Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) has spoken out against claims that his proposed school voucher expansion program will not take money away from government schools in Tennessee.
“People have this false narrative that we have to either choose to give parents choices or invest in public schools,” the governor stated. “That’s not true. We can have both. We should have the best educational trajectory for all of our kids.”
However, not everyone is convinced by Gov. Lee’s statements.
“Either he’s lying through his teeth, or he doesn’t understand his own proposal,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville-District 55). “The only people with ‘choice’ under his proposal are the private schools. They get to choose what students they accept. There is no way to slice this pie where public schools don’t lose money as a direct result of a voucher program.”
Democrat lawmakers are not the only ones to voice their displeasure with Gov. Lee’s school choice efforts.
Tanya Coats, Head of the Tennessee Education Association has previously stated that expanding school vouchers in this way would “put our great public schools at risk.”
Director of Greeneville City Schools, Steve Starnes, told News Channel 11 that he opposes the legislation and thinks that “public funds should support public schools and public entities.”
Others simply remain skeptical of how the legislation would be put into effect.
State Rep. Kevin Vaughan (R-Collierville-District 95) opposed the current school voucher program that was brought before the state legislature back in 2019, but recently said that his stance on using taxpayer dollars for students to enroll in private schools has “softened to some degree.”
The lawmaker and former school board member brought up the difference in state standards for public schools in comparison to private schools when it comes to disability programs and standardized testing.
“If there’s gonna be competition between public and private schools for students” said Rep. Vaughan, “it would be nice if the same rules applied to each school.”
Despite this opposition, Gov. Lee maintains that he has and will continue to invest in Tennessee’s public education system.
“We’ve put a billion dollars additionally for our public-school systems in the last couple of years,” Gov. Lee said. “We’ve elevated our teacher pay level to one of the top 10 states in the country. We will continue to invest in and work to make sure that our public schools are the best in the country.”
Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10) reportedly told the governor that he is a firm believer in school choice.
“In the principle for school choice that he was promoting, I’d be supporting. But I have to see the details,” Sen. Gardenhire stated.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
Governor Lee is right on this debate….Democrats have ONE thing in mind when they ‘protect’ public schools – Teacher’s Unions! Why don’t Republicans grow a spine and call a spade a spade, like Democrats do? Has anyone checked Johnny Ray Clemmons’ ‘contributions’ from teachers unions? Everyone knows that both the good and great public schools around our state (and there are plenty) have advantages and opportunities that private schools do not have. Further, in terms of funding, academic programs, class room and athletic facilities, public schools can operate more efficiently IF they are held accountable by local tax payers and compete for funding. Governor Lee’s program will bring ‘accountability’ to all public schools. Competing for students, athletes and state tax dollars will bring accountability and sharp contrast to public schools…instead of being ‘automatically’ fed state tax dollars even for poor performance, public schools will have to compete for them. Competition always brings out the best in everything.
In other states vouchers were used mostly by Muslim schools who would bring in “teachers” from Muslim nations and only charge as much as the voucher, so the parents paid zero. The kids were, of course, indoctrinated.
The vouchers are very limited in number initially. About 98% of public school students will still have no choice. Their use is voluntary. If the public schools are “great”, they have nothing to fear, except explaining to taxpayers why they cost 50% more per student than the vouchers pay.
“If there’s gonna be competition between public and private schools for students” said Rep. Vaughan, “it would be nice if the same rules applied to each school.”
It’s real simple. If you don’t take Uncle Sugar federal money, you don’t have to follow Uncle Sugar’s “rules”. Public schools want their to select curriculum and testing methods again? That’s the path to getting their liberty back. Clemmons is trying the old “they get to pick and choose their customers” when it is the state who is throttling the choice to only 2% of students and only in perennially failing districts. They only get about 2/3rds the money too. If the privates weren’t being trojan-horsed with the attached strings that will come with the reduced-rate vouchers, this would be a real win for taxpayers.
As a 39 year employee of MNPS I can testify to the desperate need for more charter schools and more vouchers.
Our public schools are a complete and total failure.