Tennessee House speaker mulls rejecting US education money

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A top Tennessee Republican lawmaker says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told The Associated Press that he has introduced a bill to explore the idea during this year’s legislative session. Sexton added that he has begun discussing the idea with Gov. Bill Lee and other key GOP lawmakers. To date, no state has successfully rejected federal education funds. Many Republican politicians and candidates at the federal level have also made a habit of calling for the outright elimination of the U.S. Department of Education.