Education

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the content of the annual report or the review process beyond what is mentioned in the summary.

Changes to Comptroller Reports for Literacy Plans

This bill changes how the comptroller of Tennessee reviews and reports on literacy plans submitted by local education agencies and charter schools.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the comptroller to review foundational literacy skills plans from schools and ensure they follow state rules.
• Includes findings about these reviews in an annual report to legislative committees with subject matter jurisdiction over education.
• Limits the frequency of reports on data, practices, and outcomes related to literacy to every three years.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local education agencies (LEAs) that must submit literacy plans.
• Public charter schools that need to provide literacy plans.
• The comptroller's office which reviews these plans and reports findings.

Terms To Know

Comptroller

An official who manages the financial affairs of a state or organization, including reviewing budgets and reports.

Foundational literacy skills plan

A document that outlines how schools will teach reading and writing to students in early grades.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact content of the annual report, only that it must include findings from reviews.
• It is unclear what specific changes this will make to current practices beyond reducing the frequency of reports.
• There are no details on how the comptroller's review process will be conducted.

Official Summary Text

No later than June 1, 2021, present law requires each local education agency (LEA) and public charter school to submit a foundational literacy skills plan to the depar
tment of education for approval and a revised foundational literacy skills plan no later than July 1, 2024, and triennially thereafter. Additionally, the office of the comptroller of the treasury must conduct a review of the submitted foundational litera
c
y skills plans to ensure the plans comply with the requirements of present law. The comptroller or the comptroller's designee, must submit a report
detailing the findings of the review, including, but not limited to, whether plans were initially approved
or denied by the department, and the nature of any plan revisions or amendments required by the department for approval, to the chairs of the education committees of the senate and house of representatives by each November 1.

This bill revises the above
provisions to require the comptroller to include the comptroller's findings in the annual review report that is submitted to the general assembly.

ANNUAL REVIEW REPORT

Present law requires the
office of the comptroller
to
annually conduct a review of t
he implementation of
the Tennessee Literacy Act
.

The department of education
must
provide any information requested by the office of the comptroller to the comptroller's office as soon as practicable.

By November 1 of each year, the comptroller
must
subm
it a report detailing the findings of the review to
legislative committees with subject matter jurisdiction over education
and publish the report on the comptroller's website.

This bill revises these provisions to, instead, require the comptroller to gen
erally review data, practices, and outcomes related to this act and include such findings in the comptroller's report , which must be so submitted and posted every three years.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 208
By Jackson

HOUSE BILL 187
By Maberry

HB0187
000791
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
49-1-905 and Section 49-1-910, relative to
comptroller reports.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-905(g), is amended by deleting
subdivision (6) and substituting:
(6) The office of the comptroller of the treasury shall review the foundational
literacy skills plans submitted to the department for approval to ensure the plans comply
with the requirements of subsection (f) and the rules promulgated by the state board. As
part of the review, the comptroller, or the comptroller's designee, shall examine whether
the plans were initially approved or denied by the department and the nature of any plan
revisions or amendments required by the department for approval. The comptroller shall
include its findings from the review in the report required pursuant to § 49-1-910.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-910, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:
The office of the comptroller of the treasury shall review data, practices, and
outcomes related to this part. The department of education shall provide any information
requested by the office of the comptroller of the treasury to the comptroller's office as
soon as practicable. Every three (3) years, the comptroller shall submit a report detailing
the findings of the review to the chair of the education committee of the senate, the chair
of the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over student literacy,
and the state board of education and publish the report on the comptroller's website.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.