Bill > SB2247

This bill makes several changes to Tennessee's education laws, primarily focusing on expanding educational opportunities and providing financial support to students and school districts. It increases the maximum number of education freedom scholarships, which are state-funded grants that can be used for private school tuition, from 25,000 to 35,000 for the 2026-2027 school year, and also directs the governor to ensure Tennessee participates in a federal education tax credit program. The bill also modifies how local education agencies (LEAs), which are public school districts, receive funding when students leave their schools, particularly if they enroll in private schools using education freedom scholarships, aiming to mitigate financial losses for districts experiencing "disenrollment," meaning a decrease in student enrollment. Additionally, it establishes a new order for awarding education freedom scholarships starting in the 2027-2028 school year, prioritizing students who received a scholarship the previous year, followed by students from lower-income households, and then those from higher-income households who are currently in public school or eligible for kindergarten. Finally, the bill mandates that the state department of education report annually on scholarship applications, disaggregated by county, student enrollment status, and household income levels, to provide transparency and data for future policy decisions.