Senate Bill 901 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated related to school performance, specifically focusing on the establishment and administration of a school turnaround program for priority schools. The bill replaces the term "Pilot" with "Non-participating school" and makes several structural changes to the program's framework. It mandates the selection of up to five priority schools each year, ensuring geographic diversity, and requires these schools to develop and implement a turnaround plan within their first year of participation. The bill also stipulates that the Department of Education must evaluate the progress of these schools annually and report on the program's effectiveness, including comparisons of student performance outcomes.

Additionally, the bill outlines the formation of a school turnaround committee for each participating school, which will collaborate with an independent school turnaround expert to develop a comprehensive turnaround plan. The compensation structure for the turnaround expert is also revised, linking payment to the successful exit of schools from the program based on established criteria. The act is set to take effect upon becoming law and will apply to the 2025-2026 school year and subsequent years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-3701, 49-6-3702, 49-6-3703, 49-6-3704(a), 49-6-3704, 49-6-3705, 49-6-3706, 49-6-3707