SB2385&ga=114