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News & Press: Policy Update

TICUA Policy Update: Senate Education Budget Hearings and More

Friday, February 18, 2022  

112th General Assembly
Policy Update

February 18, 2022

Senate Education Budget Hearings

Dr. Emily House, Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission testified before the Senate Education Committee concerning the proposed higher education budget.  Of note, the budget requests a $88.6 million improvement to the Hope Scholarship program.  The bulk of the improvement will fund Governor Lee’s proposed change of the base Hope Scholarship program for university students.  The additional funds will move the base Hope Scholarship from $3,500 for freshmen and sophomore status and $4,500 for Junior through senior status to a uniform $5,100 per year. The improvement will also fund lowering the age requirement to qualify for Reconnect from 25 years of age to 23 years and will expand funding for dual enrollment.

House also discussed a $14.5 million improvement to expand TN Promise advising and career coaching.  Too, the improvement will end the Completion Grant pilot and make it a statewide practice.  The grant provides funds to TN Promise students who need assistance with such issues as transportation, childcare, or purchasing books.

House also speculated that if the improvement to the funding formula is approved, it may result in a 0% increase in tuition and fees for the 2022-2023 academic year among public colleges and universities.  She noted that the Commission will consider the fee increase issue at a future THEC meeting.

Bill to Mark March 12 as HBCU Day
A measure sponsored by Sen. Brenda Gilmore and Rep. Harold Love (SB2749/HB2720) will designate March 12 as “Historically Black Colleges and Universities Day” for the state of Tennessee.  The bill received a unanimous vote of approval by the Senate Education Committee and is calendared to be considered by the House Naming and Designating Committee next week.  It is expected that the bill will be heard on the Senate floor next week.
Minority Teaching Fellowship

Sen. Jeff Yarbro and Rep. Sam McKenzie are sponsoring legislation (SB2041/HB2602) to expand the Minority Teaching Fellowship from $5,000 per year to full tuition and required fees at a public university.  TICUA was able to get the legislation amended to include students attending a private college or university. The private college award will be capped at the average public university amount.

The newly released Tennessee Teacher Preparation Report Card indicates that only five of the 31 university-based education preparation programs exceeded expectations on recruiting and graduating teachers of color. Another 10 campuses met expectations, but unfortunately 16 campuses did not meet expectations. Attracting students of color to the teaching profession has been a long-time struggle in Tennessee.  This issue has become so pronounced that the Tennessee Department of Education and the State Board of Education decided to hold teacher preparation programs accountable for increasing the diversity of their programs.

Research indicates that teachers of color are in high demand but short in supply.  Research by the Learning Policy Institute finds: 

  • Teachers of color boost the academic performance of students of color, including improved reading and math test scores, improved graduation rates, and increases in aspirations to attend college.
  • Students of color and White students report having positive perceptions of their teachers of color, including feeling cared for and academically challenged. 
This legislation aligns with one of the many promising practices identified by research.  Removing the financial barriers with scholarship aid tied to service can make a huge difference in recruiting students to the teaching profession.  If this bill were to pass, the Minority Teaching Fellows would provide robust aid to students in the final two years of their teacher preparation program.  
Status of Teacher Preparation Bills

The bills impacting university-based educator preparation programs have begun to be considered by their respective committees.  Below is their current status.

SB2369/HB1964 - As introduced, requires that educator preparation providers (EPPs) provide instruction on skills to administer virtual instruction to candidates seeking a teaching licensure. This bill has yet to be calendared for consideration by either the House or Senate.

SB2163/HB2343 - As introduced, requires EPPs approved by the state board of education to require each candidate enrolled in the provider's program to successfully complete at least one course each semester on reading instruction in order for the provider to retain state board approval.  This bill has yet to be calendared in the House.  The bill was rolled for two weeks in the Senate Education Committee.  TICUA has had numerous conversations with the Senate sponsor, Bo Watson, expressing our concerns about the measure.

SB2181/HB2057 - As introduced, requires the department of education to produce an annual report concerning the efficacy of training on reading instruction provided by EPPs; requires revocation of state approval for EPPs that fail to meet certain standards.  This bill has yet to be calendared for consideration by either the House or Senate.

SB1864/HB1899 - As introduced, authorizes a teacher with a valid temporary teaching permit to receive a practitioner license for the course or subject area for which the temporary permit was issued.  This bill has been placed on the House K-12 Subcommittee to be heard next week.  The Senate has yet to assign the bill to the Senate Education Committee. 

Student “Thank You!” Email Campaign Closing
The response to TICUA’s “Thank You!” email campaign has been remarkable!  To date, over 900 messages have been emailed to legislators.  The campaign was designed to demonstrate to lawmakers how important the Hope Scholarship is to making college affordable.  Over 12,000 students attending a TICUA member college or university benefit from this important program.  As well, the campaign demonstrated our students’ support for Governor Lee’s proposed increase in the base Hope Scholarship program.  Based on the incredible reach of the “Thank You” campaign, the effort will come to a close later today.

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