Nashville has sued the state over what it said has been inadequate funding of public education in violation of the Tennessee Constitution.
Shelby County and a cluster of seven counties, that included Hamilton, have each filed lawsuits over the state's funding of the Basic Education Program, or BEP. That's the method the state has used to meet its constitutional obligation to provide free K-12 public education.
According to the Nashville lawsuit filed Thursday, lawmakers have not provided enough money for the school system to hire the legally required number of teachers and translators for its English language learners.
According to the suit, Nashville has had the highest number of students who come from a non-English language background in the state. They have made up about a quarter of total Metro Nashville Public School students.
