Tennessee Governor Seeks Major Education Overhaul, Proposes Universal School Choice Expansion

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee takes part in a discussion on state-level criminal justice reform in Nashville, Tenn., on April 17, 2019. (Mark Humphrey/AP Photo)

In an announcement given much fanfare and a new website complete with high-quality testimonial videos from Tennessee parents, Republican Governor Bill Lee made it clear he wants to see school choice implemented statewide.

School choice is the policy debate surrounding using public education funds to allow students to attend a range of alternatives to traditional public schools, which has become more widespread in the United States over the past few years.

Mr. Lee, together with Republican Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, unveiled the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, a transformative approach to school choice in Tennessee that he hopes the state legislature, which consists of a Republican supermajority friendly to the governor, will pass next year.

This legislation, if passed, will significantly expand educational options for families across the state, marking a paradigm shift in how education is approached and delivered.

This comes at the same time legislative leaders have been exploring options on whether or not Tennessee could reject federal education funding in lieu of state-level funding to avoid federal dollars with strings attached to it.

“A high-quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life, and there’s no question that now is the time to make school choice a reality for every Tennessee family,” Mr. Lee said. “Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarships will empower parents with the freedom to choose the right education for their child while also giving them a say in how their taxpayer dollars are invested.”

The Vision Behind the Act

Mr. Lee opened the announcement by emphasizing the importance of educational freedom, something his administration has pushed for since he came into office in 2019.

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Lee remarked: “Each one of these parents knows firsthand what it means to have education freedom for their children. And how their kids, if they’re allowed to pick the right school, can succeed. That’s what today is all about—access to high-quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life forever.”

Joining Lee was Mrs. Sanders, who after her first few months in office, signed universal school choice into law in her state.

“There is an absolute conservative education revolution happening in our country,” she said at the announcement. “In just my first few months in office, I signed legislation called the Arkansas Learns into law. It was the single largest overhaul of our school system in recent history.”

She continued, saying a key aspect of the legislation she signed was the state’s “education freedom accounts.”

“This program gives families the ability to send their kids to whichever school best fits their needs, whether that’s private school, parochial, public, or homeschool,” she added.

The Act Unveiled

Mr. Lee articulated the essence of the Act, saying, “Access to high-quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life forever. We need to give those parents choices.” He outlined the Act’s structure, which, according to the governor’s new website, will unfold over the next few years.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas attends the AutoZone Liberty Bowl game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Arkansas Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 28, 2022. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

In the 2024-25 school year, approximately 20,000 scholarships will be available, half reserved for students meeting specific criteria like economic status or disability, and the rest to a broader student pool, the website proposes.

For the 2025-26 school year and beyond, universal eligibility will be implemented, with priority given to currently enrolled, low-income, and public school students if demand exceeds funding.

The scholarships, approximately $7,075 per student in the first year, can cover a range of educational expenses, from private school tuition and textbooks to tutoring services and technology for educational needs. Importantly, homeschooled students enrolled in a category IV school will also be eligible for these scholarships.

Support from Legislative Leaders

State Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally lent their support in brief speeches at the announcement.

“We can all agree that every child should have an opportunity for a quality education,” Mr. Sexton stated. “It’s really incumbent upon us to make sure that children have access to a quality education that meets their individual needs.”

Mr. McNally had a similar sentiment, stating, “Working to expand the educational choices parents and students have available to them is always a worthy goal.”

“Across the state, parents should be empowered to make the best education decisions for their children by having input over where their taxpayer dollars are spent,” said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson in a press release accompanying the event. “Students should not be boxed in to attending a school that doesn’t fit their needs. I am grateful to Governor Lee for proposing the Education Freedom Scholarship Act to give Tennessee parents the ability to make a fundamental choice: where their child goes to school.”

Personal Testimonies: The Impact of Choice

Testimonial videos on the governor’s new “TN Education Freedom” website highlight stories of parents who have benefited from the current school choice program in Tennessee, which is limited to three of the largest school districts in Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga—which was just added by the legislature this year.

Arieale Munson, a parent benefiting from the existing choice program in Memphis, shared her personal story.

“I was the first parent in Shelby County to receive the Education Savings Program,” she said. “My son, he wants to be a paleontologist. At the school that he attends, he’s able to go to the outdoor club, where he gets to go out and look for fossils and archives. He gets to swim, has lacrosse, tennis, soccer, and he also is learning life skills.”

The Edging family from Chattanooga also shared their experience.

Brooke Edging noted, “My daughter was no longer my child who loved school... Now, because of the program, all of our children have been enrolled in the same private school, and my daughter is absolutely loving it.”

A Future-Focused Initiative

Concluding the announcement, Mr. Lee underscored the broader implications, stating: “We can have the best public school systems in the country and provide choice for every Tennessee family... It’s about a child and about their future and about the opportunity for the children that are in K through 12 today that will be leading this state in the years to come.”

Tennessee passed its school choice pilot program in 2019, but it was stalled in court until last summer, when the state’s Supreme Court gave it the green light.

The program was considered controversial when first proposed by Mr. Lee and only passed the state House by one vote in 2019, along party lines. Democrats argue school choice takes money away from public schools, while Lee and other conservatives pushing for school choice say there is no basis to that claim.

“In Tennessee, we can have success in public and private schools,” Speaker Sexton said at the announcement this week. “As the governor said, it’s not an either/or question. We’re going to continue to invest in public education in our state, but at the same time, we should empower parents and give them the ability to choose what is best for their child.”

If implemented, Tennessee would become the 10th state to offer universal school choice options. According to the governor’s office, 31 states offer some school choice options while 9 currently have universal school choice.