NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Tricia Watt) -- State Democratic lawmakers are pushing majority Republicans for more public school dollars.
In a press event Wednesday, Democrats asked for $1.5 billion in new school funding.
They’re also asking for more school nurses and social workers, plus lower student-to-staff ratios.
It’s a big ask that would mean a spending increase 30 times greater than what the GOP dominated state assembly has approved in recent years.
During last year’s legislative session, GOP lawmakers approved $48 million in new school funding. The year before that $46 million.
Tennessee is currently among the bottom five states in the nation for education funding. In the Southeast, only Mississippi spends less.