SB 161 – HB 1199
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
March 7, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Alan Hampton | Email: alan.hampton@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
SB 161 – HB 1199
SUMMARY OF BILL: Requires each board of education for each local education agency
(LEA) that operates at least one high school to select one junior or senior student to serve a
minimum one-year term as a non-voting student representative of the board. Requires each board of
education to adopt a policy for the selection and participation of a non-voting student
representative. Establishes that students serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for
reasonable and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in board business.
FISCAL IMPACT:
OTHER FISCAL IMPACT
The extent and timing of any permissive increase in local expenditures, beginning in FY25-26,
cannot be precisely quantified.
Assumptions:
• Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-2-202(f) authorizes each board of education for each LEA
that operates one or more high schools to annually select up to four high school students to
serve as advisory, nonvoting members of the board and to reimburse students for
reasonable and necessary expenses incurred.
• The proposed legislation requires each local board of education to select one student to
serve at least a one-year term as a non-voting student representative of the board.
• A local board of education will be able to adopt a student member policy and select a
student member of the board within existing resources and during the normal course of
business. Any fiscal impact is estimate to be not significant.
• The proposed legislation further establishes that student members of a board serve without
compensation; however, each local board of education has the discretion to reimburse a
student member for any expenses incurred while engaged in board business.
• Based on a survey of local school boards conducted by the Tennessee School Boards
Association, approximately 31 boards have student members. It is not known whether these
boards of education provide reimbursement for expenses.
• This legislation may result in a permissive increase in local expenditures for any board of
education that elects to reimburse student members for reasonable and necessary expenses
incurred while engaged in board business.
• The cost of reimbursement will depend on the reimbursement rate, the number of student
members, mileage incurred, and the number of meetings attended.
SB 161 – HB 1199 2
• The extent of any permissive increase in local expenditures, beginning in FY25-26, cannot
be precisely quantified.
• It is assumed that for any student serving on a local board of education, board meetings will
occur outside of school hours and will not interfere with a student’s school attendance or
coursework.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director