The Sycamore Institute revealed in a presentation to lawmakers on Monday that the state has enough tax revenue to fund education without federal assistance. Its report comes as Tennessee considers rejecting federal funding to increase local control over education.
Sycamore Institute Deputy Director Mandy Spears (pictured above) told the legislators that while Tennessee’s “days of historically large surpluses may be over,” the state “still has room in its budget to replace federal funding” for education “at the expense of other investments,” according to WJHL-TV.
Tennessee State Senator John Lundberg (R-Bristol) said the report is proof that state Republicans will not cut education funding in their bid to increase local control.
“We’re not cutting education,” he said, according to the outlet. “We’re not cutting a dollar. We’re doing our fiduciary diligence.”
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) began exploring rejecting federal education funding in February and ultimately introduced the bill during the previous legislative session.
When he announced the bill, Sexton said it was an opportunity for Tennessee to “lead the nation once again” by sending a message to “the federal government that they can keep their money and we’ll just do things the Tennessee way.”
“Basically, we’ll be able to educate the kids how Tennessee sees fit,” Sexton said, according to WKRN-TV, who reported that he stressed rejecting the money means Tennessee education will be free from “federal government interference.”
The legislative committee reviewing how the state uses federal funding and if it is realistic or possible for Tennessee to turn down the money began on Monday. Additional committee meetings are scheduled for November 14 and November 15.
Tennessee received about $10.4 billion in federal funding for schools between 2019 and 2023, and the state’s schools received between $314 and $2,500 in federal funding per student.
The more than $1 billion Tennessee in federal education funding Tennessee receives annually is a relatively small portion of Tennessee’s overall education budget, which was about $8.3 billion during the 2023 fiscal year.
On its website, the Sycamore Institute explains what rejecting the federal funding may entail. While the group warns that “much is unknown,” as no other state has rejected federal funding, a streamlined education system could be among the benefits.
“Federal requirements create administrative burdens that may or may not still exist if Tennessee rejected federal dollars,” the group noted.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mandy Spears” by Mandy Spears.
Still not sure why we are having the “Think Tank” Sycamore Institute provide legislators with information that is readily available from staffers and employees. Didn’t the Deputy Director of Sycamore work for two different Tennessee legislators? Hold onto your wallets folks, I feel a major shifting of political graft coming from Washington. Prominent attorneys, left wing influence’s and many others all need to get paid for their….. “Expertise”.
If the General Assembly refuses federal funding, they had better not come to the Tennessee taxpayer, hat-in-hand, to beg for more money once the well runs dry!