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It’s the end of August, and the Memphis Zoo is looking to rebrand. The designer, Allan Peters, has asked for feedback on his four concepts for the Memphis Zoo logo. It’s a fun watch, and feel free to weigh in!
Sycamore Than You Knew
- Workin’ Hard ~ Our newest landscape analysis offers an overview of the workforce development efforts happening in Tennessee. Learn more about what initiatives exist for Tennesseans across their education and career journeys.
- Spotlight 2027 ~ We are releasing an ongoing series on the key issues facing Tennessee for decision-makers and voters to know. The first three are out now:
- Who, What, Where ~ Our first issue primer is a short overview of the demographics in Tennessee. How is Tennessee changing, where do folks live, and what does that mean for the future? This short brief answers.
- Making a Budget ~ How do Tennessee’s balanced budget and tax structure work? How does Tennessee compare to other states, and what potential challenges are on the horizon? If you only have ten minutes to get up to speed on Tennessee’s budget, this brief is for you.
- School’s in Session ~ How much money does Tennessee spend on schools, what’s the school funding formula, and what does fiscal capacity mean? This brief offers six insights into how Tennessee schools are funded.
- Capacity ~ Speaking of fiscal capacity, you can dive deeper into the calculation in this updated report on how the numbers are calculated and how the state and locals share K-12 education costs.
- Fiscal Future ~ Join the Sycamore Institute on November 6 for our 3rd annual statewide Policy Summit. The theme this year is Tennessee’s Fiscal Future: Challenges & Opportunities for State & Local Government. Early bird pricing ends next month!
Notes and Quotes ~
- Earlier this month, EVP Mandy Spears presented on hunger in southeast Tennessee at an event with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Local 3 News has the story.
- Knoxville’s WBIR covered education improvements in Tennessee, with Policy Director Robin Yeh saying, “According to their calculations, we’re almost back to those pre-pandemic levels related to our education levels, which I think is really positive progress.”
- Reporting on Tennessee’s end-of-year budget surplus, the Tennessee Lookout wrote, “The state’s surplus is not an indication of the state’s economy, according to Mandy Spears, the executive Vice President at The Sycamore Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that tracks Tennessee’s budget. ‘A surplus is almost always driven by estimations, which most years is done conservatively to create this scenario,’ Spears said.”
Not From Around Here
- Mourning Dolly ~ In reflecting on our love of Dolly Parton, columnist David French highlights the many ways Dolly loved us, donating millions of books, building hospitals, offering disaster relief, and more, all here in Tennessee.
- Collaboration ~ In an op-ed in the Washington Post, one writer argues that the only way to avoid Social Security’s impending insolvency is a bipartisan commission.
- A Cloud on a Weather App ~ A little rain cloud on the weather apps can hurt local businesses. One New York woman has tracked this for years, noticing how people make decisions about their days based on a rainy image in an app.
Rated G for Graph
Dusting Off the Archives
- What are choice lanes, and which parts of the state will see them on the road? We explained the Transportation Modernization Act in 2023.
