Politicians are stripping management of Tennessee State University, the state’s only publicly funded HBCU

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Trustees of Tennessee’s only publicly funded historically black university were ousted Thursday under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Black lawmakers and community leaders said state leaders, most of whom are white, are attacking unfairly Tennessee State University.

The bill passed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday with a 66-25 vote, and Lee signed it hours later without commenting on the controversial decision to go away the board. Instead, he praised TSU as an “extraordinary institution,” revealing that he had already chosen 10 recent replacements.

“I am pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work with administrators and students to further secure TSU’s position as a leading institution,” Lee said.

New candidates, most of whom come from the business community, now have to be approved by the Legislature. Their selection will probably be crucial as TSU is already looking for a brand new leader as President Glenda Glover plans to retire at the end of this school 12 months.

“We’re just talking about the board… it’s firing some people and hiring others,” House Majority Leader William Lamberth told reporters. “The goal is to ensure TSU’s success.”

Republican leaders have long complained about TSU’s leadership as multiple state audits have found student housing shortages, unsustainable scholarship growth and protracted funding disparities. Audits conducted Thursday morning before the House vote found 56 “significant procedural deficiencies,” starting from the school’s failure to follow its own procedures to failing to properly document transactions or discover improvements in budget procedures.

However, one review concluded that “no evidence was identified of fraud or abuse by executive management.”

Democrats and others say Republicans are specializing in the unsuitable issues, mentioning that TSU’s problems stem primarily from TSU being underfunded by the estimated amount $2.1 billion over the last three many years. They also claim that the majority-white Legislature doesn’t trust the Black-controlled university’s ability to control itself.

Rep. Bo Mitchell, a Democrat whose district includes TSU, also questioned the removal of the board of a historically black college that the state did not adequately fund. “I saw a lot of audits of a lot of universities that looked terrible,” Mitchell said. “Have we ever left an entire university board before? Have we ever done this?”

Many Democrats filed last-minute motions and amendments that may have delayed the vote or reduced the number of open board seats to 5 as an alternative of 10. Ultimately, the GOP majority voted down each proposal.

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“Instead of fixing the problems we have created with racist policies by underfunding Tennessee State University, we now recommend they be fired from the board,” said Rep. Justin Pearson, a Memphis Democrat, raising his voice to criticize his Republican colleagues.

Last 12 months, the Tennessee Legislature awarded TSU a lump sum of $250 million for infrastructure projects to assist make up some of the shortfall.

Republican Rep. Ryan Williams said the money was “completely wasted” after officials awarded too many scholarships to students, so many who students were placed in hotels because they did not have enough housing. Other universities, including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, were also required to temporarily house some students in hotels, drawing the same criticism from state lawmakers.

“The challenges are enormous,” Williams said. “But we need to be sure that future investments or solutions to this problem will be well implemented.”

TSU supporters and students watched from the gallery Thursday and cheered at times as Democrats criticized the bill. Some booed Republicans after the laws was approved, while others lamented the Legislature’s punitive response to challenges facing the university.

“We have people who realize that sometimes you have to cross a bridge to get where you want to go,” Barry Barlow, a pastor and TSU graduate, said during a news conference after the vote. “But we have people in the Tennessee General Assembly who will take your bridge of promises and put dynamite on it.”