Tennessee Senate Bill SB1762

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/20/26
• Engrossed: 4/22/26
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/22/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 49, relative to education.

Summary

SB1762 creates a new category of public charter school in Tennessee: an adult public charter school. These schools would exclusively serve students age 18 or older who do not have a high school diploma and would provide instruction aligned with state rules for adult high schools to help students earn course credit toward graduation. The bill authorizes sponsors to apply to open these schools through the existing charter-school application process, but it delays implementation so that no adult public charter school may open before the 2029-2030 school year. The bill also sets out operational rules for these schools, including enrollment eligibility, lottery procedures when applications exceed capacity, re-enrollment rights for returning students, and geographic enrollment preferences. It requires funding to be based on full-time enrollment average daily membership calculated using a four-hour day and twenty-day school month. In addition, it directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the Charter School Commission, to develop a specific application process, performance framework, and data-collection methods for adult public charter schools, and it authorizes the State Board to adopt rules to implement the act and promote consistency with adult high schools.

Impact

SB1762 amends multiple provisions of Tennessee’s charter-school statutes in Title 49 to carve out adult public charter schools from some existing rules and to add new requirements tailored to adult learners. It defines the new school type, adjusts funding and enrollment provisions, exempts adult public charter schools from certain charter-school restrictions, and bars conversion of an existing public school into an adult public charter school. The bill also requires the Department of Education and State Board to develop new administrative rules, performance measures, and data systems before these schools may open.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support overall, passing the Senate Education Committee unanimously and advancing on the floor with strong majorities. The final votes show substantial bipartisan approval, suggesting general agreement with the concept of expanding educational options for adults seeking a diploma. The absence of committee transcript debate limits insight into detailed discussion, but the vote margins indicate the proposal was not highly controversial in the legislature as a whole.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the creation of a new charter-school category for adults, the delayed start date until the 2029-2030 school year, and the extent to which adult public charter schools should be exempt from existing charter-school rules. Questions may also arise over funding methodology, enrollment preferences, and whether adult education should be delivered through charter schools rather than existing adult high school programs. The bill’s structure suggests lawmakers sought to balance expanded access with safeguards, but the specific policy tradeoffs are not detailed in the available discussion record.