Public education in Tennessee

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K-12 education in Tennessee

Education facts

State superintendent: Penny Schwinn

Number of students: 993,496

Number of teachers: 66,406

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:15

Number of school districts: 137

Number of schools: 1,817

Graduation rate: 86.3%

Per-pupil spending: $8,208

See also

Tennessee Department of Education • List of school districts in Tennessee • Tennessee • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Tennessee Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The Tennessee public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Tennessee had 993,496 students enrolled in a total of 1,817 schools in 141 school districts. There were 66,406 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 285 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Tennessee spent $8,208 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 46th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 86.3 percent in 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS

In the 2012-2013 school year, Tennessee's per pupil spending was below the national average. Its graduation rate was above-average at 86.3 percent.

Common Core

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The Tennessee State Board of Education adopted the standards on July 30, 2010. Full implementation was scheduled to take place during the 2013-2014 academic year. However, at least two attempts were made to delay implementation. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) signed a law in 2014 as a result of one of these attempts, which delayed the implementation of Common Core-aligned testing for one year.

Later in 2014, Tennessee announced its withdrawal from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PAARC) testing consortium. PAARC is one of the major organizations that generates Common Core-affiliated tests. In addition, Haslam announced a public review period for Common Core which moved up the state's regular schedule for education standards review by two years.

In April 2015, Governor Haslam signed House Bill 1035, which created two committees to review the state's English and math standards in order to recommend new ones. The law required that the committees' recommended standards be implemented by the 2017-2018 school year. This law effectively allowed Common Core to be replaced in the state of Tennessee. In April 2016, the state officially replaced the Common Core Standards with the Tennessee Academic Standards which will be implemented in the 2017-2018 school year.

For a more comprehensive timeline of Common Core-related developments in Tennessee and the rest of the United States, click here.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Tennessee compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. During the 2012-2013 school year, Tennessee had the greatest number of schools (1,817) and students (993,496) when compared to neighboring states.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2012-2013
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Admin. to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Tennessee	1,817	141	993,496	66,406	1:15	1:284.3	$8,208
Alabama	1,637	173	744,637	51,877	1:14.4	1:289.9	$8,755
Kentucky	1,568	194	685,167	42,769	1:16	1:208.2	$9,316
Mississippi	1,063	162	493,650	32,613	1:15.1	1:252.8	$8,130
United States	98,454	18,093	49,771,118	3,109,101	1:16	1:294.1	$10,700
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2013. Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2 - Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher, and pupil teacher ratio, by state: School year 2012–13" United States Census, "Public Education Finances: 2013 (Table 20)"

Note: In comparing dollar amounts across the states, it is important to note that the cost of living can from state to state and within a state. The amounts given on this page have not been adjusted to reflect these differences. For more information on "regional price disparities" and the Consumer Price Index, see the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Schools by type

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Tennessee and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.

In Tennessee, there were 1,764 regular schools as of 2013. Magnet schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 132 schools classified as such.

Number of schools by type, 2012-2013
State	Total schools	Regular	Special education	Vocational	Alternative	Charter	Magnet	Title I
Tennessee	1,817	1,764	16	16	21	51	132	1,504
Alabama	1,637	1,402	44	72	119	†	32	906
Kentucky	1,568	1,301	6	126	135	†	42	1,116
Mississippi	1,063	908	4	90	61	0	17	721
United States	98,454	89,031	2,034	1,403	5,986	6,079	3,151	68,140
† Not applicable. Some states/jurisdictions do not have charter school authorization and some states/jurisdictions do not designate magnet schools. ‡ Reporting standards were not met due to data that were missing for more than 20 percent of schools in the state or jurisdiction. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Tennessee as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In Tennessee, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 658,568, which was about 66.3 percent of the student population in the state. There were 228,812 black students in the state, accounting for about 23 percent of the student population.

