Latest news with #TennesseeWorksScholarship
Axios
01-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Slipping lottery funds sidelined Tennessee governor's scholarship plan
Gov. Bill Lee's pitch to add scholarship funding to help technical college students pay for equipment and books is on hold for at least a year because of a dip in lottery revenue. Why it matters: Most Tennesseans can go to technical colleges tuition-free. But existing scholarships don't always cover the full price of attendance, which includes costly supplies and other fees that can add up fast. Those extra expenses stop many from enrolling. State of play: Lee's $12.1 million plan, part of his initial budget proposal introduced in February, would have drawn from lottery proceeds. Lottery funds pay for several state scholarship programs, including Tennessee Promise and the HOPE Scholarship. Yes, but: Lottery revenue is slipping, and there is less money to go around. Game revenue dropped by more than $70 million in fiscal year 2024, according to state data. By the numbers: Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. collected $501.3 million for lottery-funded education programs during fiscal year 2024, which ended last June. The corporation estimates those programs will continue to dip during the ongoing 2025 fiscal year, and they could fall below $475 million. Between the lines: A number of factors, such as inflation or gas prices, could be driving the revenue loss. Lottery officials tie the decline to the rise of legalized sports betting, which Tennessee approved in 2019. Zoom out: Sports betting revenue that previously flowed to lottery-funded scholarship programs has been rerouted to K-12 school upgrades as part of Lee's voucher plan, which became law this year. The big picture: Technical colleges provide major muscle for the state's workforce development efforts. (A special Tennessee College of Applied Technology site is being built alongside a massive Ford plant in West Tennessee to help prepare employees.) TCATs educate workers in manufacturing, auto repair, nursing, construction, mechatronics and other key fields. Tennessee doesn't have enough workers to fill all the open jobs in the state. Most businesses report a lack of trained workers. What they're saying: Lee's spokesperson tells Axios the governor expects to revive the scholarship plan in an effort to build out the workforce. "Governor Lee will continue working in partnership with the General Assembly to establish the Tennessee Works Scholarship," spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson said.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TCAT Elizabethton talks proposed TN Works Scholarship's potential impact
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed the Tennessee Works Scholarship on Monday as part of his State of the State address. The new award would cover every penny of tuition to a Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) and secondary fees for all students. 'We are sending the message that TCATs are open, they're available and free to any Tennessean who wants to skill up and enter our best-in-the-nation workforce,' Gov. Lee said. 90% of TCAT Elizabethton students receive state funding, but only for tuition. Should the bill pass, TCAT Elizabethton Vice President Crystal Fink said they will be able to prepare more students to enter the workforce debt-free. 'So this funding again will just go towards individual student needs,' Fink said. 'We don't want them to have carrying balances. We want to be able to successfully complete the programs debt-free so they can continue on and be successful in our workforce.' The $12 million proposal would relieve the cost burden for those most in need. Something Fink said would have a huge impact on their nearly 2,000 students. 'Most of our students are working full-time jobs in addition to going to school, and we just want them to be able to complete our programs and launch their careers and be successful,' Fink said. Fink told News Channel 11 that the scholarship would cover a wide range of costs. 'Books, equipment, tools, uniforms for our nursing students, personal protective equipment, industry credentials,' Fink said. 'You know, different things to be successful in the workforce. We do a lot of preparatory tasks so students could be successful on state boards. So those are also secondary costs.' The proposed bill will now go to the state Education Committee for study. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
11-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Tennessee governor's budget boosts law enforcement, road fund
Gov. Bill Lee unveiled a $59.5 billion budget proposal Monday that focuses on core government services including education, public safety and infrastructure upgrades. Why it matters: The budget reflects modest economic growth in Tennessee. Lee administration officials say the economy is "resetting" after the pandemic and a period of more rapid expansion. 🚨 Law enforcement: The proposed budget would increase agency staffing statewide. The Tennessee Highway Patrol would get $37.9 million that would cover 100 new state troopers, which would bring the trooper total to 1,044. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation would get $3.4 million in funding for 22 new positions, including seven new intelligence analysts, a new aviation crew and two victim service workers. 🍎 Education: Lee's budget would boost routine K-12 school funding by $164 million annually. Total annual funding for the schools formula would reach nearly $7 billion under the plan. Other new funds would cover summer learning camps and college-level AP testing for low-income students. The budget proposal didn't include any new spending plans for Tennessee State University, which needed an emergency infusion of funds last year to keep the doors open. Funding for TSU will likely be added in the coming weeks, after university leaders finalize their recovery plan. 🔧 Technical colleges: Tennessee technical colleges are already tuition-free for most residents, but students still must pay for costly equipment, books and other fees. That's enough to stop many people from enrolling. Lee unveiled the new Tennessee Works Scholarship, which will help students cover those added costs. The budget sets aside $12.1 million for the new scholarships. 🚧 The Tennessee Department of Transportation estimates the state has $30 billion in unmet road needs. Lee's budget recommends pumping $1 billion into the state's road fund. "This is a good step forward, but we should go further," Finance & Administration commissioner Jim Bryson told reporters Monday. "We can't catch up on all of our infrastructure all at once, but we can face up to the problem and hit it head on." ⚠️ Emergency response: $275 million in the budget would go toward building a new emergency operations center. " The recent disasters in East Tennessee have shown the importance of a fast and efficient disaster response," Bryson said. "We don't know when or where a disaster is going to hit, but we know it will." Zoom in: This year's budget also reflects about $94 million in agency budget cuts. Agencies eliminated 324 unfilled positions, part of the Lee administration's larger effort to shrink the size of the state government. Between the lines: State leaders do expect a downturn in federal funds flowing into the budget as the Trump administration pursues aggressive cost cutting. "We built that into our budget," Bryson said. "We feel pretty comfortable with where we are right now." What's next: Lee's budget proposal requires legislative approval. State lawmakers will be able to negotiate changes in the months ahead.
