Welcome everyone! Let us know your name and where you’re joining in from!

Ed Trust website: https://edtrust.org/

Ed Trust TN site - https://edtrust.org/tennessee/

Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education - https://thealliancetn.org/ Alliance member organization: https://thealliancetn.org/our-partners/

Check out recordings from previous sessions: https://edtrust.org/dollarsandsense/

Read more about our speakers: https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Session-5-Speakers-DS.pdf

Welcome everyone! Let us know your name and where you’re joining in from!

Hi! I’m Laura Hunt, State Manager of Advocacy and with TennesseeCAN based out of Nashville

Jessica from Arkansas!

Lee Harrell, TQEE. Clarksville, TN

Hi all - Neil Kirschling from Rodel in Delaware. Looking forward to talking with you all after Zahava.

Haley Mathews, ALLMemphis in Memphis, TN

Teo Valdés in Chattanooga

Susanne Jackson from Memphis - Stand for Children

Teo Valdés in Chattanooga

Erika Berry from TennesseeCAN

Emily Astor, Blount County Schools

(I’m a volunteer and member of UnifiEd.)

Be sure to click on "all panelists and attendees" when you introduce yourself!

Hi! I’m Laura Hunt, State Manager of Advocacy and with TennesseeCAN based out of Nashville

Haley Mathews, ALLMemphis in Memphis, TN

Lee Harrell, TQEE. Clarksville, TN

Sonja Dorsey, Georgia

Dana Brimm, TN Comptroller of the Treasury, Nashville

Liza Ramage, Chr., Education Task Force, NOAH

Be sure to put questions in the Q & A section and comments in the Chat. Thanks!

Vanessa Lazón MNPS Office of English Learners

FundEd: http://funded.edbuild.org/

https://edbuild.org/content/edbuilder

I'm glad you are here! Don't you think this might be useful to our advocacy coalition?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jOrZbc8l-K7BiZ2N7RLI76O_7uSSV5DyX_F9EGefQjg/edit?usp=sharing

200 to 1 for translators! Wow, I didn’t know that. That explains some things.

Fascinating. I don’t understand the TN formula for ELL students…

https://edbuild.org/content/edbuilder#MDB4eHh4eHh4eHg%3D

I went straight for the moonshot!

Such a diffference

Sorry, I joined late. please send me the documents you're referring to.

https://edbuild.org/content/edbuilder#MDB4eHh4eHh4eHg%3D

Compare the recommendations here for English learners and economically disadvantaged students to the actual descriptions of current policy here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jOrZbc8l-K7BiZ2N7RLI76O_7uSSV5DyX_F9EGefQjg/edit?usp=sharing

So does the tool ever recommend funding according to staff:student ratios, or is that whole system considered in need of improvement?

The report never recommends staff units at the basis of a funding system! The “formula type and structure” section is one of the Formula Fundamentals, and the report recommends proceeding from a Weighted Student Funding structure

Check out the Full Recommendations report for a description of why!

Very interesting, thank you!

This is a great tool for exploring funding. Thanks! I’ll be sure to share with others.

How realistic do you think the moonshot options are for our state?

https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Session-5-Speakers-DS.pdf

So glad you found it useful!

Does the amount double if a student is ELL and from a family that qualifies as low income?

Always curious about this, do Cost-of-Living difference translate in terms of ed funding? I see Delaware spends about twice per-pupil what TN does, but I imagine costs are different too?

This resource is a couple of years old but might be helpful http://viz.edbuild.org/maps/2016/cola/slopegraph/index.html

Tax dollars is probably a simple answer!

On tax dollars: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/data-visualizations/2021/how-states-raise-their-tax-dollars-fy2020#:~:text=Taxes%20make%20up%20about%20half,goods%20and%20services%20(32.2%25).&text=General%20sales%20taxes%20are%20the,45%20states%20that%20collect%20them.

Similar!

This looks pretty much exactly the same as Tn.

Not sure if the counselor stat is the same

Surprised about the school counselor one

How many police do you have in schools compared to counselors?

Probably true about counselors. All schools have few counselors here in TN.

Yes it would be nice if we had a counselor allocation but we don’t yet :(

Well, I should clarify, we do but the ratio is really high

I believe TN does have a modest counselor allocation in the current formula. Every 500 students in grades K-6 generate funding for counselor position; same for every 350 students in grades 7-12

Yes a bill was proposed this year to reduce the ratio but it failed because of $$$

That sounds about right. I know some elementary schools in Chattanooga share a counselor, only having one part-time in their school.

Issue is not just the allocation in funding for counselors but how the districts actually use the funds and what tasks they have them do

The formula also includes social worker positions—at a ratio of just 1 per 2000 students!

What role, if any, did teacher unions (or associations if unions are not allowed in DE) play in finance reform advocacy?

Great example of how a lawsuit doesn’t have to culminate in a big ruling in order to drive change

very true

Our next Dollars and Sense will dig into our lawsuit and where it is today.

Gini, by “our” do you mean a funding lawsuit in NT?

Sorry, TN.

Yes

the current lawsuit scheduled to go to trial later this year.

Got it. Thanks!

Please complete our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TSFLS_05

We want to know how we can improve and what's going well. Thank you!

Thanks so much for dialogue and tools!

nkirschling@rodelde.org

Feel free to follow up. Thanks!