Public education enrollment by race/ethnicity, 2012-2013
State	Pop. category	Am. Indian /Alaska Nat.	Asian	Black	Hawaiian /Pac. Islander	Hispanic	White	Two or more races
Tennessee	Number	1,890	17,024	228,812	992	72,204	658,568	14,006
	Percentage	0.19%	1.71%	23.03%	0.1%	7.27%	66.29%	1.41%
Alabama	Number	6,136	9,920	252,397	471	37,685	429,179	8,849
	Percentage	0.82%	1.33%	33.9%	0.06%	5.06%	57.64%	1.19%
Kentucky	Number	905	9,670	73,391	594	32,811	550,446	17,350
	Percentage	0.13%	1.41%	10.71%	0.09%	4.79%	80.34%	2.53%
Mississippi	Number	994	4,818	244,189	161	13,389	225,715	4,384
	Percentage	0.2%	0.98%	49.47%	0.03%	2.71%	45.72%	0.89%
United States	Number	533,098	2,363,484	7,798,560	179,935	12,064,310	25,366,857	1,390,514
	Percentage**	1.07%	4.76%	15.69%	0.36%	24.28%	51.04%	2.80%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity. Source: United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2012-2013"

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.

A plurality of students in Tennessee attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 52.6 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 47.4 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2012-2013 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
Tennessee	31.7%	20.9%	17.1%	30.3%
Alabama	23.7%	23%	14.5%	38.8%
Kentucky	20.9%	16.8%	25.7%	36.6%
Mississippi	10.8%	14.1%	28.9%	46.1%
U.S. averages	30%	39.8%	11.5%	18.7%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey, SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a"

Academic performance

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth- and eighth-grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi), Tennessee had the second highest share of fourth- and eighth-grade students who scored at or above proficient in both math and reading.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Tennessee	40%	28%	34%	33%
Alabama	38%	20%	31%	25%
Kentucky	41%	30%	36%	38%
Mississippi	26%	21%	21%	20%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Tennessee and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Tennessee schools reported a graduation rate of 86.3 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.

In Tennessee, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.5.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Tennessee	86.3%	Second	19.5	100%	1709	8%
Alabama	80.0%	Fourth	20.4	78%	1608	7%
Kentucky	86.1%	Second	19.6	100%	1741	5%
Mississippi	75.5%	Fifth	18.9	95%	1673	3%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Tennessee was higher than the national average at 3.6 percent in the 2010-2011 school year and 3.7 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Tennessee

School choice options in Tennessee included charter schools, intra-district and inter-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 7.96 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Tennessee is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Tennessee state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Tennessee spent approximately 17.8 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. Tennessee reported the second lowest spending on public education as a percentage of its total budget compared to its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Tennessee	17.8%	$8,208	13.1%	46.1%	40.8%
Alabama	20.4%	$8,755	11.3%	54.5%	34.2%
Kentucky	19.6%	$9,316	12%	54.9%	33.1%
Mississippi	16.4%	$8,130	16%	49.9%	34.1%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Tennessee, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $4.1 billion. Tennessee reported the highest total public education revenue of any of its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Tennessee	$1,165,801	$4,097,627	$3,622,027	$8,885,455
Alabama	$811,739	$3,898,347	$2,443,158	$7,153,244
Kentucky	$867,735	$3,960,822	$2,386,459	$7,215,016
Mississippi	$707,522	$2,213,501	$1,511,995	$4,433,018
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Tennessee totaled approximately $9.3 billion in fiscal year 2012. Tennessee reported the highest total public education expenditures of any of its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Tennessee	$8,351,056	$664,129	$280,056	$9,295,241
Alabama	$6,386,517	$582,174	$260,609	$7,229,299
Kentucky	$6,360,799	$770,828	$263,084	$7,394,709
Mississippi	$3,972,787	$402,465	$97,791	$4,341,018
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Tennessee, the average salary decreased by 2.7 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Tennessee	$49,645	$49,412	$47,866	$48,289	-2.7%
Alabama	$50,139	$50,779	$48,802	$47,949	-4.4%
Kentucky	$49,717	$52,884	$50,558	$50,326	1.2%
Mississippi	$43,535	$48,722	$42,339	$41,994	-3.5%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Tennessee Department of Education

The "core values" of the Tennessee Department of Education are as follows:

