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Tennessee governor offers teachers pay boost with private-school voucher plan • Tennessee Lookout

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Tennessee governor offers teachers pay boost with private-school voucher plan • Tennessee Lookout


One day after the 2024 election, Gov. Bill Lee and lawmakers rolled out a recycled “universal” private-school voucher program designed to gain support from teachers and school districts with extra spending.

The measure doesn’t have a funding estimate attached, but lawmakers placed $144 million in this year’s budget for a plan that failed to pass, and the new proposal could cost another $275 million, plus funds to give teachers a one-time $2,000 bonus. In addition, 80% of all sports wagering money is to be dedicated to building and maintaining K-12 public schools.

Lee’s plan would provide 20,000 “scholarships” worth $7,075 for students to enroll in private schools in 2025-26 with 10,000 of those for students from families at or below 300% of the maximum income to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches — which is estimated to be nearly $175,000 per household income. Students with disabilities and those in the state’s education savings account program would be eligible too.

Giving parents the ability to choose for their child will provide more opportunities and reduce poverty throughout our state.

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– House Speaker Cameron Sexton

Some 350 private schools would be eligible to participate in the program and would be required to administer the state’s standardized test or one that fits their curriculum, but the bill says they would maintain educational freedom.

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The state would add 5,000 “scholarships” each year once 75% of them are provided to students.

In introducing the bill, Lee and key lawmakers said they want to offer students a chance at educational success “regardless of their ZIP code.”

“Giving parents the ability to choose for their child will provide more opportunities and reduce poverty throughout our state,” said House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who opposed the school voucher program in 2019. “Increased competition for a student’s enrollment will make schools, school systems and administrators meet the need for a higher quality of education.”

Lawmakers failed to pass a similar bill proposed by the governor earlier this year when the Senate and House couldn’t agree to widely disparate versions. The House bill contained funding to give teachers more money for insurance as well as for districts to maintain school buildings. The Senate version allowed students to transfer to any public district in the state.

Lee told reporters Wednesday this is the legislation’s “next step” and said he believes lawmakers are “moving in that direction” to pass the bill. General Assembly leaders have tried to address members’ concerns in writing the bill, he said.

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House Majority Leader William Lamberth said in a statement the bill “leaves no stone unturned when it comes to providing the very best educational path to set the next generation up for success.” He said the measure will allow public schools to remain the foundation for Tennessee’s education system while enabling parents instead of the governor to determine which route helps their children the most.

The press release also says the bill “ensures state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment,” and the governor backed that up Wednesday.

One of opponents’ biggest complaints has been that private-school vouchers will drain money from public schools.

It’s offensive that this voucher con job, which quite clearly will make it nearly impossible for Tennessee to keep paying teachers what they deserve, is being accompanied by this one-time token money,” said Sen. Jeff Yarbro, a Nashville Democrat.(Photo: John Partipilo)

Yet the bill says a school district’s funding “shall not decrease from one year to the next year due to the disenrollment of students.” If districts lose students, the state would have to pay additional funds to those districts to cover those transfers for just one year.

In addition, the bill denies “scholarships” to undocumented students, even though a 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe, prohibits states from denying students a free public education based on immigration status. 

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Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville said it is clear the governor is trying to buy teachers’ support with bonus pay.

“It’s offensive that this voucher con job, which quite clearly will make it nearly impossible for Tennessee to keep paying teachers what they deserve, is being accompanied by this one-time token money,” Yarbro said.

The new proposal isn’t much different from the one that failed this year, Yarbro said, except that more data is available showing it won’t work.

Similar plans in states such as Kentucky, Colorado and Nebraska were defeated in the form of constitutional amendments at the polls Tuesday.

When a comparable plan was adopted in Arkansas, more than 95% of students using vouchers were enrolled in private schools already, Yarbro said.

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Democratic Sen. London Lamar of Memphis criticized the plan by saying it is designed only to divert public money to private schools that are “unaccountable” and don’t have to serve all children.

