Dear Senator Bobby Harshbarger, Representative John Crawford, and Members of the Tennessee General Assembly

We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of Bristol, Tennessee, strongly oppose the proposed changes to the City of Bristol Charter that would transfer significant authority over our public schools from the elected school board to the city council.

Under these proposed charter changes, the city council would gain direct control over:

• Tuition rates and enrollment caps for non-resident students.
• School system finances and policies traditionally managed by the school board.
• Creation of a city-run “education department” parallel to the existing Bristol City Schools administration.

Why we oppose these changes:

• School funding is complex. Decisions about non-resident (tuition) students involve state aid, county-shared revenues, federal grants, and operational capacity. The school board and its finance staff are best positioned to manage these factors for the benefit of all students.
• The tuition student “subsidy” claim is misleading. Tuition students bring in state funding, county revenue shares, and tuition payments that often exceed their costs, benefiting resident students as well. Removing them could harm school funding.
• Checks and balances matter. Our school board is elected to oversee the school system, not the city council. Concentrating this authority in the council undermines accountability and weakens public input.
• No public mandate. These sweeping changes were advanced without broad community discussion or clear public support.

What we ask:

We call on Senator Harshbarger and Representative Crawford to decline to sponsor any legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly that would enact these charter changes.

We also call on all state legislators to reject any such bill if it is introduced.

Our schools belong to the community. Keep educational governance with the elected school board, where it belongs, and protect the balance between city government and public education.