Beacon Center poll finds high support for Tennessee school voucher expansion

Melissa Brown, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's proposal to expand school vouchers statewide is broadly popular, according to the results of a new Beacon Center poll.

The poll, conducted by the conservative-leaning think tank between Dec. 14 and 28, asked respondents whether they would oppose or support expanding the Educational Savings Account program, described as allowing eligible K-12 families to "use a portion of their per-pupil funding on certain educational expenses such as private school tuition, tutoring, education therapy, or other educational purposes."

Beacon found 68% of respondents support Lee's plan to expand the Educational Savings Account program, with just 19% opposing the move.

Support was highest among Republicans at 85%, though a majority of both independents and Democrats support the plan.

A slight majority of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who backs ESA expansion, 52%, versus 12% who said it would make them less likely to vote for a legislator.

Lee's plan, called the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, would give up to $7,075 each to 20,000 students to attend private or home schools, with a plan to expand universal eligibility in 2025.

Gov. Bill Lee proposes a new statewide school choice program, Education Freedom Scholarship Act, at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.
Gov. Bill Lee proposes a new statewide school choice program, Education Freedom Scholarship Act, at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

Senate race

State Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, is holding a commanding lead in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate against Memphis activist Marquita Bradshaw, according to the poll.

Among Democratic voters, 41% would support Johnson over Bradshaw's 11%. Still, a plurality of voters at 45% are still undecided in the race.

"Despite a large number of undecided voters and a more limited sample size, Gloria Johnson is in an excellent position in the Democratic primary against 2020 Senate candidate Marquita Bradshaw," Beacon spokesperson Mark Cunningham said.

"It is clear that Johnson's ad spending and financial advantage over the rest of the Democratic field has started to pay off. While a 30-point advantage is certainly substantial, there is still a lot of time left before election day and with a plurality of Democratic primary voters undecided, there is still plenty of room for movement in this race."

The Beacon poll surveyed 1,302 people and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.66 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beacon Center poll finds support for voucher expansion in Tennessee