Universal voucher programs also lead to “runaway spending,” Lamar said. In Arizona, a private-school voucher program, in part, caused a $1.4 billion shortfall, according to a ProPublica report.

Dark money flooded the 2024 election, especially during primaries, in an effort to elect pro-voucher lawmakers. The governor took the unusual step of endorsing pro-voucher candidates, but it is unclear whether he gained enough votes to pass a plan next session.

Republican state Rep. Todd Warner of Chapel Hill, an ardent opponent of private-school vouchers, said Wednesday he would rather see the governor lobby President-elect Donald Trump to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and get rid of federal regulations than to try to pass another voucher program.

“I honestly think that would eliminate many of the concerns that our public has with our public education system,” Warner said.

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This Tennessee school system credits AI with improving student TCAP scores. Here’s how

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This Tennessee school system credits AI with improving student TCAP scores. Here’s how


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee school district is crediting an AI teaching assistant program with helping students improve their TCAP English Language Arts (ELA) scores.

Scott Langford, the director of schools for Sumner County, said in a press release that a preliminary report shows that education tech company CourseMojo has been helping maintain student engagement “at the most rigorous point of the lesson.”

“Students take ownership of their own learning while teachers can measure individual student progress in real-time,” Langford said. “Teachers benefit from the feedback to connect students to the standards included in each activity.”

Sumner County schools conducted a pilot test of CourseMojo for sixth graders in six schools during the 2024-2025 school year. After finding an average 8 percentage point increase on the TCAP ELA assessment for those students, they decided to expand the program’s use to all middle school grades last academic year.

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While usage of Coursemojo varied across schools, a preliminary analysis of the district’s 2026 TCAP ELA assessment data showed that groups with an average of 25 or more Coursemojo activities per student improved ELA proficiency by an average of 3.7 percentage points. Groups with little or no use of the program saw -0.2 percentage points during those assessments, the district said.

Eighth-graders had the “strongest gains,” the district said, after “stagnant performance for the last several years.” According to the district, those students who had an average of 25 or more Coursemojo activities had an average increase of 8.7 percentage points in proficiency.

Dacia Toll, co-founder and co-CEO of Coursemjojo, said that the “technology alone doesn’t improve student outcomes,” but that the success depends on how educators implement tools.

“Sumner County Schools has been incredibly thoughtful about integrating Coursemojo while keeping rigorous curriculum and great teaching at the center,” Toll said. “We’re proud to partner with a district that’s so committed to their own learning and to helping every student succeed.”

While the district boasts improved proficiency with the AI tool, it also said that its preliminary findings compare outcomes among school-grade groups with different levels of implementation, “rather than against schools that did not use the platform.”

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More analyses are expected to be done with the final TCAP data.

Even with the help of the AI tool, the district was not the top in the state for proficiency increase in its TCAP ELA scores, according to state data.

However, district TCAP results show that from 2024 to 2026, the percentage of middle school students not meeting expectations decreased from 54.7% to 51.9%. The number of students meeting or exceeding expectations increased from 45.3% in 2024 to 48.1% in 2026 for ELA.

While that is an improvement, it remains unclear the exact influence Coursemojo had on those scores. And overall, the results show that less than half of Sumner County middle schoolers are proficient in ELA — a result that echoes statewide.

Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.

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TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for July 13, 2026

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The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 13, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 13 drawing

05-25-36-40-48, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from July 13 drawing

06-07-24-29-51, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from July 13 drawing

Morning: 2-1-5, Wild: 0

Midday: 9-7-0, Wild: 7

Evening: 3-0-2, Wild: 0

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Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from July 13 drawing

Morning: 3-9-1-4, Wild: 1

Midday: 2-1-2-3, Wild: 2

Evening: 1-8-7-5, Wild: 9

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from July 13 drawing

13-17-20-22-31

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from July 13 drawing

10-26-29-32-34, Bonus: 04

Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 13 drawing

01-17-31-39-43, Powerball: 22

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Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 13 drawing

19-36-38-43-48, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

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For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:

Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

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Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.

