Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
On Wednesday, Jan. 15th, Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) announced that he was calling the Tennessee legislature into a special legislative session “to pass the Education Freedom Act.”
A press release from the Governor’s Office stated that a disaster relief package for Hurricane Helene victims in East Tennessee and public safety measures regarding illegal immigration would also be considered during this time.
The special session is currently scheduled to start in the afternoon on Monday, Jan. 27th, 2025.
Gov. Lee’s “Education Freedom Act of 2025” was filed as SB0001/HB0001 back in November of 2024, but in order for the legislation to be considered during special session it must be filed separately as a special session bill.
Ever since the governor’s announcement, many Tennessee lawmakers and voters have patiently awaited the filing of bills to be considered under Gov. Lee’s call.
GOP leadership filed a series of five special session bills on Wednesday, Jan. 22nd.
The version of the “Education Freedom Act of 2025” that will be considered during the special session has been filed as SB6001/HB6004.
Just like with SB0001/HB0001, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) and House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) will be carrying the legislation.
The newly filed SB6001/HB6004 contains virtually the same provisions and language as SB0001/HB0001, which means The Tennessee Conservative’s previous analysis of the “Education Freedom Act of 2025” still stands.
However, there is one slight difference in language between SB0001/HB0001 and SB6001/HB6004.
The regular session version of this voucher bill states that if the number of applications received is more than 75% of the total number of scholarships available for that year, the number of scholarships “must be increased by an additional 5,000 scholarships” for the following school year.
The special session version states that if this same thing takes place, then the Department of Education “may increase the maximum number of scholarships available for the next school year by no more than five thousand (5,000) additional scholarships.”
Additionally, the special session bill specifically dictates that if the number of applications received does not exceed 75% of the total number of scholarships available for that year, “then the maximum number of scholarships available for the next school year must remain the same as the maximum number of scholarships available for the prior school year.”
In the first year of this program, which will cost the State of Tennessee just over $268 Million, 20,000 “scholarships” or “vouchers” would be available to eligible students.
The first 10,000 of those scholarships would go to students who meet the eligibility requirements outlined in TCA 49-6-2602 and 49-10-1402 and/or whose household income does not exceed 300% of the amount required for the student to qualify for free or reduced lunches (i.e. students whose annual household income does not exceed $173,000 annually for a family of four).
The remaining 10,000 scholarships have the potential to be “universal,” meaning they would be awarded to eligible students regardless of the above criteria.
Though, if the number of applications received turns out to be greater than the number of available scholarships for that school year, there is a scenario in which the remaining scholarships would not actually be universal.
The legislation also includes $2,000 bonuses for every public-school teacher in the State of Tennessee regardless of their performance which totals out to over $128 Million, and allows public schools to continue receiving money for the students that leave their school due to usage of the school voucher program.
“It’s almost like you’re trying to bribe teachers to get them not to speak out against vouchers, and it’s not normally the way we do things up here,” said Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92), calling the legislation “a Washington-style port bill brought to the conservative doorstep of Tennessee.”
For more details about “Tennessee Freedom Act of 2025” including disbursement and eligibility, allowable usage of scholarship funds, testing requirements, and how the program interacts with public schools, private schools, homeschool, and special education read “New School Voucher Legislation Filed In Tennessee – What You Need To Know About It.”
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. Adelia is The Tennessee Conservative’s on-site reporter for the Tennessee General Assembly. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
For the millionth time, this bill is NOT a conservative bill….and if passed, even under the “special session” rules which make it almost certain, given the SNEAKY, BIG GOVERNMENT RAILROAD JOB, way the bill will be voted on INCLUDING support for extra help for Helen victims in Tennessee…..THIS alone is should be a CRIME. What a shameful way to govern and all in our so called ‘conservative’ lead State of Tennessee. WOW! This FDR ‘socialist’ type bill WILL be BILL LEE’s legacy and the bureaucracy and government control it promotes will be a shameful, insidious trap for future generations. If only these RINO’s would hold public schools to account for their poor performances like they are going to allow the State Dept. of Education to hold private and home schools for use of “public” dollars. Fat chance!
EVERY Republican legislator that votes for this voucher scheme needs to be challenged in their next election. AND it is time for REAL conservatives like YOU and ME need to step up and run to replace them. We will make a list and we will not forget. That goes for the fluoride bill, the nullification process bill too. We need to get serious. We need to stop whining and take action. It is time to take out the garbage in our Capitol and this year will put a spotlight on who they are! We need education reform but this is not how to get it. They have always refused to actually solve the issue. Instead they sold out our kids for $500 million for Race to the Top (Commie Core) and they are again selling our kids out. We need to pull out from the US Dept. of Ed and get back to classical education. In the end the state would save money and actually improve academic achievement.. Of course we need to upgrade teacher certification to insure we get good, dedicated teacher.