Tennessee “School Choice” Rules Raise Eyebrows

Image: Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds during BOE special-called meeting. Image Credit: Adelia Kirchner / The Tennessee Conservative

The Center Square [By Kim Jarrett] –

Tennessee Democrats are questioning the approval of emergency rules for the state’s new school choice program by the State Board of Education in a called meeting.

The board approved the meeting on Thursday as it scrambles to get the program in place before the 2025-26 school. Student applicants are expected to open sometime this spring. The department said about 162 private schools are interested in participating.

Among the concerns from Democrats is the lack of metrics to track educational outcomes for students in the school choice program.

The nearly $7,300 private school scholarships are available to 20,000 students during the 2025-26 school year, according to the Education Department. Half of the scholarships will be awarded to students in families with an annual household income that doesn’t exceed 300% of the federal free lunch poverty guidelines. All students are eligible for the other 10,000 scholarships regardless of income.

The awards are on a “first-come, first-served” basis that Democrats said “unfairly discriminates against certain eligible student groups who are alleged to be the intended beneficiaries of the program.”

“It comes as no surprise that Governor Lee rushed these rules through with little to no sunlight or public input,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons.” The reality is that Lee’s scheme to defund our local public schools is overwhelmingly unpopular among Tennessee families, so he, of course, wants to start funneling taxpayers’ hard-earned money out of public schools and into the private hands of his business friends and allies before anyone knows what is happening.”

A January survey by the Beacon Center shows Tennesseans overwhelmingly support school choice. The poll of 1,200 registered voters said 67% back the plan, including 73% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats. Just 13% said they opposed, and 20% were not sure.

Permanent rules governing the school choice program will be approved at a later date.