AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to adult education.
Summary
SB2386 amends Tennessee’s adult education law to expressly allow local boards of education to contract with nonprofit or for-profit entities to operate and manage adult high schools. The bill sets out required terms for those contracts, including a maximum enrollment cap, advance reporting of anticipated enrollment before a school opens, periodic reporting of current enrollment in later years, and a schedule for adjusting payments based on changes in revenue, student membership, or student services.
The bill also requires adult high schools operated under these contracts to receive state and local school funding through the local board of education. In the first year, funding would be based on anticipated enrollment and then adjusted according to the contract schedule; in later years, funding would be based on the prior year’s enrollment and updated as enrollment figures change. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to contracts entered into, renewed, or amended on or after that date.
Impact
SB2386 would amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Section 49-6-409, by replacing the existing subsection governing adult high school contracting and funding. It would create a clearer statutory framework for public-private operation of adult high schools, define how enrollment and funding are to be calculated and updated, and require local boards to make regular payment adjustments. The bill affects local boards of education, nonprofit and for-profit operators of adult high schools, and the distribution of state and local education funds tied to adult education programs.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available materials. Based on the text alone, the bill appears administrative and operational rather than ideological, focusing on funding mechanics, enrollment reporting, and contract management for adult high schools. The absence of recorded discussion suggests no documented controversy in the supplied record.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the bill’s authorization for for-profit entities to operate adult high schools and the use of anticipated and prior-year enrollment to determine funding, which could raise concerns about accountability, fiscal predictability, and whether public education dollars should flow through private operators. Another possible issue is the requirement for frequent enrollment reporting and payment adjustments, which may be seen as improving oversight by some stakeholders but as adding administrative burden by others. No specific opposing or supporting groups are identified in the provided record.