When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
  • Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Everything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider

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Everything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider


gregg polinsky tennessee basketball
Photo via Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee basketball is holding summer practices in anticipation for the 2026-27 season. With so many new faces on campus, it’s a critical portion of the offseason as transfers and freshmen get to know each other.

Ahead of Monday’s practice, assistant coach Gregg Polinsky met with the media. He talked about the freshman class, transfer point guard Terrence Hill Jr., returning forward DeWayne Brown II and more.

Here’s what he said.

More From RTI: Game Time Set For Tennessee Basketball’s Matchup Against Bishop Boswell’s New Team

On what he’s seen from the freshmen

I think it’s been a good blend of guys all from different places, obviously, but we like all those guys. They seem to have the kind of personality types that they want to learn. They want to get better. I think they’re enjoying each other’s company.
It’s been good because we’ve kind of been isolated while they redid the other dorms, so they all stayed together. I think it’s called Brown Hall, I believe. And so I think that’s been good, develop a bond, be around these older guys, too, but I think the freshmen have enjoyed each other.”

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On freshman Ralph Scott’s growth week to week

“Let’s not just go week to week. When I first saw Ralph Scott, he looked about like me. That’s not funny? Alright, I’ll keep going.
Meaning that he needed a little muscle mass. And even though Ralph is still lean, he’s put on about 20, 25 pounds. He looks so much different than this time a year ago. And we saw the potential, but we also knew, much like Nate Ament, I was just talking about that with a friend of mine with the Bucks, and they realized, he’s got to get stronger, etc. Guys being able to play up into him. I think the same thing with Ralph. More than that, with Ralph, it was a mentality of, you got to remember, he was in Bermuda. His grandfather did a great job coaching him over there, but he realized he had to be here. IMG, or not IMG, but in the States for three years, last two years with IMG. Ralph was always a guy who deferred to other people. And I think what our message has been to him is, you gotta think that you’re one of the guys. This deferring stuff is over. You are talented, start to play to your ability.”

On what Scott’s ability is

He’s got a high ceiling. Like, he’s six-nine probably without shoes. Seven-two wingspan. 
His frame is great, you know? Looking at him, he’s gonna be able to add more muscle mass. He shoots it pretty well. It’s not as consistent as we’d like. Coach (Rick Barnes) started working with him on a high release, and he picked it up really quick. So you add that to his size, his skill set. He’s an athlete to go with it. He just doesn’t know how good he could be in any context of the game yet. So I think the ceiling’s high for him.”

On evaluating high-potential freshmen when players transfer so often

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“Yeah, I think that’s a great question.
I wouldn’t do the comparison of calling him a second round pick you take a flyer on because I think Ralph has too much potential for that. But I would say this entire freshman group, you know how we do it. We do it our way and we don’t say that with a tone of arrogance. You say it with humility, but you have to know who you are, and we know who Coach (Barnes) is and what guys are gonna fit here and work well here. But to answer you, I think that we’re projecting. There’s gotta be guys that are productive, but a lot of those guys have already come from the portal. So I think with your freshmen, you’re looking at one or two things. Either they’re guys that you think you can instantly impact what you’re doing. We’ve had some of those guys. Or guys that can grow into that role, and I think the main thing is that you are honest with them during the recruiting process.”

On how Terrence Hill Jr. will fit in with other ball handlers

Terrence is, and I want this to be taken the right way, because he’s not unathletic, but he’s more basketball player than he is an athlete playing basketball. You understand where I’m going with that? So, you’re not gonna see a max vertical of 40 and him Zakai Zeigler it up the court or Kennedy Chandler to the rim, but he does it a different way. So he’s got a great feel. It’s a balanced game. You’re coming, he’s going. He’s really quick-handed, something that’s not talked about enough, like making a pocket pass. Very NBA-like, and that window is so small cause guys are so long, he gets rid of that basketball in a hurry. So we tell the bigs, turn your head in a hurry, right? 
They’re starting to learn to play with him. But I think he’s making everybody better around him, and we all know he’s capable of scoring the ball.”

