NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new task force formed to prepare the state of Tennessee for the potential elimination of the U.S. Department of Education met for the first time to discuss how the state would pay for education without help from the federal government.
The Joint Federal Education Deregulation Cooperation Task Force, made up of Republican members of the General Assembly, met for the first time Tuesday and heard testimony from various state officials about how much money the state receives from the federal government for K-12 education.
“I think it’s imperative and important that we look at what could happen in Tennessee because the Department of Education from the federal level is in a state of, somewhat, in a state of flux,” Sen. Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) said.
According to testimony, TN ranks 16th in the nation for per-pupil federal funding it receives for K-12 education. During the 2023-24 school year, the state received almost $2.5 billion from the federal government for education.
“Should there be any lapse in funding, would this state be in a position to cover the shortfall?” Sen. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) asked state fiscal analysts.
“I would have to get back to you on that for the specifics of what those numbers would look like,” they responded.
Rep. Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville) told News 2 the state doesn’t have the finances to fund programs currently paid for by the feds, partly due to declining sales tax revenue.
He sat on a similar committee two years ago, tasked with debating whether the state should accept federal title funds.
“In the task force I was in a couple of years ago, I asked the question, ‘Well, if the USDA isn’t feeding the kids, who will?’ If the state wasn’t willing to feed the children then, you think they’re going to do it now? We’re really in a pickle here,” Rep. Glynn said.
He argued that if the state doesn’t receive the federal funds it’s used to, programs will be eliminated and counties will have to make up the difference.
“The ripple effects are unreal, and this is the result of a supermajority who have not looked up the road and spent most of their time making sure the rich got richer and the poor got poorer,” Rep. Glynn said.
However, Republicans appeared confident that no student would suffer should the state lose K-12 federal funding.
“If someone could snap their finger and do away with the federal Department of Education… If it could be done, we are still committed in the state of Tennessee to educating every single one of our students here,” Rep. William Slater (R-Gallatin) said.
The task force will submit a report on how the state would handle federal funding cuts to education by Dec. 31.
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