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 proposed TennCare III waiver, commonly known as a “block grant”, significantly altered how Tennessee funded its Medicaid waiver programs. These changes had the potential to negatively impact Tennesseans with disabilities who received services and benefits from the state. 

The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act (TISA) was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on May 2nd, 2022. TISA is Tennessee’s new public-school funding formula, and replaces the 30-year old “Basic Education Plan” (BEP).

Download TISA 101 - Part 2: How Does TISA Work? - PDF

Download TISA 101 - Part 2: How Does TISA Work? - Text Only

Download TISA 101 - Part 3: What do the TISA rules mean for students with disabilities? - PDF

Download TISA 101 - Part 4: Tips for Public Comment on TISA

Download TISA 101 - Part 4: Tips for Public Comment on TISA - Text Only

Download Tennessee Disability Coalition TISA Comment Here - PDF

Download Tennessee Disability Coalition TISA Comment Here - Text Only

Other resources:

**Submit your comment on the TEIS extended option to DIDD by June 10th by emailing carly.carlton@tn.gov**

As you may know, over the past several months, the Tennessee General Assembly has been considering a bill that would overhaul the state’s public school funding formula.

Governor Bill Lee gave the final Tennessee State of the State Address of his first term on Monday evening. Lee’s theme, “America at its Best,” celebrated 225 years of Tennessee statehood and marked a decidedly different tone than his 2021 address. With a budget surplus of $4 billion, about $60 billion in federal relief funds and a swelling rainy-day account, Governor Lee announced several big investments in the state. 

Tennessee uses a funding formula called the Basic Education Plan (BEP) to determine how much money each district and school gets for its operating costs. The BEP is outdated and complex, and contributes to poor outcomes for Tennessee students.

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.

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.

Last year, when the heads of Tennessee state departments and agencies met with Governor Bill Lee, Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley and state Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gibson to propose their 2021 budgets, the world was a different place. The Governor had at that time requested that the heads of state agencies identify 12% across-the-board cuts to their departments for the 2021 fiscal year, and an additional 2% cut for fiscal year 2022.

In early October, Governor Bill Lee and Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced a 90-day stakeholder review of the Basic Education Plan (BEP). The BEP is the funding mechanism used to finance Tennessee schools, and determines how much money each district and school gets for its operating costs.