Schwinn To Hold Final School Funding Town Hall Tuesday

By Tennessee Lookout Staff

November 29, 2021

Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn will hold a town hall meeting in Gainesboro on Tuesday, the final of eight meetings to discuss a revision of the state’s funding strategy of public schools.

Jackson County Public Schools will host the meeting at Jackson County Middle School in Gainesboro. Event cohosts include White County Middle School, Cannon County Schools, United Ways of Tennesee and TennesseeCAN, an education reform group advocating for charter schools.

In a statement, the department said the series of public town halls “will spark localized conversations about student-based funding for public education in Tennessee and how to create a new strategy to best serve our students and ensure they are prepared for future success.”

Gov. Bill Lee announced in October he would review Tennessee’s K-12 funding formula, which was first put together 30 years ago. Democrats and Republicans agree the Basic Education Program is in need of overhaul but disagree about Lee’s method. State Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, has called Lee’s plan “the single biggest threat to our public education system since forever,” questioning whether the aim is to improve public school outcomes or push funds for private school vouchers.

Jackson County Middle School is located at 170 Blue Devil Ln, Gainesboro, TN 38562 and the event can be live-streamed via Facebook.

Recordings of all the public sessions are on YouTube.

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