TEA
Legislative Achievements
- 1945 First Teacher Retirement law enacted
- 1947 Sick Leave law enacted
- 1951 Teacher Tenure law enacted
- 1957 Social Security authorized for teachers
- 1965 First state-supported pilot kindergarten program approved
- 1971 Personal/Professional Leave Days mandated
- 1973 Comprehensive Vocational Education Program launched
- 1978 Professional Negotiations Act passed
- 1979 K-3 Class Size maximum reduced to 25 students
- 1981 Sick Leave Bank authorized
- 1985 State Health Insurance Plan for teachers enforced
- 1985 Duty-free Lunch mandated
- 1986 Sixty minutes per week planning time for K-8 teachers mandated
- 1990 Tuition reduction for children of public school teachers
- 1992 Class size reduced due to the Education Improvement Act
- 1992 Kindergarten mandated
- 1996 Teachers protected from performing medical procedures
- 1997 Retirement benefits improved with compounded COLA
- 1998 Health Insurance benefit gained for retired teachers
- 1999 Privacy protected for educators’ Social Security, drivers’ license and bank information
- 2001 Special Education class size reduced
- 2002 “Working Conditions” clarified under PN law
- 2003 One member of Tennessee State Board of Education required to be a K-12 teacher
- 2005 $25 million in lottery funds earmarked for pre-kindergarten expansion
- 2006 $250 million NEW dollars appropriated for Pre-K and K-12 programs
- 2008 60, 80, 90 Campaign stresses impact of adequate salaries, insurance and retirement on teacher quality
- 2010 TEA strengthens Tenure Law by requiring professional hearing officers
- 2012 Teacher evaluations are not public record
- 2013 Teacher’s Choice on reassignment after a “reduction in force"
- 2014 Licensure decisions not based on TVAAS data
- 2015 Added $127 million recurring funds for salary and benefits
- 2016 Standardized test transparency for teachers and parents
- 2017 Private school vouchers defeated for the fifth straight year
- 2018 Teachers held harmless from TNReady and K/Pre-K portfolios.