School Voucher Omnibus Bill Passes In House Education Committee Following 4 Hours Of Discussion

Image: From Left – Robby Starbuck, Rep. Scott Cepicky, Rep. Todd Warner Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –

After over four hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the House version of this year’s school choice legislation, also known as “The House Public School Omnibus Bill,” was passed out of the House Education Committee by a vote of 12-7.

Currently there are two school choice bills up for grabs in the Tennessee General Assembly. Senate Bill 0503 (SB0503) and House Bill 1183 (HB1183).

However, school choice is not the only thing legislators are considering here.

As Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka-District 64) explained to committee members, there are 49 sections of this bill and only Section 1 of HB1183 deals with school choice. 

The other 48 sections deal with “positive things for our public schools” according to Rep. Cepicky.

These “positive things” would include an increased state contribution to teacher insurance costs, less statewide testing, the dissolving of the Achievement School District, and changes to teacher evaluations and how chronic absenteeism is handled amongst several other things.

“In one fell swoop we have the ability to transform education, public education, in Tennessee,” said Rep. Cepicky. 

This legislation was passed out of the House K-12 Subcommittee last week, but the full Education Committee still spent around two hours on consideration of amendments alone. 

“I like a lot of the stuff that’s inside of this bill […] but there are some real serious concerns,” said Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville-District 20). “We passed out a 39-page bill out of K-12 because we were in such a rush to get it into this committee and now we’ve got a six-page bill to fix that. So everybody that voted in favor of that flawed bill should be ashamed of themselves in my opinion.”

Only the sponsor’s amendment that “made the bill” was passed in committee on Wednesday. Rep. Todd Warner’s (R-Chapel Hill-District 92) amendment to ensure that illegal immigrants would not receive funding via this bill was tabled. 

Another amendment brought by Rep. Richey, would have primarily codified the way different types of schools are categorized for legislative purposes and marked a clear line for where private school ends and homeschool begins. It also would have adjusted parts of the section on teacher evaluations and done away with 3^rd grade retention, replacing it with kindergarten retention.

This amendment was also tabled. 

“We know what’s gonna happen to this bill,” said Rep. Warner. “The House and the Senate is never gonna agree on this 39-page master growth of government. They’re never gonna agree on it. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. What’s gonna happen is this is gonna go to a conference committee at the end of session, into a backroom deal that we will get one hour, more than likely, on the House floor to discuss.”

According to Rep. Cepicky, the portion of HB1183 that deals with the Education Freedom Scholarship Act outlines that school vouchers would only be available to U.S. citizens and would not be available to students enrolled in a homeschool or homeschool umbrella program.

With the exception public schools, only non-public schools that have been accredited and operational in Tennessee for at least three years would be eligible to participate in the school voucher program. 

School vouchers also would not be available to members of the General Assembly or the governor’s cabinet, and student progress data would be annually reported to the Department of Education using a third-party vendor to “protect private schools from government interference.”

Multiple public testimonies were given during the committee meeting, two in opposition and two in support of HB1183.

“No matter how you do the math, your spending will increase” said one woman testifying in opposition. “Why follow the footsteps of Arizona and have a $900 million deficit in a matter of years?”

Host of the Robby Starbuck Show and AFP-TN Ambassador, Robby Starbuck, spoke in support of the legislation.

“This legislation empowers parents to decide where and how their education tax dollars are used,” Starbuck told committee members, “and it prioritizes low-income families who need it the most before families like mine will get a chance to reclaim our tax dollars.” 

“Personally I don’t think this bill goes far enough,” he continued, “but that being said, I won’t let perfect be the enemy of good and what’s being offered here will positively transform the lives of countless Tennesseans for decades to come.”

Following over four hours of discussion, HB1183 was passed out of the House Education Committee by a 12-7 vote. Due to Rep. Sam McKenzie’s (D-Knoxville-District 15) persistence, a roll call vote was held. 

Republican Representatives Baum, Bulso, Butler, Cepicky, Gant, Gillespie, Haston, Lafferty, Ragan, Stevens, Vice-Chairman Slater, and Chairman White voted in favor of the bill.

Republican Representatives Fritts, Hurt, Richey and Warner voted against the bill alongside Democrat Representatives Love, McKenzie and Parkinson.

HB1183 has now been referred to the House Government Operations Committee for further consideration.

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.