School choice advocate: Voucher expansion will disrupt traditional public education

The most significant piece of legislation the Tennessee General Assembly is expected to take up is whether to approve Gov. Bill Lee's proposal to expand the school vouchers program statewide.

Currently, the Education Savings Account program operates in Davidson, Shelby and Hamilton counties and offers 2,400 low-income students $9,000 for their families to be able to use toward a non-public school option.

Lee's Education Freedom Scholarship Act plan would expand that to 20,000 students receiving $7,075 each in all 95 counties to go to private, parochial or home school tuition and costs.

Eventually, the program would be open to all students regardless of socio-economic status.

This issue galvanizes citizens either who oppose anything less than providing more funding to traditional public schools or who want families to have more control over how school funds are spent on students.

On this episode (No. 386) of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, the first of 2024, Shaka Mitchell, fellow for American Federation for Children, speaks on behalf of those who identify as pro-school choice.

Watch our video conversation to hear the specifics, but we talk about, accountability for student who benefit from vouchers, and why he thinks disrupting the current system is beneficial for families.

News story: Beacon Center poll finds high support for Tennessee school voucher expansion

Read more opinion columns supporting and opposing school voucher expansion in Tennessee

These are some different views on the issues to consider:

In favor

• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's voucher expansion plan benefits both low-income and wealthy kids

• Gov. Bill Lee is empowering families by expanding school choice in Tennessee

Against

• As an education researcher, the data show school vouchers would harm Tennessee students

• NAACP leader: Tennessee Gov. Lee voucher expansion plan threatens to resegregate schools

If you have an opinion you like to share for publication, send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com. Keep the length at 250 words or fewer and include your full name, address and contact information.

The Tennessee Voices video podcast launched in March 2020 to engage thinkers, leaders and doers across the state of Volunteers State in conversation about the issues of the day. The discussions promote, encourage and model civil discourse in alignment with The Tennessean's Civility Tennessee initiative.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters.. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee proposed voucher expansion will disrupt public education