Of Memories and Priorities
Tennessee policymakers and budget games
So, remember when Tennessee had a giant budget surplus? (We have had them year after year after year for a decade now)
Remember how state policymakers consistently refused to invest in public education?
Now, the state is proposing a $1.6 billion tax break for corporations, in a year when revenue collection is actually down.
So, TN can't be bothered to boost funding for schools when revenue is up but can make budget adjustments to give corporate tax breaks when revenue is down.
My district and state are almost the same, except the state gave the D.O.E to spend $465 million. The D.O.E. didn't use a penny. They relinquished nearly half a billion dollars because they failed to use it. It was at a time when the D.O.E. added more deputy superintendents and assistant superintendents to the district office.