NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Lawmakers officially gaveled in Monday for a special legislative session on Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, Hurricane Helene relief and illegal immigration while protestors chanted from outside the chambers to push legislators to take up gun reform after the deadly Antioch High School shooting last week.
Lawmakers have been expected to take up Lee’s school voucher bill first, which would use taxpayer money to pay to send students to private school or other options, if their parents choose. Lee told reporters in early Jan. 2025 he wants to give parents options for how to best educate their children.
“That’s what education freedom does. It allows parents to decide — and not the government to decide — what the best school is for their kid,” Lee said. “To the degree that we can do that, we should do everything we can to make it happen.”
However, it’s controversial and costly. The program would cost around $425 million to implement in the first year and around $226 million each year after. Opponents have also argued school vouchers take money away from public schools because they are funded per-pupil.
“Ultimately public schools will lose money. Every state that has ever implemented a universal school voucher program, you’ve seen the same thing,” CEO and executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, J.C. Bowman, said.
Lee’s bill includes a “hold harmless” provision that promises public schools won’t lose funds due to disenrollment. There is still some debate on how that would work, and some questions about whether the same student would be paid for twice.
“Their argument is: why should I pay for a kid who is not enrolled in public school?” Bowman added. “Why should I give the public school money for that kid that’s not there?”
Under the bill, 80% of the privilege tax from sports betting, which is currently being used to help fund the HOPE Scholarship, would be redirected to pay to build and maintain public schools.
Some questioned how this legislation would impact the HOPE Scholarship, but Lee told reporters sports betting has generated more money than expected, so there is plenty to go around.
“The HOPE Scholarship has been funded through lottery and through that funding mechanism of sports betting,” Lee said. “The funding has been adequate and, in fact, beyond what was necessary for HOPE Scholarship in the past, so what we believe is there is enough money and will be an excess of money, so we don’t really see a concern about that.”
Bowman told News 2 he doesn’t want to see the issue of school vouchers “rushed through” a special session and believes the votes will be incredibly tight after talking with lawmakers.
“I would say it’s right about 47/47 with about six people undecided. I think it’s that close,” Bowman said.
Both the House and Senate passed their versions of the rules for special session, assigned committees and adjourned in less than an hour after gaveling in for the start of the special session.
