With time running out, lawmakers are still fuzzy on the details of the state’s education funding overhaul

The governor is trying to pass a major overhaul of Tennessee’s K-12 education funding formula this session. But time is running out, and lawmakers still have a lot of questions.

Legislators from both parties pestered the Department of Education for more details at the Senate Education Committee on Monday.

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has been touring committees over the past few weeks to explain the new spending plan, which provides funding on a per-pupil basis. For two hours, she answered questions from confused lawmakers trying to understand how the model works. 

“For the life of me, and I know you can explain it. I cannot understand how if we increase the overall cost of education, that the local contribution, that they don’t go up,” said Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson.

“I just don’t think we have much of a good sense of how this actually flows through if we make different decisions,” added Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville.

Schwinn tried to reassure lawmakers that districts would spend less than they do under the current formula, known as the Basic Education Plan or BEP.   

“Districts would receive more money under this formula than they would under the BEP, and that assumes apples-to-apples enrollment,” said Schwinn.

The bill is up for a vote in both House and Senate committees this week. Schwinn says she’s available to answer more questions, which of course lawmakers have plenty of.