Tennessee Senate Bill SB1310

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Engrossed: 3/24/25
• Enrolled: 4/16/25
• Passed: 4/24/25
• Chaptered: 4/29/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 13, relative to charter schools.

Summary

SB1310 revises Tennessee’s charter school law in Title 49, Chapter 13 by shifting more administrative responsibility to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission and the State Board of Education, while also creating new pathways for charter school approval. The bill updates the definition of “authorizer,” requires more application, renewal, and oversight information to be reported to and posted by the commission, and standardizes timelines for filing, review, and public disclosure of charter school materials. It also requires annual authorizing reports from each authorizer and an annual statewide report on charter school enrollment, geographic distribution, and performance. The bill creates a new “replication” process for existing charter school operators to open additional schools using the same academic model, and it allows certain public institutions of higher education to apply directly to the commission for a charter school. In some circumstances, if a local board has had three denials overturned by the commission within three years, sponsors may apply directly to the commission for a five-year period beginning July 1, 2025. The bill also sets deadlines for commission action, provides for deemed approval if those deadlines are missed, and makes the commission’s direct-application decisions final and not subject to appeal in those cases.

Impact

SB1310 amends multiple provisions of Tennessee’s charter school statutes to expand the role of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, increase reporting and transparency requirements, and create new direct-application and replication options for charter school sponsors. It affects local boards of education, the commission, the State Board of Education, charter school governing bodies, and public institutions of higher education. The bill also changes renewal and amendment procedures, authorizer fee reporting, and performance framework requirements, and it repeals certain existing statutory language while adding new sections governing replication applications.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received generally favorable support, but not unanimous agreement. It passed the Senate Education Committee 7-2 and later cleared floor votes by comfortable margins, indicating broad legislative support for the overall charter school changes. The vote totals suggest the measure was controversial enough to draw meaningful opposition, but not enough to prevent passage.

Contention

The main points of contention likely center on the bill’s expansion of commission authority and the reduced role of local boards in certain circumstances. The direct-application pathway to the commission, the deemed-approved deadlines, and the provision making commission decisions final and not subject to appeal may be viewed by opponents as limiting local control and appeal rights. Supporters likely favor the bill’s emphasis on charter school growth, replication of successful models, and greater transparency and consistency in authorizing decisions.