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SB0705 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 50 and Title 49, relative to employees of state special schools.

Budget Education Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Massey, Stinnett
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 284
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify how the department will implement these changes.

Act for State Special School Employees

This act requires state special schools to provide teachers with leave benefits similar to those of public school teachers, mandates equivalent salary increases for local education agencies, and ensures budget allocations match those for public school employees.

What This Bill Does

  • Limits the department's ability to set salary terms for state special school teachers by requiring them to have the same leave benefits as public school teachers.
  • Requires that any percentage increase in the salary schedule of a local education agency (LEA) where a state special school is located also applies equally to the state special school.
  • Ensures that when the general assembly allocates funds for salaries, raises, bonuses, or incentives for public school employees, similar amounts must be allocated for state special school employees.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employees of Tennessee's state special schools
  • The Department of Education in Tennessee

Terms To Know

LEA
Local education agency, which refers to public school districts or charter schools.
Licensed personnel
Teachers and other staff members who are certified by the state board of education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify how the department will implement these changes.
  • It is unclear if there might be additional costs for the state due to increased benefits and salary requirements.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0676

Plain English: The amendment changes how Tennessee manages state special schools by altering rules for employee salaries, leave policies, and ensuring equivalent treatment compared to public school teachers.

  • Changes the way the department of education determines salary and terms of employment for employees at state special schools.
  • Defines 'teacher' more clearly, excluding certain positions like chief administrative officers from this definition.
  • Adds new requirements for providing leave benefits similar to those available to public school teachers.
  • Ensures that any percentage increase in salaries for local educational agencies also applies to state special schools.
  • The exact impact on specific employees and the financial implications are not fully detailed in this amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0705

Plain English: The amendment changes how Tennessee manages state special schools by altering salary determination processes and adding new benefits for teachers.

  • Changes the way salaries and employment terms are determined for employees of state special schools.
  • Defines 'teacher' to exclude chief administrative officers and certain state employees, while requiring they be licensed by the state board of education.
  • Adds provisions allowing state special school teachers to accumulate leave and use paid family leave similarly to public school teachers.
  • Ensures that any salary increases for local educational agencies also apply to state special schools.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact details of how these changes will be implemented or enforced.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 284

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 284

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  10. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  11. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  12. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0122)

  13. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  14. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  16. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2025

  17. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  18. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0107)

  20. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  21. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  22. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  23. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/1/2025

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  26. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  27. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  28. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  29. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  30. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  31. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/18/2025

  32. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/18/2025

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/12/2025

  34. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/11/2025

  35. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Education Committee

  36. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/4/2025

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  41. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  42. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  43. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  44. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires
the state board of education to direct the department of education to manage and control the Tennessee School for the Blind, Tennessee School for the Deaf, West Tennessee School for the Deaf, and Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute. These schools are ge
n
erally referred to as state special schools.

In directing the state special schools, present law authorizes the department to determine the salary and terms of employment for employees of state special schools. This bill limits the department's discreti
on when exercising such authority by requiring the department to provide the teachers of state special schools eligibility to accumulate and use leave in the same manner as public school teachers, and eligibility for six weeks of paid family leave for the

birth or adoption of a child in the same manner as state employees.

This bill requires that any percentage increase to the salary schedule of an LEA where a state special school is located also results in an equivalent percentage increase to the salary s
chedule for that state special school.

Finally, this bill specifies that, when the general assembly appropriates monies in the budget for salaries, raises, bonuses, or other incentives for public school teachers and other licensed personnel employed in a
n LEA or public charter school in this state, the department of education must also obligate and expend appropriations in an equivalent amount for salaries, raises, bonuses, or other incentives for the teachers and other licensed personnel employed in the

state special schools.

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 676, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Defines, for purposes of present law relative to special schools, a "teacher" as, unless the context requires otherwise, a person licensed by the state board of education and employed at a state special school. This amendment clarifies that "teacher" does not include (i) the chief administrative officer of a state special school and (ii) those who are considered state employees for leave purposes.



Revises the present law provision requiring the salary schedules of professional personnel, other than teachers, in the state special schools to be reasonably comparable to those currently in effect in the LEAs where the respective institution is located to, instead, apply such provision only to licensed personnel, instead of professional personnel.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 676
By Stinnett

SENATE BILL 705
By Massey

SB0705
002075
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated,
Title 8, Chapter 50 and Title 49, relative to
employees of state special schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-50-1001(b)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting the following:
(2) Subject to Section 2, determine the salary and terms of employment for
employees of state special schools;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-50-1001, is amended by adding
the following as a new, appropriately designated subsection:
(1) In managing and controlling the state special schools, the department of
education must provide the following to the teachers of state special schools:
(A) Eligibility to accumulate and use leave in the same manner as public
school teachers under chapter 5, part 7 of this title; and
(B) Eligibility for paid family leave in accordance with § 8-50-814.
(2) As used in this subsection ( ), "teacher":
(A) Means a person licensed by the state board of education and
employed at a state special school; and
(B) Does not include:
(i) The chief administrative officer of a state special school; and
(ii) Those who are considered state employees for leave
purposes under title 8, chapter 50, part 8.

- 2 - 002075

SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-50-1003, is amended by adding
the following new subsections:
(e) Any percentage increase to the salary schedule of an LEA where a state
special school is located must also result in an equivalent percentage increase to the
salary schedule for that state special school.
(f) When the general assembly appropriates monies in the budget for salaries,
raises, bonuses, or other incentives for public school teachers and other licensed
personnel employed in an LEA or public charter school in this state, the department of
education shall also obligate and expend appropriations in an equivalent amount for
salaries, raises, bonuses, or other incentives for the teachers and other licensed
personnel employed in the state special schools managed and controlled by the
department of education. It is the legislative intent that the general assembly will
appropriate monies in a sufficient amount to effectuate this subsection (f). The state is
not prohibited from providing the teachers and other licensed personnel employed in the
state special schools more than what is required by this part.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to the 2025-2026 school year and each school year thereafter.