NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a question Tennessee lawmakers are now seriously considering — should Tennessee reject nearly two billion dollars in federal funding for education?
Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton insists classrooms wouldn't notice a difference. The state would come up with the money the federal government currently provides for special education, free and reduced lunches and Title I schools, only without any "strings attached."
If you flip through Tennessee's bulky budget book, you'll find about $1.8 billion, or one fifth of the state's K-12 budget, comes from the feds.
Speaker Sexton, along with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, have appointed ten members of the legislature to study the idea. Sen. Bill Powers (R-Clarksvill) and Rep. William Slater (R-Gallatin) are among them.
"What's most important is that we need to create an environment where every student receives the best education we can provide them. So at this juncture, everything is on the table," Sen. Powers told NewsChannel 5 in a statement.
"I go into it realizing that I have so much to learn, I have no preconceived ideas of what the outcomes may be," said Rep. Slater in an interview with NewsChannel 5.
That being said, Slater thinks the idea is worth exploring.
"Is it better spent by sending our money to Nashville and having Nashville decide how that money is spent, or by sending it to Washington D.C. and then getting some of it back?" he said.
Slater says the benefit to rejecting the federal money is that there wouldn't be strings attached from the federal government. When NewsChannel 5 asked, he wouldn't say which strings were the most problematic.
"As far as having a preconceived idea of where those strings are perhaps and which ones need to be cut, I think that’s why the working group has been formed," said Rep. Slater.
But J.C. Bowman, President of the Professional Educators of Tennessee, says he's heard from lawmakers that the issues stem from Title IX protections on the basis of sex.
"They’re saying, 'well, the feds are pushing things in Title IX that we don’t like.' Okay, then let’s have that debate and discussion and take it to the ballot box. Let the citizens speak," he said.
Bowman says while he's open to the discussion, he thinks rejecting federal funding is a dangerous move.
"This will really fundamentally change education," said Bowman. "There’s no confidence in the state department of education in Tennessee that they can manage an additional 1.8 billion dollars. Now I understand they say they’re not going to change anything, the money will continue. But do we believe that?"
Bowman is also wondering where the nearly $2 billion will come from. Just last month during the Special Session, state officials revealed revenue growth projections for the state were down by millions of dollars.
"That means a little bit of a shift in mindset of how we go about spending the state’s resources," said Sen. Bo Watson, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
"For us to fund that budget, we’re going to need $330 million more than we realized when we passed the budget," explained David Thurman, Director of the state's Budget Analyst Agency.
"So what happens when that happens across the state? You start cutting programs," warned Bowman.
Rep. Slater says that's the whole point of the committee — to crunch the numbers and see how they add up.
"If it comes back after the research and it says, 'hey listen, Tennessee is not in a position to backfill those federal dollars,' then I think that’s what the policies will be," Slater said.
Bowman also criticized legislators for not including district superintendents, administrators and teachers on the working group. Slater says the main focus of the group is just research, and expert testimony can come later.
Monday, Democratic leaders in the Senate strongly condemned the idea. Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) was selected to serve on the committee.
"Federal education funding is a strategic investment in the future of our state and nation. The harsh consequences of rejecting this $1.8 billion in funding cannot be overstated. Through this committee, I will advocate that Tennessee keep accepting these necessary funds. After all, our tax dollars should be used to support Tennessee students, not students in other states," Akbari wrote in a statement.
There's no word yet when the working group will hold their first meeting.