On watching Zakai Zeigler, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Igor Milicic Jr. (Spurs) vs. Nate Ament (Bucks) in Summer League on Sunday night

“Well, it was great. It was also depressing, though, because having all those guys around was pretty good. Now, it was thrilling for, like, I think all of us, to see how these guys were doing, having an opportunity to play. They all have a dream of making it or in Nate’s case, obviously, he’s locked in. I think Ja’Kobi has impressed a lot of people and looks like a real value pick for San Antonio. I think he’s gonna be in the league a long time. And then Felix, I think Felix Okpara has played well in his couple of games. So we’re excited for Igor, all those guys. I watched Keon (Johnson) the other day, even though I wasn’t here. I’ve gotten to know (Keon) a little bit. Awesome individual. Hope all of them can make it.”

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On helping fill out the roster in the transfer portal

“No. 1, it’s a group thing. So, it’s always been that, even in the NBA, whether I was in a role of a director position, it’s always been the group, and it’s still that way. What I try to do is just add perspective and questions that stimulate thinking. Not that I’m so smart, but I’ve made enough mistakes that I’ve learned from those. Any of you guys made mistakes before? You learn from them? Yeah. I’ve had a lot of them. So that’s my main thing.

“With this freshman class, again, we wanted more length on the wings. We didn’t anticipate losing so many big guys, but we realized we’re not gonna have the mass, but Juke (Harris), Jalen (Haralson), Ralph (Scott), Manny (Green), Tyler (Lundblade), I hope I’m not leaving anybody out. Chris Washington can play some over there. 
We have athleticism, and we have length. So when you take bare feet, you take standing reach, wingspan, that’s effective height, unless you play with alligator arms. So, guys that play extended around the rim, you want those guys to do that. We want those guys to do that. So we really shot it, no pun intended there, but we wanted guys that defensively, deflections, take up a lot of court, shrink the court with that, and then offensively, obviously be able to make plays and play extended at the rim.

On the front court, DeWayne Brown returning

We have an athletic group. I wouldn’t call DeWayne a non-athlete. DeWayne can move his feet and his hands. I tell him all the time, you’re not gonna make it to the NBA with your vertical pop. But there’s guys that are really effective playing on the ground, as I call them.
Not literally, but you know what I’m saying. The other guys, whether it’s (Braedan) Lue, Christian (Fermin), Miles (Rubin), all are twitchy. They’re fast-twitch, they’re long, they can switch out.
They’re just learning what is required here to do that. Because different programs require different things. Like when Felix first got here, he played in a drop coverage, which is very effective. 
But we asked him to get out on the perimeter and guard guys, and he did that. And I think it’s added value to him being an NBA draft choice, and will add value to his career. So we gotta get these guys to do that because we don’t have what you just said last year, we could just smash you under the rim, and walk you under there. Offensive rebound like crazy. This group’s gonna have to do it a little differently.”

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On DeWayne Brown being a vocal leader compared to last year

“Night and day. So what we asked of DeWayne early in the year or in the summer, DeWayne, like, you’re not a loud guy. You don’t have to be Zakai (Zeigler) and Jahmai Mashack or Santiago (Vescovi) or Josiah(-Jordan James), guys, they were literally, their decibel level was louder, right? So we already have that in Coach (Barnes). He’ll take care of that. What you gotta do is talk to these guys. You do it in your way. You do it with your personality type.
But you’re smart. You know how you’re gonna read all these personalities in the room. What’s the best way to address and what’s the best way
to get them, to me, like, maximize their potential, be efficient, and I think he’s done an awesome job. Troy (Henderson) is also trying to do the same thing, just hard when you’re not on the court, but DeWayne is taking a huge jump, and I’m really proud of him, not just as a basketball player, but as a human being and a young man.”



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