Senate Bill 2351 and House Bill 2177 propose amendments to the Tennessee Code Annotated concerning public education, particularly focusing on the appointment process for student members on local education boards. The new provisions allow nominations from both local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies, ensuring that students in their junior or senior years are eligible for consideration. Additionally, schools with less than $50,000 in combined internal school and student activity funds will no longer be required to conduct separate audits for those funds, although they must still be included in general audits. The bill also introduces new requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) regarding budget submissions and financial reporting, mandating a complete school budget within 30 days of the fiscal year and financial reports by October 1 each year.

Furthermore, the legislation establishes criteria for identifying high-performing public charter schools, which will automatically qualify for renewal if they meet specific performance indicators. It outlines the approval and denial process for replication applications for charter schools, including automatic approval if the commission does not act within ninety days and a requirement for written reasons in case of denial. The commission is also granted authority to charge an annual authorizer fee of up to three percent of the public charter school's per pupil funding or a maximum of $463,000, whichever is less. Additionally, the bill modifies existing legal language to enhance the commission's authority and includes provisions for establishing rules for replication applications in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-1-301(a)(6), 49-1-301, 49-2-112(a), 49-2-112, 49-3-316(a), 49-3-316, 49-13-105, 49-13-113(d), 49-13-113, 49-13-121, 49-13-108(a), 49-13-108, 49-13-121(a), 49-13-127(b), 49-13-127, 49-13-137
Amended with HA0903 -- 04/21/2026: 49-1-301(a)(6), 49-1-301, 49-2-112(a), 49-2-112, 49-3-316(a), 49-3-316, 49-13-105, 49-13-113(d), 49-13-113, 49-13-121, 49-13-108(a), 49-13-108, 49-13-121(a), 49-13-127(b), 49-13-127, 49-13-137
Amended with HA0903, SA1101 -- 04/22/2026: 49-1-301(a)(6), 49-1-301, 49-2-112(a), 49-2-112, 49-3-316(a), 49-3-316, 49-13-105, 49-13-113(d), 49-13-113, 49-13-121, 49-13-108(a), 49-13-108, 49-13-121(a), 49-13-127(b), 49-13-127, 49-13-137, 49-13-128(e), 49-13-128