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SB2318 • 2026

Schools, Charter

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to charter schools.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hensley, Cepicky
Last action
2026-03-26
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how the bill updates definitions or references.

Charter School Sponsorship Expansion

This bill changes Tennessee laws to allow private and religious schools as well as regionally accredited private colleges to sponsor charter schools.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows private, religious, and church schools to become sponsors of public charter schools.
  • Expands the ability for private postsecondary institutions with regional accreditation to sponsor charter schools.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Charter school sponsors, including private and religious schools as well as regionally accredited private colleges.

Terms To Know

Sponsor
An organization that applies to open a public charter school.
Postsecondary institution
A college or university, whether public or private.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact number of new charter schools that will be created.
  • It is unclear how much additional state revenue will come from increased application fees and authorizer fees for new charter schools.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  7. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/31/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2026

  12. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  13. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 25, Nays 5

  15. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/24/2026

  17. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/24/2026

  18. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/17/2026

  20. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/11/2026

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  23. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/10/2026

  24. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/11/2026

  25. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  26. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/25/2026

  27. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  28. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee

  29. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  30. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law generally makes private, religious, and church schools ineligible to sponsor a public charter school. This bill makes such schools eligible to sponsor a public charter school.

Present law authorizes public institutions of higher education in Tennessee to sponsor public charter schools. This bill expands such authorization so that regionally accredited, private institutions of higher education may sponsor public charter school
s.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2000
By Cepicky

SENATE BILL 2318
By Hensley
SB2318
010694
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to charter schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-104, is amended by deleting
subdivision (16) and substituting instead the following:
(16) "Sponsor" means a proposed governing body filing an application for the
establishment of a public charter school that is not a:
(A) For-profit entity;
(B) Nonpublic school, as defined in § 49-6-3001; or
(C) Postsecondary institution not regionally accredited;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-106, is amended by deleting
subsection (c) and substituting instead the following:
(c)
(1) A nonpublic school, as defined in § 49-6-3001, shall not establish a
public charter school pursuant to this chapter.
(2) A private postsecondary institution, including a private postsecondary
institution that is religiously affiliated, that maintains a campus in this state may
establish a public charter school pursuant to this chapter.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-102(e), is amended by
deleting the language "the state's public higher education institutions" and substituting instead
the language "the postsecondary institutions in this state".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108(i), is amended by deleting
the language "public institution of higher education" wherever it appears in the subsection and

- 2 - 010694

substituting instead the language "postsecondary institution" and by deleting the language
"public institution of higher education's" in subdivision (2) and substituting instead the language
"postsecondary institution's".
SECTION 5. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.