Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to announce the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, jeopardizing the future of all students and sliding us further back to an era where disparities widen, and civil rights violations and inequities go unchallenged. Our mission is clear: EdTrust will not stand by while this administration systematically dismantles public education and strips away critical services and protections from our nation’s underserved students.

The Department of Education is not just another federal bureaucracy; it’s the watchdog ensuring all students, including students of color, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students from low-income backgrounds, have equal access to quality education. Join EdTrust to #SaveOurStudents with this advocacy toolkit to organize for success, including resources to mobilize state and local communities to resist federal attacks and protect education. 

In Tennessee, many committees are releasing final calendars, while many caption bills have been transformed by amendments. Today, Friday, March 21, we offered a 30-minute legislative briefing to equip advocates with key information on bills impacting educational opportunity. Check out our recording and PowerPoint.Here is other key information advocates need to know:

• SB950(Powers) was a caption bill that passed out of the Senate Education Committee 7-0, with Sen. Akbari (D-Memphis) not present in committee. This bill as amended will create a task force of 7 members to prepare Tennessee for the closing of the U.S. Department of Education, by determining what programs or resources that were funded by the federal government should be continued at the state level if funds are eliminated.
• HB622(Maberry), titled the "Dismantle DEI Act", was amended to end the TN State Board of Education’s Educator Diversity Policy, a critical policy that supports data transparency related to the data, recruitment, and retention of educators of color. This bill passed out of Cities & Counties subcommittee in a 5-2 vote with Rep. Dixie (D-Nashville) and Rep. Mitchell (D-Nashville) voting no in opposition. EdTrust-Tennessee opposes revoking the Educator Diversity Policy, and believes every student deserves skilled, well-resourced, and competitively compensated teachers, leaders, and staff who reflect the state’s racial and linguistic diversity.
• HB675(Cochran), a wide ranging bill makes changes to assessments, passed 8-0 out of the K-12 Subcommittee with an amendment that would allow Career & Technical Education students to substitute courses making them ineligible for four year colleges. However, an amendment was removed that would have decreased teacher evaluations. 
• HB1307(Lamberth), passed 8-0 out of the K-12 Subcommittee with an amendment to end the Achievement School District and change school turnaround in Tennessee via a 3-tiered system, resulting in a school closure options.
• SB11(Gardenhire) was a caption bill amended to expand access to the Education Savings Account (ESA) program for districts with 35,000 students, 35+ schools, and at least 15% students from economically disadvantaged students. This bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee in a 6-2 vote, with Sen. Hensley (R-Hohenwald) and Sen. Powers (R-Clarksville) voting in opposition. Its companion bill,HB409(White) was rolled in the  K-12 subcommittee.
• HB662(White) passed 6-2 out of committee with Rep. Hakeem (D-Chattanooga) and Rep. McKenzie (D-Knoxville) voting no in opposition. This bill as amended allows the TN Department of Education to intervene in districts that meet specific criteria through recommending the appointment of a board of managers, or recommending the charter commission convert one or more schools to a public charter.

EdTrust-Tennessee is proud to help lead Education for All - Tennessee, a powerful movement that supported a win in the Senate Education Committee, as SB1044(Bowling) failed in a 3-5 vote. This bill was one of the measures attempting to strip children of their freedom to learn by requiring families to provide specific forms of documentation, or be charged tuition.

Moreover, in the Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, HB145(Bulso) was deferred to next week due to Pledge of Allegiance protests shutting down the committee. However, SB17(Gardenhire), a bill that would have protected undocumented students by exempting school resource officers from reporting students to immigration officers, failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee in a close 4-5 vote. 

Looking ahead, advocates will be watching the special-called full House Education Committee meeting on March 26, at 4:30 pm CT, dedicated solely to hearingHB793, the main bill threatening Plyer v. Doe. Take action to protect all children’s freedom to learn, by emailing and calling your legislator, in addition to sharing Education for All - Tennessee’s campaign resources.

Finally, bills that advanced opportunity for students that moved forward through committee this week include SB740(Harshbarger), supporting LEAs establishing free school breakfast and lunch programs, passed out of the Senate Education Committee in a 6-1 vote. SB686(White), permanently establishing the completion grants program for Tennessee Promise students, also passed out of Senate Education in a 7-0 vote. Additionally, HB7(Hale), establishing the hunger-free campus grants, passed out of the higher education subcommittee in a 5-0 vote.