“

The department is focused on the ambitious goal of ensuring that Tennessee is the state with the fastest improving student achievement. In doing so, we commit ourselves to the following core values. Excellence: We hold ourselves and our colleagues to high standards for our daily work and for reaching our goals. We actively seek and give feedback in an effort to advance outcomes for ourselves and the students we serve. We believe in the importance of continuous improvement, and we constantly strive for a higher level of performance in all of our work. Optimism: We believe in the potential of all Tennessee students to reach high levels of academic achievement. We believe that, in collaboration with our colleagues across the state, we can and will build a system that helps our students meet their potential. We operate with a strong sense of possibility that we can accomplish difficult tasks, and we foster innovation in ourselves and others. Judgment: We aspire to make wise decisions. Therefore, we seek input from a diverse set of perspectives and think critically about the impact of our choices. We use accurate data to set goals, analyze results, and to make changes based on evidence. Courage: We are unwaveringly student-centered in our decision making, prioritizing the needs of students over the comfort of adults. We align our words and our actions to the core belief that all students can achieve at a high level when we provide the opportunities that they deserve. We make hard decisions to improve the academic achievement and life prospects of Tennessee students. Teamwork: We believe that excellent teams, composed of high-performing team members, can have an enormous impact on student achievement. We value the diverse experiences and commitment to service that each team member brings. We strive to communicate effectively within teams and across teams, ensuring that we are successful in helping all Tennessee students reach their potential.

”

The Department of Education is led by the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Education is appointed by the governor. Candice McQueen was appointed to the position in 2014.

The Tennessee State Board of Education is the governing body of the state's public education system. The board is composed of nine members (one from each of the state's congressional districts plus a student member). Members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly. All members serve five-year terms, with the exception of the student member, who serves a one-year term.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Tennessee ranked 41st overall for union power and influence, or "weak," which was in the fourth of five tiers.

The main union related to the Tennessee school system is the Tennessee Education Association (TEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). For the 2003 tax period NCAE had: $10.20 million in total revenue, $9.51 million in total expenses and $11.94 million in total assets.

List of local Tennessee school unions:

• Tennessee Education Association
• Memphis Education Association
• Metropolitan Nashville Education Association
• Shelby County Education Association
• Knox County Education Association
• Sumner County Education Association
• Hamblen County Education Association
• Tullahoma City Educational Association
• Marshall County Education Association
• AFT Jellico

Taxpayer-funded lobbying

See also: Tennessee government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Tennessee School Boards Association.

Transparency

Tennessee's official, statewide spending transparency database can be accessed here.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Tennessee received a score of 73.9, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 92.9, or an A average. The lowest score was in "school finance" at 64.5, or a D average. Tennessee had the second lowest score for the "school finance" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Tennessee and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Tennessee	73.9 (C)	68.8 (D+)	90.0 (A-)	80.3 (B-)	64.5 (D)	92.9 (A)
Alabama	72.0 (C-)	62.2 (D-)	92.2 (A-)	74.8 (C)	71.1 (C-)	85.7 (B)
Kentucky	74.4 (C)	70.3 (C-)	90.2 (A-)	82.1 (B-)	71.7 (C-)	92.9 (A)
Mississippi	68.9 (D+)	57.1 (F)	92.8 (A)	66.5 (D)	64.9 (D)	75.0 (C)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

School districts in Tennessee are categorized by geographic boundaries. A municipal school district serves students in a particular city and a county school district operates schools within an entire county.

School board composition

Tennessee school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. Tennessee school board elections typically follow one of these three methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• Trustee area: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.
• Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School board membership ranges from three members to 12 members. Board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

Tennessee does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: Tennessee school board elections, 2021

No Tennessee school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Tennessee, a person must be:

• A citizen of the state
• 18 years of age or older
• A resident of the school district
• A high school graduate or holder of a G.E.D.
• A registered voter in the county

A candidate must submit a qualifying petition with signatures from at least 25 residents of the district to the county elections office. Candidates must also provide copies of their high school diplomas or equivalency degrees to qualify for election. The filing deadline for local candidates is the third Thursday in the third calendar month prior to the election.

Campaign finance

State law requires candidates to appoint political treasurers and file campaign financial disclosure statements with the state's Registry of Election Finance. Candidates must file detailed reports for each reporting period where contributions exceeded $1,000. A shortened version of the financial disclosure statement is available when contributions do not exceed $1,000 for a reporting period. Local candidates can receive contributions up to $1,500 per individual and $7,400 per political action committee during a particular election.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Tennessee state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Tennessee ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to education matters in Tennessee.

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Tennessee - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Texas
• Tennessee state budget and finances
• Tennessee Department of Education
• List of school districts in Tennessee
• School choice in Tennessee
• Charter schools in Tennessee
• Tennessee
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Tennessee Department of Education
  • School directory
• Tennessee State Board of Education