On June 30th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to TennCare asking the state to make several changes to the TennCare III waiver. The changes that CMS is requesting address some of the most prominent issues with TennCare III for Tennesseans with disabilities. This happened because so many of you spoke up, submitted public comment and organized.
Early intervention works! We applaud DIDD for its successful advocacy to extend TEIS services beyond the federally required age of three. However, we would like to take the opportunity to submit public comment that kids should be able to start services after the age of three, continue receiving services until after age five, and that a family-friendly implementation will include a grace period rather than a hard cut off for eligibility in the extended option and multiple public points of access for information and guidance.
After much analysis and discussion, we have determined that, for students with disabilities, the benefits of the proposed TISA public school funding formula outweigh the impact of our concerns. With this conclusion, we have agreed to sign on to the Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education’s TISA endorsement statement.
We will continue to engage lawmakers, the Department of Education and other allies and advocates on TISA. Including throughout the rulemaking process.
The state is currently in the process of planning a new public school funding formula. The new funding formula created by the state must be equitable and effective for all Tennessee students and schools. Here are 5 ways you can take action now!
The Tennessee General Assembly Special Session to address Covid-19-related issues began on October 27th with nearly 80 bills filed. In the leadup to the session, Speaker Sexton proposed eight bills that covered numerous topics, such as masking in schools and private businesses, private organization vaccine mandates and partisan school board races.
