Tennessee legislators have established a 10-member panel tasked with assessing the state’s ability to decline $1.8 billion in federal education funding, primarily due to associated mandates, including those related to standardized testing.
This panel, comprising five senators and five representatives, with representation from both Democratic and Republican parties, has been entrusted with the responsibility to “evaluate the possibility of the state refusing federal funds and propose a strategy for either rejecting specific federal funds or removing undesired constraints imposed on the state as a result of accepting such federal funds, should it be deemed feasible,” as stated by Republican State House Speaker Cameron Sexton on Monday, as reported by “The Tennessee Journal.”
Tennessee could potentially become the inaugural state to decline federal education funds if the panel makes such a recommendation and the state legislature advances the proposal in January.