TENNESSEE, USA — The Tennessee Department of Education announced the spending strategy for the state’s portion of the federal COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus funding to benefit K-12 students and schools.
Tennessee will benefit from almost $4.2 billion for K-12 education specifically, to be spent between spring 2020 and fall 2024.
Spanish Version: TDOE anuncia estrategia de gasto para fondos de estímulo económico para la educación K-12
“This historic amount of federal funding provides an opportunity to innovate and transform the trajectory of Tennessee schools and students,” said Governor Bill Lee. “It’s imperative that we keep student achievement at the center of all decision-making to put them on a path for success in our classrooms, postsecondary and workforce.”
The department has and will develop additional grant opportunities and free resources to benefit districts, schools, teachers, students, and families.
Planned investments include:
Academic: All Tennessee students will have access to high-quality education by learning to read and reading to learn with high-quality materials.
- $120.7 million for the Tennessee Literacy Success Act and Reading 360
- $170.5 million for the Tennessee Learning Loss and Student Acceleration Act including the statewide TN ALL Corps tutoring initiative as well as summer learning camps and bridge camps
- $35 million to support the statewide 2022-2023 math textbook adoption process
- $32 million for teaching and learning online resources and improvements for school districts
Student Readiness: Tennessee schools will be equipped to serve the academic and non-academic needs of all students by developing robust career pathway opportunities and connecting students to real-time support.
- $32.6M for Innovative High Schools and Advanced Courses
- $17.8M for mental health supports
- $56.5M for K-12 open-source readiness coursework and statewide professional development
Educators: Tennessee will set a new path for the education profession by becoming a teacher for free.
- $21M in programs to support the educator pipeline, including the department’s, Grow Your Own program
“We are focused on investments designed to prioritize accelerating academic achievement and increasing student growth,” said Steve Starnes, Director of Schools, Greeneville City Schools. “We know it is both an opportunity and responsibility for our district to thoughtfully invest in our students' education, outcomes, and futures - and we remain committed to doing so."
The funding for K-12 is comprised of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, Governor’s Education Emergency Relief (GEER) funding, Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS) funding, and the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF).