Sen. Jeff Yarbro and Rep. Sam McKenzie were 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 would have been capped at the average public university amount.

An error in the fiscal note has resulted in no action being taken on the measure.  The fiscal note erroneously indicated the Fellowship was funded by lottery funds, when in actuality, it is funded out of general appropriations.  Consequently, the bill got caught on the House Higher Education Subcommittee’s lottery calendar which was not considered before closing the Subcommittee.  Sen. Yarbro is trying to keep the legislation moving but it seems unlikely that the House companion bill will be considered during this General Assembly.

Rep. Brandon Ogles has introduced two bills related to campus crime reporting. HB2729 creates a study to be completed by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs (TACIR) related to campus emergency communications.  Rep. Ogles seems most interested in the emergency communication routing systems on higher education campuses.  The study will examine whether emergency calls use the 911 emergency system or a campus-based response number.  The TACIR study will publish its findings and offer suggestions for best practices.  The Senate companion bill has yet to be considered by the State and Local Government Committee.

Ogles second bill is HB2730 which allows for the Comptroller of the State to audit campus crime statistics as required by the Clery Act.  The language for the review is permissive and not mandatory. The bill will now be considered by the House Education Administration Committee.  The Senate companion bill is scheduled to be heard by the Education Committee next week.

Representative Tim Hicks presented SB2405/HB2152 to the House Education Administration Committee this week.  The proposed bill will make significant modifications to several lottery funded scholarship programs. In total, the bill requests a $88.6 million improvement. The bulk of the improvement will fund Governor Lee’s proposed change to 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.

The measure will also provide 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 TN Grant provides funds to TN Promise students who need assistance with such issues as transportation, childcare, or purchasing books.

There were two amendments adopted in the House Administration Committee which were offered by Rep. Mark Cochran. One amendment proposes keeping the tiered scholarship amounts between the freshman/sophomore levels and the junior/senior amounts. The proposed tiered amounts are $4,400 for freshman/sophomore and $5,700 for junior/senior levels. The second amendment proposes allowing students who graduate from college without using their full five-year eligibility, to use the remaining amount for graduate school. Members discussed the amendments and heard opposing testimony from the Governor’s Office, however, the amendments passed with an overwhelming majority.  

The House bill will now be considered by the Government Operations Committee. The Senate version is still waiting to be considered by the Finance Committee.

The final amendments have been attached to the teacher preparation bills being followed by TICUA.  Overall, the amendments affirm the importance of the Literacy Success Act as well as addressing the teacher shortage in Tennessee.  The bills as introduced and amended are described below.

SB2163/HB2343 – As introduced, the bill 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.  

The bill was amended, striking the original language, and replacing it with the following provisions:

The Senate version of the bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is headed to the floor of the Senate.  The House version will now begin to move through the Education Committee structure. 

SB2181/HB2057 – As introduced, the measure 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.  

The bill has been amended, by striking the original language and instructing the Department of Education in consultation with the State Board to report performance of persons licensed to teach in grades K-3 during the first three years of teaching.  The report will aggregate by EPPs the performance of K-3 teachers who perform at the following levels: “significantly above expectations,” “above expectations,” “at expectations,” “below expectations,” and “significantly below expectations.”  The report shall indicate the expected reduction in those performing “below” or “significantly below expectations.”  EPPs who do not reduce the percentage of low performing teachers according to the State Board of Education’s expectation may be placed on probation or have their recognition revoked.

The Senate version of the bill was passed by the Education Committee and is moving to the floor for full consideration.  The House companion bill will be considered by the Education Instruction Committee next week.

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.  The bill was amended which limits the practice of issuing limited licenses and requires demonstrated knowledge of course content and coursework for foundational pedagogical skills, including literacy. As well, the teacher must agree in writing to begin a State Board approved pathway to transition from a limited license to a practitioner license. The House bill remains in the Finance Committee. The Senate companion bill has been placed on the final calendar for the Education Committee.

SB1863/HB1901 – Authorizes the commissioner of education to issue temporary endorsement exemptions and temporary teaching permits for individuals to teach certain courses and subjects.  This includes subjects for which an end-of-course assessment is administered.  The bill has been amended to limit the number of times a temporary endorsement can be issued and requires the director of schools to certify that they are unable to secure a qualified teacher for the course subject area.  The House version of the bill has been passed to the Calendar and Rules Committee which is the final step before being considered on the House floor.  The Senate companion bill has been placed on the final calendar for the Education Committee.

SB2567/HB1900 - As introduced, requires the department of education to establish a fund to reimburse educators for the cost of an assessment (i.e. Praxis) required for licensure if the educator receives a qualifying score.  The bill has been passed to the House Government Operations Committee.  The Senate companion bill has been sent to the Finance Committee for consideration.  The bill will be placed behind the consideration of the Governor’s proposed budget.  Final passage will be determined by the prioritization of both chambers and sufficient funds being available to pay for the measure.