BSB/1/10
Sponsored by Lawson Cheirs, Tucker Chipman of Evangelical Christian School
This legislation was filed in the Education category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT: |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act will be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Poor Condition: Buildings within a public school classified by the Tennessee Department of |
| 5 | Education as less than adequate, of substandard performance, or in non-operational condition. |
| 6 | Contributing factors can include life safety features, roofs, electric power, plumbing, heating and |
| 7 | ventilation, air conditioning, or exterior walls, finishes, windows, and doors. |
| 8 | High Poverty School: A school that is in the highest two quartiles (75%) of schools served by a |
| 9 | local educational agency based on the percentage of enrolled students from low-income families. |
| 10 | This includes roughly 16% of public schools in Tennessee. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Section 2: This act will allocate $5 billion from the Tennessee Department of Education over the |
| 13 | next 5 years towards public schools classified as a High Poverty School or a school in poor |
| 14 | condition. This money shall go towards repairs, renovation, infrastructure, and technology |
| 15 | advancements. Schools classified to be in the poorest condition with the highest enrollment need |
| 16 | shall be prioritized to receive these funds. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Section 3: Following the five years of renovation, the Tennessee Department of Education will |
| 19 | appropriate $425 million of the budget towards infrastructure investments and improvements each |
| 20 | year. Schools classified to be in the poorest condition with the highest enrollment need shall be |
| 21 | prioritized to receive these funds. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Section 4: Public schools that are determined completely in-operational and are recommended for |
| 24 | demolition shall receive $40 million of the appropriated money for new construction over the |
| 25 | course of two years, with construction to be completed within two years of the starting date. The |
| 26 | process of construction will be at the discretion of the school district. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Section 5: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Section 6: This act shall take effect June 1st, 2026. |
| 31 |