NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Gov. Bill Lee is taking his push for school vouchers straight to Tennesseans’ televisions ahead of the upcoming legislative session.
Gov. Lee is featured in a six-figure commercial paid for by the American Federation for Children, a nonprofit that advocates for school vouchers, which uses public tax dollars to send children to private school and other options if their parents choose.
“Tennessee can have the best schools and ensure every child gets the education that fits their needs,” Gov. Lee said in the advertisement. “That’s why we need to pass the Education Freedom Act in Tennessee.”
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
Gov. Lee has pushed for a universal school voucher program for years, most recently failing to convince lawmakers to pass the Education Freedom Scholarship Act during the last legislative session.
Early November 2024, lawmakers filed an updated version of Gov. Lee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025, which legislators will debate during the legislative session beginning this month.
The new bill not only includes 20,000 scholarships for around $7,000 each, but also $2,000 bonuses for teachers if the money is included in the budget, and a proposal to use 80% of the state’s privilege tax generated from sports betting to build and maintain public schools.
“I’m very committed to making sure that kids not only get the right option for their education but their parents get to choose that,” Gov. Lee said on Nov. 25, 2024. “Every kid has a unique need. The person who knows best what their child’s needs are from an education standpoint is the parent. We should do everything we can in the state to give parents options for their children, and that’s what the Education Freedom Scholarship Act will do.”
The American Federation for Children told News 2 the bill benefits both sides of the debate.
“I do think this bill seems to have something for not just families who want to attend a private school, but even those who want to send their kids to the existing public schools,” Shaka Mitchell, senior fellow for the American Federation for Children said. “There’s stuff in there for teacher bonuses, there is something in the bill for infrastructure for public schools, so I do think there is something, a little bit for everybody to love in this bill.”
Gov. Lee is pulling out all the stops to make sure the bill gets passed.
“We will work really hard before session to make every effort to get full understanding with the General Assembly. I think when people understand it, they’ll advocate for it,” Gov. Lee said in Dec. 2024.
However, Democrats and other critics are pushing back.
“We have the money to give teachers bonuses; we have the money to build better public schools, so why aren’t we doing that without tying it to a voucher scam that’s ultimately designed to pull money out of public schools?” House Democratic Caucus Chair, Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said.
While there has been some chatter that Gov. Lee will call a special session on school vouchers, nothing has been set in stone. The regular legislative session convenes on Jan. 14.
