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A new report suggests Tennessee's rural public school students are not getting a fair shake

ruraledu.org

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Tennessee is mentioned 13 times in a new report on the state of the nation’s rural schools, and that’s not good.

 

The Rural School and Community Trust study says Tennessee has just over 293,000 students attending rural schools. That's the country’s fifth largest rural student population.

 

The report notes that Tennessee is one of 22 states that have "decreased in their ratio of state to local revenue" over the past three years. The state is currently chipping in $1.68 for every $1 provided by local taxes. That's down roughly 30 percent from a $2.11 state contribution in 2016.

 

Tennessee is also listed among the eleven states with the lowest teacher salaries.

 

The good news is Tennessee is graduating nearly 9 out of 10 high school seniors each year. That's one of the highest graduation rates in the nation.

 

Here's a link to the complete report.