School Choice Expansion Continues to be a Priority for Tennessee Lawmakers

TC Weber

Governor Bill Lee took to social media on Wednesday to proclaim the week of January 22 – 28, 2023, School Choice Week in Tennessee.

He further tweeted that “Every parent should have the opportunity to pick the best school for their child.” The governor added, “[W]e continue to advocate for high-quality education that meets the needs of every individual student.”

Lee’s endorsement comes as, nationally, school choice advocates celebrate National School Choice Week.

Throughout his first term as governor, Lee has advocated for increasing school options for parents and students.

Under his guidance, the State General Assembly passed an Education Savings Account law that allows eligible students to use state and local money toward education expenses, including tuition and/or fees at approved private schools. The law only provides for students who are zoned to attend a Shelby County district school, a Metro Nashville public school, or a school that was in the Achievement School District (ASD), but efforts are afoot to expand eligibility.

The Lee administration pushed for greater state recruitment efforts to bring more charter schools to Tennessee. These efforts embroiled the governor in controversy, but he remained committed to his recruitment efforts. Telling reporters at a July EMS Conference, “We have the best and brightest teachers in the country, we have the opportunity to have the best public school system in the country,” Lee reiterated, “That’s my vision.”

Recently, Tennessee passed a new public school funding model championed by the governor. The new model provides for a direct allocation, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to students enrolled in public charter schools.

Tennessee House Leader Cameron Sexton (R- Crossville) echoed the governor’s support of school choice. At a speech in Nashville on Tuesday, he outlined his top legislative priorities for 2023; integrating charter schools into the state’s education system was among those priorities.

Sexton told attendees, “In education, a lot of people want to talk about the competition aspect, I like the competition aspect of charter schools, I prefer the charter school model.”

The speaker introduced a new element into the school choice conversation in his speech – charter boarding schools for kids.

Per the Tennessee Lookout, he told those in attendance, “We know that there are kids in certain parts of our state who are in high-crime areas, and we’re okay with funding them when they go to prison, we’re okay with funding them with DCS (Department of Children’s Services) to DHS (Department of Human Services).”

Sexton added, “This year we’re going to propose to do a public charter boarding school for kids who are at high risk. I think there are parents who would take that and run with it to protect their child, and I think it can make a huge difference long term for those kids.”

On the State Senate side, Education Committee Chair State Senator John Lundberg (R – Bristol) told The Star that he remains very open to any efforts to expand parental choice. He pointed out that he signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill by fellow Tennessee State Senate member Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) that would expand ESA legislation to include Chattanooga.

A major barrier to expanding school choice options in Tennessee, in Lundberg’s eyes, is transportation. The prohibitive cost prevents many families from taking full advantage of alternate offerings for their children. He said he is very interested in finding solutions for this challenge. He further expressed a desire that districts and charter school operators would be more collaborative.

“After all,” he said, “They should share a common goal, better education outcomes and opportunities for students. No matter how we get there.”

State Democrats, however, remain unconvinced of the benefit of increased school choice options. In response to Lee’s Charter School Week proclamation, House Education Committee member State Representative Gloria Johnson (D -Knoxville) said, “Every child should have access to a well resourced public school. Governor Lee’s “school choice” is a lie. Charters in TN perform at or near the bottom in the state and public school students perform better than those using vouchers in EVERY state that offers vouchers.”

State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) introduced a bill requiring the governing body of a public charter school to submit the proposed compensation of a member of its licensed administrative or supervisory staff to its authorizer for approval. If the proposed compensation exceeds 150 percent of the average statewide compensation of LEA licensed administrative and supervisory staff according to the position held and training and experience compiled for each school year by the comptroller.

Another bill, introduced by State Representative Harold Love (D-Nashville), proposes that if a student transfers from a public charter school to a local education agency in the spring semester of a school year, the student performance and growth data derived from the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program tests and end-of-course examinations administered to the student to be used to determine the public charter school’s performance designation and assigned letter grade.

In Tennessee, the subject of School Choice continues to be a viable topic of interest for state lawmakers.

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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He also writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Bill Lee.

 

 

 

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