BILL HASLAM STATE OF TENNESSEE CANDICE MCQUEEN

GOVERNOR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COMMISSIONER

NINTH FLOOR, ANDREW JOHNSON TOWER
710 JAMES ROBERTSON PARKWAY
NASHVILLE, TN 37243-0375

July 28, 2017

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Dear Secretary DeVos,

I wanted to follow up on the letter submitted on June 13, 2017, on behalf of Tennessees 146 school districts,
reiterating our initial concerns over the proposed elimination of Title II, part A in the FY2018 budget proposal,
as well as highlight pertinent needs of non-public schools in Tennessee.

In addition to the support Title II, part A provides educators across all of Tennessees public schools and
districts, these funds also support non-public schools. There are additional implications to the elimination of
Title II, part A that significantly impact the participating non-public schools across Tennessee, and I would
assume other states.

In Tennessee, 98% of participating non-public schools participate in Title II, part A. Based on current student
data, the enrollment in these participating schools across the state exceeds 42,000 a number comparable
in size to Tennessees fourth largest district (Hamilton County Schools).

Effective teachers and school leaders are No. 1 and No. 2 among all school-related factors in improving
student achievement. ESSA includes a specific focus on leader development, and the elimination of Title II,
part A would inhibit a states ability to implement ESSA as Congress intended. Supporting our teachers and
leaders with Title II, part A is vital across the continuum, from improving educator preparation programs, to
establishing leadership pipelines in rural and urban communities, developing collaborative learning
communities, ensuring effective classroom instruction, and supporting students attending non-public schools
by serving teachers through their participation in Title II, part A.

Thank you for considering this additional feedback as we continue our implementation of ESSA. I would
welcome the opportunity to further discuss these concerns with you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Candice McQueen

Commissioner of Education
Tennessee Department of Education