Governor Bill Lee released a statement Monday announcing there is “not a pathway” for his universal school choice voucher bill this legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly.
“I am extremely disappointed for the families who will have to wait yet another year for the freedom to choose the right education for their child, especially when there is broad agreement that now is the time to bring universal school choice to Tennessee,” Lee said. “While we made tremendous progress, unfortunately it has become clear that there is not a pathway for the bill during this legislative session.”
I am extremely disappointed for the families who will have to wait yet another year for the freedom to choose the right education for their child, especially when there is broad agreement that now is the time to bring universal school choice to Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/wp45lrHg9E
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 22, 2024
Lee went on to thank Tennessee parents and students who have advocated for the bill during this year’s session as well as the House and Senate leadership, hinting that that bill is planned to be introduced again next year.
“I want to thank the thousands of parents and students who made their voices heard, and I have never been more motivated to provide them with the ability to choose what’s best for their family,” Lee said. “I also want to thank the speakers and leaders of both chambers for their commitment to pursuing education freedom next year.”
“It’s very simple — this is about every Tennessee student having the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their zip code or income level, and without question, empowering parents is the best way to make sure that happens,” Lee said.
Lee’s school choice bill, called the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, would have made 20,000 Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) worth $7,000 available for Tennessee students in the 2024-2025 school year – prioritizing currently enrolled students, low-income, and public school students if the demand exceeds available funding – if passed this legislative session.
The governor’s announcement on Monday comes as state lawmakers have expressed skepticism of the bill’s odds of quickly passing the legislature, as each chamber approached the bill in two widely different manners. While the Senate introduced a cut-and-dried version of the governor’s plan, the House version of the bill included additional incentives not particularly related to the governor’s school choice plan.
Prior to announcing the plan in November, a poll conducted by the Beacon Center of Tennessee showed in July that 69 percent of polled respondents approved at the time of the state’s expansion of ESAs statewide.
In January, another poll conducted by the Nashville-based think tank showed that a total of 68 percent of respondents at the time supported the governor’s proposal while just 19 percent opposed his plan.
The same poll also found that voters would be much more likely to vote for a legislator who supported the governor’s plan, as 52 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who supports statewide ESAs compared to 12 percent who said it would make them less likely to vote for that legislator.
On Monday following Lee’s announcement, the CEO of Beacon Impact, an advocacy division of the Beacon Center, said the organization was “deeply disappointed” in the bill’s failure to pass the General Assembly.
“We are deeply disappointed that at a time when school choice legislation is being passed across the country and support among voters is at an all-time high, the Tennessee legislature could not create a path forward on the ESA bill,” Beacon Impact CEO Justin Owen said.
“While opponents of education freedom continue to focus on adults, tens of thousands of children will suffer as a result. These families deserve options, and they deserve them now, not next year or the one after that. That said, this fight is not over, and the legislators who opposed educational options for children across the state are mistaken if they think they’ve won. We will continue to stand with families all across Tennessee – and stand with those legislators who championed it – until the General Assembly finally does what’s right by passing a universal school choice program,” Owen added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
….you stormed out of the classroom to protest and can’t graduate high school.
trojan horse bill
Usually, the people that stand to lose the most are the ones that shout the loudest.
Despite the thousands of children that would benefit from this program, the groups that claim to represent teachers fought hard to maintain their near monopoly on education/indoctrination.
The only reason “middle class” kids would benefit the most is because it is the “middle class” parents are the ones that care enough to participate in the education of their kids. “Poverty level” parents are the ones more likely to be warehousing the kids at school to keep them off the streets.
RINO