Sen. Raumesh Akbari

Maddy summarySB 2674, the "Public Education Investments Act," increases funding for Tennessee public education through three key changes. It raises the minimum teacher base salary from $50,000 to $50,290 starting in the 2026-2027 school year, directly affecting all public school teachers. The bill also boosts extra funding for high-poverty schools by increasing their weighted allocation from 5% to 10% per student. Additionally, it mandates a 3% annual increase to Tennessee middle college scholarships for 9 academic years, beginning in 2026-2027. These changes take effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 2667 requires Tennessee's Department of Health to study whether to create a licensure program for physicians who have graduated from medical school, passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), but haven't completed residency training. The report, due by January 1, 2027, would examine if such physicians could practice medicine under a formal supervision agreement with a licensed doctor. This would directly affect medical graduates without residency who seek to provide care in Tennessee. The bill does not create the program but directs a feasibility study to inform future policy decisions.

Maddy summarySB 2675 exempts licensed school social workers in Tennessee from needing parental consent to provide preventative and developmental counseling to minors. The bill directly affects school social workers (licensed by the state board of education) and the students they serve in public schools. It amends Tennessee law to remove the requirement for parental consent specifically for these types of counseling services, while maintaining consent requirements for other medical or therapeutic interventions. This change applies to counseling focused on prevention and student development, not general medical treatment.

Maddy summarySB 2384 requires Tennessee school districts and public charter schools to notify parents or guardians 30 days before offering firearm safety instruction, allowing them to opt their student out of the class. Students who opt out cannot be penalized for missing the instruction. The bill also expands school staff authority by allowing state-licensed school social workers to provide certain counseling services to students without first getting parental consent, previously limited to counselors and psychologists. These changes directly affect parents/guardians (through notification and opt-out rights), students (who can choose participation), and school social workers (gaining new counseling authority). The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 49-6-1016 and 63-1-176.

Maddy summarySB 2387 requires private schools participating in Tennessee's education savings account programs (including individualized education accounts and education freedom scholarships) to publish specific information on their websites, such as lesson plans, library collections, and academic standards. It mandates that educators in these schools hold valid teaching licenses and undergo evaluations using the same process as public school teachers. The bill also requires participating students to take standardized tests (like TCAP) and reading screeners annually, with results reported to parents. Additionally, the state Department of Education must assign letter grades to these private schools based on performance. These requirements apply directly to private schools enrolled in state-funded education choice programs.

Maddy summarySB 1978 updates Tennessee's education freedom scholarship program (school vouchers) by setting new eligibility rules and oversight requirements. It limits scholarships to students from families earning no more than 300% of the income threshold for free/reduced lunch, and requires voucher students to take the same state standardized tests (TCAP) as public school peers. Private schools receiving voucher funds must undergo annual audits, disclose admissions data and test outcomes publicly, and report student progress to parents twice yearly. The bill directly affects low-income families seeking scholarships and private schools participating in the program, adding transparency and accountability measures to the existing scholarship system.

Maddy summarySB 1975 creates Individualized Education Accounts (IEAs) for Tennessee students with medical conditions that prevent in-person school attendance. It directly affects children diagnosed with qualifying medical conditions (determined by the state board) who would otherwise attend public school. The bill allows parents to use IEA funds exclusively for approved home school program expenses, with the state monitoring fund usage and requiring compliance. Unlike general school voucher programs, this provision applies only to students with documented medical barriers to in-person schooling, not to students with disabilities under standard IEP eligibility. The policy changes take effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 1696 allows Tennessee public schools to offer programs exclusively to one sex (e.g., single-gender sports teams or clubs) if they also provide a substantially similar alternative program for the other sex. The bill amends education law to clarify that such arrangements do not violate anti-discrimination rules, as long as the alternative program is reasonably comparable. This directly affects all Tennessee public institutions of higher education and K-12 schools that operate separate programs based on sex. The policy change enables schools to maintain single-sex initiatives while still complying with broader equality requirements through separate but equivalent offerings.

Maddy summarySB 1175 requires Tennessee's Department of Education to publish annually on its website, by July 31, a list of school districts designated as "high performing" for the upcoming school year. The list must include each district's current designation status and the duration they will maintain that status before needing to requalify under the existing criteria. This bill directly affects Tennessee public school districts that receive high-performing designations, adding a transparency requirement for how long their status will last. The law does not change the criteria for high-performing status but mandates public disclosure of the designation timeline.

Maddy summarySB 1163 requires Tennessee school districts (LEAs) and public charter schools to include at least two hours annually of evidence-based training in positive behavioral interventions, conflict prevention, de-escalation, and conflict management within their staff behavior intervention programs. This replaces previous voluntary language with a mandatory requirement, directly affecting all K-12 school staff in Tennessee. The training hours may count toward existing annual in-service training requirements. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Section 49-10-1304, and would take effect July 1, 2025.