Tennessee State University was underfunded by over a half a billion dollars, according to the state legislature. One gubernatorial candidate plans to make sure the historically Black university gets the remaining money it’s owed.
The governor has the power to recommend budgets for the state’s colleges and universities. After state lawmakers determined that Tennessee had shortchanged TSU by $544 million dollars, Gov. Bill Lee proposed a budget in 2022 that included a $250 million investment in the university to go towards infrastructure projects.
While the governor can make recommendations, those proposals must receive approval from the state’s legislature.
Getting lawmakers to back funding efforts
State legislators voted in favor of Lee’s proposal in 2022, but there hasn’t been much movement in the statehouse to get TSU the remaining funds that it’s owed.
Democratic candidate, Jerri Green, told WPLN News that, if elected governor, she will prioritize TSU being properly funded. However, she acknowledged that the political climate has changed since lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voted to infuse TSU with a quarter of a billion dollars a few years ago. Some of those changes include efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Thus, she said, she will need help from voters to get this done in a Republican supermajority legislature.
“If I put it in the budget and they try to take it out, well then we are going to make sure that Black voters across the state and others who are allies like myself, call those reps, hold them accountable in real time and push back,” she said.
She also dismissed concerns that TSU’s past financial struggles should influence how it’s funded. Green said the state owes this money and should pay it with no strings attached.
Green: HBCUs shouldn’t have to ‘rely on environmental racism’ to stay open
WPLN’s podcast special: The Debt explored the chronic underfunding of TSU – highlighting the stark difference in the state’s investment in the school versus the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
TSU and UT are land-grant universities – meaning they get federal funding for programs like agriculture and science. The state is supposed to match that funding. However, state archival budget records showed that for decades Tennessee provided no state matching funds for TSU, but always provided the required funds — and sometimes more — for UT.
Green said failure to fund HBCUs will leave them seeking funding from potentially harmful sources.
“We’ve seen Fisk do this data center deal,” Green said. “And we shouldn’t be forcing these specific schools to rely on environmental racism to be able to stay open.”
Earlier this year, Fisk leadership announced plans to build a data center on campus after the private HBCU located in North Nashville experienced decades of financial hardship. The move spurred a petition stating that Black and working-class neighborhoods are often targeted with harmful infrastructure for the sake of profit.
Green also stressed that while TSU may be a pillar in the Black community, investing in the university benefits all Tennesseans by producing a more educated populace.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
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