Hamilton County, TN – A huge drop in Tennessee learning projections is striking worry into school superintendents and legislators.
Based on a national learning loss study, the Tennessee Department of Education projects that students are expected to face a learning loss of 50% in English and 65% in math.
Governor Bill Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn made this announcement while pushing for immediate in-person learning.
In 2019, only 11.6% of Hamilton County students had advanced proficiency in Math. 31.6% of the 28,700 students tested scored below satisfactory and are essentially behind.
The English Language Arts (ELA), or simply reading and writing, has less students behind at 21.8% but a small 5.8% of Hamilton County students have actually mastered it.
According to the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2019 Report Card, the Tennessee state average per pupil spending is $9,932. UnifiED lists current Hamilton County spending per pupil spending at $9,728.
In 2018, Hamilton county spending per pupil was $10,418 with the state average at $10,340.
A trend of decreased spending and improved performance was taking place from 2018-19, and another spending cut of 4 million has been slashed from the 20-21 FY budget.
The current numbers for how much is being spent per pupil are not yet available.
Current student performance rates are also not yet available, but changes are expected due to online-learning and altered classroom environments.
Hamilton County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Bryan Johnson, predicts that the virus lockdowns will lead to significant cuts in the future. This prediction comes as the Tennessee Department of Education projects an extreme down-turn in learning.
