Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's statewide school voucher pitch: Here's what to know

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed a new statewide school choice program on Tuesday to offer taxpayer-funded grants to 20,000 students to attend private or home schools of their choice – and open universal eligibility for the program beginning in 2025.

Lee, who has long advocated for offering families more school options, says the program is aimed at empowering parents to find the best school to fit their child's educational needs. Critics of the proposal, commonly known as a school vouchers, are saying that it could dismantle public education in Tennessee.

Here’s what to know:

How much money would a student receive?

Lee’s proposed Education Freedom Scholarship Act would offer 20,000 Tennessee students about $7,075 to attend a private school of their choice beginning in the 2024-25 school year. Grants would be allowed to be used at any private school, and most home schools.

More: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to propose expanding school choice to 20,000 students statewide

What will it cost taxpayers?

A formal fiscal analysis is not yet available. Based on the number of students targeted, the program would cost the state $141.5 million if all slots are filled, plus administrative costs. Lee said Tuesday that the program would be funded by a separate scholarship account, and would not impact the existing Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding structure for K-12 education.

Who would be eligible?

The program would provide state funds to 20,000 of the roughly 1 million school students in Tennessee, regardless of where in the state they live. During the first year of the program, the governor's office says 10,000 grants will be reserved for students whose families’ incomes are below 300% of the federal poverty level, students with disabilities, and those who are eligible for the existing Education Savings Accounts pilot program. The remaining 10,000 slots will be made available to any student currently entitled to attend a public school.

Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, eligibility for the scholarships would be opened to all Tennessee students, regardless of income or previous school enrollment.

What can the money be used for?

Participating families could use Education Freedom Scholarship funds for private school tuition, fees, and uniforms, textbooks, tutoring services, transportation expenses, computers and technology, summer and afterschool program fees, and fees associated with college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, AP and similar for-credit exams, and state-recognized industry certification exams.

Will state achievement tests be required?

It is unclear whether students participating in the Education Freedom Scholarship Act will be required to take the state TCAP. Lee did not answer questions during an announcement event on Tuesday regarding whether private schools participating in the program would be held to the same accountability standards the state imposes on public schools, including participating in annual TCAP testing, A-F letter grading of schools, and the new third grade retention law.

Doesn’t the state already have a school choice program?

Yes. Tennessee’s controversial Education Savings Account program offers low- and middle-income students in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties grants of about $9,000 to attend participating state-approved private and parochial schools. Those students are required to take the TCAP test each year from 3rd through 12th grade. Critics of the program say that it takes funding away from already underfunded public schools.

TCAP test scores for ESA students show participants performed lower than their public school peers during the first year of the program in 2022-23. School administrators say that number may be more indicative of the student population the program is designed to reach ― or administrative hiccups due to the swift rollout of the program weeks before school began. According to the Tennessee Department of Education, 91% of participating parents report they are satisfied with the program.

More: Families tout voucher success as test scores spark doubt and critics worry over expansion

What happens next?

Lee’s announcement this week will be the first step in a long legislative process that will begin when lawmakers return to the state Capitol in January. Once legislation is filed, it will need to pass at least two Senate committees and five House committees before going to both chamber floors for a final vote. Republican leadership in both the House and Senate appeared unified in support of Lee's Education Freedom Scholarship proposal on Tuesday.

While key Republicans have expressed an openness to a statewide expansion of school vouchers, success isn't guaranteed. In 2019, when Lee first pushed his proposal, the measure passed by only one vote, after then-House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, held the vote board open for 40 minutes before Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, changed his vote to support passage. Some Republicans, including Zachary, have said that they voted for the proposal in 2019 on condition that their counties be excluded from the program.

More: Bill giving parents public money for private school narrowly passes House in historic vote

Are other states doing this?

Yes. Several states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, West Virginia, and Utah, have recently implemented universal school choice laws that offer families state-funded scholarships to pay for tuition and other expenses at non-public schools ― regardless of their income or county residency.

What are Republicans and school-choice advocates saying so far?

Several key advocacy groups voiced support for expanding school choice options earlier this month.

Americans for Prosperity of Tennessee has already knocked on more than 186,000 doors to bolster support for expansion, AFP Tennessee State Director Tori Venable told The Tennessean, and plans to top 200,000 doors before the legislature returns in January. The group, which has the backing of the conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch brothers, has hired nearly 100 part-time workers, and is ready to engage targeted mailers, billboards, and digital ads in the effort.

Leaders of education advocacy groups TennesseeCAN and the American Federation for Children have also shared support for a statewide expansion, as has the conservative Beacon Center of Tennessee.

More: Americans for Prosperity, school choice groups assemble army to push for voucher expansion

What are Democrats and those opposed saying?

Tennessee Education Association will roundly oppose any effort to expand the ESA program, TEA President Tanya T. Coats has said, adding that "it is irresponsible and reckless to push a statewide voucher program that would jeopardize the foundation our state’s success is built upon."

In response to reporting on the details of Lee's proposal, several Democrats have condemned the policy.

"This voucher plan would (a) heavily subsidize families already sending or planning to send their kids to private schools; (b) incentivize opening pop-up, low-quality, unaccredited voucher schools; and (c) reduce funding for public schools that are already chronically underfunded," Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, wrote in a social media post on Monday.

House and Senate Democrats denounced school vouchers as "a scam," and "a coupon system" for wealthy families.

School board members have also voiced opposition. Metro Nashville Board of Education Chair Rachael Anne Elrod has called the plan "moral and fiscal malpractice" that would "dismantle and destabilize public education."

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's school choice proposal: What to know