Republican Bill Would Create Accountability For Tennessee School Voucher Program

Image Credit: Jody Barrett for Tennessee / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

Amidst continued questions about its efficacy, financial impact, and calls for transparency from both sides of the aisle, two GOP members have filed a bill which would require a comprehensive report on Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program (EFS).

Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69) and Sen. Page Walley (R-Savannah-District 26) have filed HB1544/SB1643 which would require the Department of Education (DOE) to submit an annual report to the general assembly about the EFS so the legislature can have a full picture of how the funds are being distributed and how the state is being impacted.

The report would include such information as: 

• The county of residence of each recipient
• The school or LEA at which each recipient was enrolled at the time of submitting the scholarship application
• The private school at which each recipient is enrolled
• Each recipient’s grade level
• The annual household income of each recipient

Additionally, the report must provide the total cost in state expenditures for the program including any third-party contracts, administrative costs incurred by the DOE, advertising and marketing expenses, and the total number of scholarships awarded. 

The EFS program has earned pushback from both Republicans and Democrats who have expressed frustration over the last year at being unable to receive satisfactory answers to many of these data points, several  times being told by the DOE that the department was not required by the original legislation to collect it and therefore did not need to provide it. 

Democrats have primarily objected to the program on the grounds that it depletes funding for public schools, also believing the funds are mainly being used to subsidize students already enrolled in private schools.

Some Republicans, particularly those representing more rural and conservative districts, have shared these concerns but are also apprehensive about the financial sustainability of the program without any announced plans or programs to offset the enormous cost to taxpayers.

“As elected representatives and stewards of tax dollars collected from the public to be appropriated for the general welfare of the state and its citizens, we owe a fiduciary duty to ensure that all programs funded by taxpayer dollars are achieving the stated goals of the program,” Rep. Barrett told The Tennessee Conservative about HB1544.  

“In the case of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, we must ensure that the program is actually creating ‘education freedom’.  As a school choice initiative, we must be able to ascertain from the data collected and reported to the General Assembly that the program has or will create or promote new pathways to choice.  We cannot definitively say that the program is accomplishing that goal with the limited information currently being provided by the Department of Education to the General Assembly.  This bill is not offered to re-litigate the efficacy of the program, but rather to ensure that the money we have appropriated to it is producing the desired, or at least satisfactory, return on the investment. 

I would submit that demand for a government handout indicated by applications received, nor parent satisfaction from those who received a scholarship in year 1 of the program, is sufficient to support the expansion or continued funding of the program.  Instead, we should be analyzing who received the scholarships, who didn’t and why, how many students/parents made the shift from public to private school due to the availability of the scholarships, how many of the scholarships went to students already enrolled in private schools, and what impact has the program had from year to year on private school tuition costs.  These and other metrics will help future General Assemblies analyze the effectiveness of the program so they can make an informed decision as to the level of funding the state should continue to invest in the same.”

Democrats are also running a bill requesting an annual report, but theirs seeks to ascertain information through the comptroller’s office and does not appear quite as comprehensive as this Republican counterpart.

HB1544 has been assigned to the House Education K-12 subcommittee but has yet to receive a calendar date. Its senate counterpart is still awaiting a committee assignment.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.