Politics & PolicyCOVID and SchoolsCOVID Stimulus

Tennessee will get another $2.5 billion in federal stimulus funding for schools. Tell us how your district should spend its share.

By 
Marta W. Aldrich
 | March 15, 2021, 9:19pm UTC
A young boy wearing a white shirt, khakis and a red and grey Shelby County Schools backpack walks into a school’s front doors.
Students and parents are screened entering Vollentine Elementary School in Memphis on March 1, 2021. The return marked students’ first day back since Shelby County Schools shuttered school buildings a year earlier due to the pandemic. (Joe Rondone / The Commercial Appeal)

Tennessee schools are about to be on the receiving end of a historic windfall of federal cash — nearly $2.5 billion, to be exact. 

We’d like to know how you think school leaders should spend it. 

Last week’s passage of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan adds billions more to the $1.5 billion the state already has received for education from the first two stimulus plans approved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn calls the total a “stunning amount of money,” with high-poverty districts getting the largest shares.

District leaders will have a lot of flexibility on how to spend the latest federal investment, but must dedicate a fifth of it to learning recovery programs like summer school, after-school tutoring, and extending the school day. The rest can go for other pandemic-related needs. 

We want to hear from students, parents, and educators about the greatest needs you see as Tennessee seeks to recover from the pandemic. Please take our brief survey and let us know if we can follow up with you.

The Latest
Roderick Richmond wins permanent Memphis superintendent contract

Board members were divided in a vote Wednesday to promote the interim leader to a full-time gig. Some argued a full search would be needed for transparency, while others stressed the urgency for stability.

By 
Bri Hatch
 | Today, 2:05am UTC
How Indiana’s push to cut degrees with low earnings impacts colleges and universities

Under federal law, degrees must raise graduates’ earnings above those of a typical high school graduate.

By 
Aleksandra Appleton
 | February 11
115 students rally in support of strengthening Colorado’s ban on ghost guns

Students Demand Action’s Colorado chapter rallied at the Capitol to support legislation that would make it harder to create illegal guns. The group ramped up its presence at the Capitol after the 2023 East High School shooting.

By 
Jason Gonzales
 | February 11
Denver’s elite School of the Arts scales back its grand plan for growing and improving diversity

Cost concerns and competing priorities hindered a planned expansion that would have opened the school to more students without auditions.

By 
Melanie Asmar
 | February 11
Whitmer’s budget plan for schools sets $10,300 in per-pupil funding

The budget Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed Wednesday would increase taxes in some areas, such as for cigarette purchases, to raise revenue in Michigan.

By 
Lori Higgins
 | February 11
Chicago Public Schools proposes ending first semester after winter break for next two school years

Some school board members raised concerns about the first semester ending after winter break in the next two school years. Chicago Public Schools officials said their proposed calendar is an option preferred by most surveyed families.

By 
Reema Amin
 | February 11