School Board member Ben Connor of District 6 hosted a town hall meeting Monday night with briefings of the latest laws affecting education that were passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in its 2023 session.
Threats of mass violence at school are now listed as a zero-tolerance offense, effective July 1. Such threats join a list which already includes bringing a gun or drugs to school. Offenders are expelled for one year.
Mr. Connor said the state’s $56.2 billion operating budget allocates $40 million to help every school strengthen its entry points against invaders.
“The school safety plans are meant to be a little secretive,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that we’re not going to say out loud.”
Mr. Connor and School Board member Larry Grohn of District 8 attended a legal summit of the Tennessee School Boards Association in Jackson, Tn., last week.
“This is without bias,” Mr. Connor said of his presentation.
With aid from a Homeland Security grant, $140 million will provide one school resource officer to every school through the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Connor said. The SROs are sworn police officers with arrest powers and will be paid up to $75,000 a year.
“It has some things that need to be ironed out,” he said. “But it’s a great start.”
Already, Hamilton County funds locally a school safety officer in every public school. SSOs are trained in law enforcement but are not sworn police officers.
ESA/VOUCHER PROGRAM
Mr. Connor said the new education savings account program for Hamilton County families will change over time.
“It’s an ever-growing bill,” he said.
The program provides as much as $8,000 for private school or home schooling for students who meet certain income and other requirements. Metro Nashville’s program has 700 users since it began in 2022, he said.
Eligible private schools must be chartered in Tennessee and have a brick-and-mortar school building, Mr. Connor said.
Mr. Connor said the homeschooling ESA measure is in line with recent gains in homeschooling integration into extra-curricular activities at public schools such as sports and clubs.
MORE NEW LAWS
One hundred twenty million dollars will bolster teacher salaries as schools cope with effects of the new third-grade retention law. The money will help provide summer learning and tutoring for rising fourth graders as well as support for students K-3. The Hamilton County School Board approves three tutors for this purpose.
Rising fourth graders who do not meet the TCAP standard the first time may get extra testing.
The school board may help parents navigate retainment decisions and may, if necessary, intervene and help parents to appeal.
If a student graduates early, schools will no longer lose their per-student funding mid-year.
Student teachers will begin to accrue tenure as student teachers.
Teachers will be given six weeks of paid leave after a birth, stillbirth or adoption.
FUTURE:
The General Assembly is in talks to fund one nurse per 750 students.
“It’s something we’ll probably be talking about next year,” Mr. Connor said.