CAN YOU HEAR THE BANJO, TENNESSEE MAGA REJECTS $2 BILLION FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDS
In a stunning move, Tennessee lawmakers are considering rejecting nearly $1.9 billion in federal education funding. The reason? Concerns over the restrictions and mandates that come with the money. Apparently, Tennessee MAGA thinks they can do better on their own.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally announced the creation of a group of lawmakers to study the potential impact of rejecting the funds. We can only imagine what kind of brainstorming sessions they're having. Maybe they're planning to use the money to build a giant wall around the state to keep out those pesky federal mandates.
But not everyone is on board with this plan. Key Democrats, including Sen. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis, oppose the move, saying the money is essential to ensure educational equity and opportunity for all American students. But who needs equity and opportunity when you have good old-fashioned Tennessee grit?
The state received nearly $2.5 billion from the federal government in fiscal 2021-22, and more than $1.9 billion last fiscal year, with most of the funding going towards nutrition, Title I programs for low-income children, and special needs students. But Tennessee MAGA says, "Who needs nutrition when you have moon pies and RC Cola?"
We can't wait to see what other hilarious ideas Tennessee MAGA comes up with next. Maybe they'll reject all federal funds and start their own country. We'll call it "Y'alltopia."
Top Tennessee lawmakers start push to reject billions of dollars in federal education funds – Tennessee Lookout https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/09/25/top-tennessee-lawmakers-start-push-to-reject-billions-of-dollars-in-federal-education-funds/
THE DEFT DIVE
Big Education Ape: GLORIA JOHNSON STANDING TALL FOR TENNESSEE https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2023/09/gloria-johnson-standing-tall-for.html
FROM BARD AI
**Tennessee Lawmakers Start Push to Reject Billions of Dollars in Federal Education Funds**
On September 25, 2023, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Tennessee announced the creation of a new group of lawmakers to look at the possibility of rejecting federal education funds. The group, which is expected to meet in January 2024, will be chaired by Sen. Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) and Rep. Debra Moody (R-Covington).
If Tennessee were to reject federal education funds, it would be the first state to do so. The state currently receives about $1.8 billion in federal education funding each year, which supports a variety of programs, including Title I, IDEA, and school lunch programs.
Supporters of the proposal to reject federal education funds argue that it would give the state more control over its education system and allow it to avoid the federal mandates that come with federal funding. They also argue that the state could save money by rejecting federal education funds and replacing it with state funding.
Opponents of the proposal argue that rejecting federal education funds would harm Tennessee's students and schools. They argue that the federal funding supports essential programs that help low-income students, students with disabilities, and other vulnerable students. They also argue that the state would not be able to replace the lost federal funding with state funding, which would lead to cuts in education programs and services.
The proposal to reject federal education funds is likely to face significant opposition from Democrats and other groups that support public education. It is also unclear whether the proposal would have the support of enough Republican lawmakers to pass.
**Potential Impact of Rejecting Federal Education Funds**
If Tennessee were to reject federal education funds, it would have a significant impact on the state's education system. The state would lose out on billions of dollars in funding, which would lead to cuts in education programs and services. This would likely have a negative impact on students, particularly low-income students, students with disabilities, and other vulnerable students.
In addition to the financial impact, rejecting federal education funds would also give the state less control over its education system. The federal government currently imposes a number of mandates on states in exchange for federal funding. These mandates include requirements for testing, accountability, and special education. If Tennessee were to reject federal funds, it would be free from these mandates. However, it would also lose the resources and expertise that the federal government provides to states.
**Conclusion**
The proposal to reject federal education funds is a controversial one. Supporters of the proposal argue that it would give the state more control over its education system and allow it to avoid the federal mandates that come with federal funding. Opponents of the proposal argue that rejecting federal education funds would harm Tennessee's students and schools.
The proposal is likely to face significant opposition from Democrats and other groups that support public education. It is also unclear whether the proposal would have the support of enough Republican lawmakers to pass.
If Tennessee were to reject federal education funds, it would have a significant impact on the state's education system. The state would lose out on billions of dollars in funding, which would lead to cuts in education programs and services. This would likely have a negative impact on students, particularly low-income students, students with disabilities, and other vulnerable students.
FROM BING AI
Thank you for your interest in this topic. Here is a summary of what I found from the web:
- - Tennessee lawmakers are beginning to explore the possibility of rejecting nearly $2 billion in funding from the federal government for education due to rules, requirements and regulations that go along with the money¹.
- - The federal funds account for about one fifth of the state's K-12 budget and support programs such as special education, low-income students, school lunch, and standardized testing²³.
- - House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally have appointed a 10-member panel to review the feasibility and implications of rejecting the federal funds and recommend a strategy by January 2022¹².
- - Some of the reasons for rejecting the federal funds are to free the state from federal mandates, to have more control over how the money is spent, and to avoid potential conflicts with Title IX protections on the basis of sex⁴⁵.
- - Some of the impacts of rejecting the federal funds are losing vital resources for students with special needs, English language learners, and those from low-income families; jeopardizing the integrity and quality of public education; creating a fiscal burden for the state and local governments; and violating civil rights laws⁴⁶⁷.
Bing, 9/27/2023
- (1) Top Tennessee lawmakers start push to reject billions of dollars in federal education funds. https://dailymontanan.com/2023/09/26/top-tennessee-lawmakers-start-push-to-reject-billions-of-dollars-in-federal-education-funds/.
- (2) Legislative panel to explore rejecting Tennessee's share of federal .... https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/25/tennessee-legislative-panel-study-rejecting-federal-education-funding/70963525007/.
- (3) Some Tennessee lawmakers consider rejecting $1.8 billion in federal .... https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/education/some-tennessee-lawmakers-consider-rejecting-18-billion-federal-funding-education/522-9838f26d-9bf4-4902-a189-f384fc258cd1.
- (4) Tennessee Considering Cutting Off Federal Education Funding. https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/education-tennessee-conservative/2023/09/26/id/1136015/.
- (5) House speaker proposes task force to study rejecting federal ed funds. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2023/03/14/house-speaker-proposes-task-force-to-study-rejecting-federal-ed-funds/70008179007/.
- (6) TN could potentially reject federal education money, here's why. https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/tn-republican-leadership-lays-groundwork-to-potentially-reject-federal-education-dollars/.
- (7) Stakeholders weigh in on refusing federal education funding in TN. https://www.newschannel5.com/news/this-will-fundamentally-change-education-stakeholders-weigh-in-on-refusing-federal-education-funding-in-tn.
- (8) Restoring Responsible Government by Cutting Federal Aid to the States. https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/restoring-responsible-government-cutting-federal-aid-states.
- (9) Congress approves massive infusion of funds for schools. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/10/22323283/congress-biden-stimulus-money-education-schools.
- (10) The Controversial Reason Some Religious Colleges Forgo Federal Funding. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/the-controversial-reason-some-religious-colleges-forgo-federal-funding/490253/.
- (11) Public education funding in the U.S. needs an overhaul. https://www.epi.org/publication/public-education-funding-in-the-us-needs-an-overhaul/.
- (12) Refusing Federal Education Dollars Jeopardizes Students with Disabilities. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/refusing-federal-education-dollars-jeopardizes-students-with-disabilities/.
- (13) Just say no: Oklahoma considers rejection of federal ed funding. https://www.k12dive.com/news/oklahoma-considers-rejection-of-federal-funds/642028/.