Expansion Of Tennessee’s School Voucher Program To Be Proposed In January

Image Credit: @RepMarkWhiteTN / X

The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –

Tennessee lawmakers will soon see a push to expand the K-12 public school voucher program beyond the three counties currently offering vouchers to eligible families.

The chairman of the Tennessee House Education Administration Committee, Mark White (R-Memphis) says it’s time for vouchers to be offered in all 95 counties in the state. White intends to propose the expansion of the program to the legislature in January.

The program presently operates in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties. 

Currently, families who apply for the voucher program must be below a certain income level in order to qualify. If awarded the grant, amounting to almost $9,000 in the form of an Education Savings Account, or ESA, families can use the funds to help pay for any participating private school expenses including tuition, supplies, and transportation, among other things.

A recent poll has shown that the majority of Tennessee residents approve of the voucher program with a significant majority of conservatives desiring to see the program become statewide. Many believe that school choice should be a parental right and see the voucher program as an avenue to make that choice possible for families who would otherwise find it difficult to afford options beyond their designated public school.

On the other hand, many legislators are not nearly as enthusiastic about the program. Many originally voted for the bill, which passed in 2019, because they believed it would never actually affect their own counties.

There is concern that the program has not operated long enough to show any solid, long-term data that would support expansion. Belief that the voucher program is taking money from already struggling schools and funneling it into more private and religious education options make some lawmakers skeptical.

Senator Heidi Campbell, a democrat from Nashville, was quoted by The Tennessean as saying, “This is another step in the controlling party’s plan to privatize our entire public education system, and it’s driven by out-of-state extremist organizations.” 

Governor Lee has been a consistent proponent of school choice, particularly in underserved areas where parents desire a choice other than their local public school.

Supporters of ESAs believe that the choice of school can impact a child’s future significantly and that Tennessee families should have more options and resources to provide the best education possible for their children.

As there are already state and federal grant programs that assist in college costs, Chairman Mark White believes that there is no reason that taxpayer dollars should not also be used to help fund the educational choices in K-12 schools, giving more say to parents in where their children receive their education.

Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Rebecca at Rebecca@tennesseeconservativenews.com.