Senate Bill 2351, also known as House Bill 2177, amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated related to public education. Key changes include the appointment process for student members on local education boards, which now allows nominations from both local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies, ensuring that students in their junior or senior years are considered. Additionally, schools with less than $50,000 in combined internal school and student activity funds are exempt from conducting 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, including deadlines for submitting budgets and audit reports to the commissioner. It establishes criteria for identifying high-performing public charter schools, which can automatically receive renewal upon meeting specific performance standards. Furthermore, the bill outlines the process for replication applications for charter schools and mandates that the commission must approve or deny these applications within specified timeframes. The provisions of the bill are set to take effect on July 1, 2026, with certain sections becoming law immediately upon passage.

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