Hamilton County Forum Attendees Advocate for Pre-K, Arts, Languages and Teachers
State Sen. Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, on Thursday night hosted the first of four local town halls to gather public opinion on Gov. Bill Lee's proposed overhaul of the state's public education funding formula.
Held in Red Bank, the forum drew several dozen people.
The current "resource-based" funding formula, which has remained unchanged for about three decades, is a based on 46 different factors that determine how funds are distributed to school systems. The new funding framework proposed by Lee is based on per-student calculations, with more weight given to students with unique learning needs and those who attend charter schools or live in poverty or rural areas.
Watson, who is serving on a subcommittee for the overhaul effort that looks at funding formula challenges and changes, was joined at the forum by Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican who is co-chair of the legislature's Fiscal Review Committee and is serving on a subcommittee for the funding overhaul focused on English language learners.