A Resource Grounded in Classroom Reality
Designed in 2022 in response to proposed legislative changes to Tennessee’s school funding model, Funding All Learners: Reforming Tennessee’s School Funding Formula to Better Serve Students with Disabilities is a practical, educator-centered resource that helps highlight the true cost of educational funding systems that center the needs of diverse learners. Created with educators and leaders in mind, the resource moves beyond policy language to show how funding decisions present in classrooms, schedules, staffing, and student experiences. Through clear explanations and realistic student profiles, it connects funding structures directly to instructional impact.
Built-in Response to Real Funding Gaps
School teams across Tennessee are deeply committed to inclusive practices, but commitment alone cannot close funding gaps. In 2022, Tennessee lawmakers set out to create an updated education funding formula that more adequately accounted for learner variability.
This resource was created in response to proposed revisions, to help stakeholders:
- Better understand special education funding realities
- Provide concrete examples of the true cost of IEP implementation
- Engage in informed conversations on school funding models
By grounding funding discussions in real school contexts, the resource empowers stakeholders to advocate from a place of clarity, not frustration.
“When funding systems align with learner needs, school teams are better positioned to do what they do best — create meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities for all students.”
— Funding All Learners, Diverse Learners Cooperative, 2025
Using this Resource Today
Underfunding special education doesn’t just impact budgets, it impacts people. When resources fall short, educators are stretched, services are fragmented, and students with disabilities face barriers to accessing the inclusive, high-quality learning environments they deserve.
This resource reinforces the belief that equitable outcomes require intentional systems that support educators as well as students. This tool can be used to better understand the complexities of funding special education services, and how to advocate for adequate funding models within your state.
What the Student Profiles Help Us See
At the heart of the resource are three student profiles that reflect the diversity of learners in Tennessee schools. Each profile highlights:
- Student strengths, interests, and aspirations
- The specific supports required for access and success
- The additional funding needed beyond base per-pupil allocations
These profiles show the support that educators provide students daily and the resources required to make inclusion possible.
Moving Forward Together: From Awareness to Action
This resource is intended to spark collaboration and conversation both in Tennessee and beyond. To learn more about how state funding formulas can impact students, we suggest the following resources:
- The Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education produced an analysis called the Funding For Learning: An Analysis of K-12 Education Finance in Tennessee. This informative report can be used to guide robust discussions on the topics of school finance.
- The Education Trust produced Dollars & Sense, a 7-part learning series designed to help Tennesseans understand how schools are funded. Additionally, Ed Trust’s Students with Disabilities Facts Sheet further illuminates the issues discussed above.
At The Diverse Learners Cooperative, we believe empowered educators are the foundation of inclusive schools. When funding systems align with learner needs, school teams are better positioned to do what they do best — create meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities for all students.