SB 582 - HB 623
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
February 26, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Alan Hampton | Email: alan.hampton@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
SB 582 - HB 623
SUMMARY OF BILL: Requires the initial enrollment deadline for voluntary pre-
kindergarten (VPK) programs to be no later than the start of the school year and, if the local
education agency (LEA) has space available after the initial enrollment deadline, requires the
deadline to enroll additional students to be August 30.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• LEAs are authorized to establish a VPK program that serves at-risk children who are four
years of age on or before August 15 and who reside in the geographic area served by the
LEA. The maximum class size is 20 students.
• Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-104(c)(1), the Department of Education (DOE) is
required to establish an initial enrollment deadline that an LEA must use to determine if a
VPK classroom provided by the LEA has space available to enroll students in addition to
at-risk children residing in the geographic area served by the LEA.
• Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-104(c)(2), if the number of at-risk children seeking to
enroll in an LEA's VPK program on the date of the initial enrollment deadline does not
meet the maximum class size of the VPK classroom, then the LEA may enroll children
who are not at-risk children, but who reside within the geographic area served by the LEA
and who are:
o Four years of age, with or without a disability, on or before August 15;
o Three years of age on or before August 15 and:
▪ Who have been in the Tennessee Early Intervention System; or
▪ Who are screened and identified as educationally at-risk; or
o Three years of age on or before August 15, who are members of families with
incomes that meet the eligibility requirements for free or reduced-price lunch.
• The proposed legislation requires the DOE to establish enrollment deadlines for VPK
programs so that at-risk children who will be four years old by August 15 must be enrolled
by the beginning of the school year and qualifying students who are not at-risk must be
enrolled by August 30.
• Because the maximum size of a VPK classrooms is 20 students, establishing enrollment
deadlines will not change the number of available seats in a VPK classroom and will not
require LEAs to establish additional classrooms.
SB 582 - HB 623 2
• LEAs will be able to establish enrollment deadlines for VPK programs in accordance with
the proposed legislation within existing resources. Any fiscal impact is estimated to be not
significant.
• No impact to state government.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director