Tennessee lawmakers just passed a $447M school choice bill. Here's what it does
House and Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a $447 million statewide school choice program, offering state-funded scholarships for children to attend private schools without regard to their income or ZIP code.
A high priority of Gov. Bill Lee since the campaign trail, votes in both chambers saw rare bipartisan opposition. Lee has said he wants implementation to begin as soon as possible.
The measure will cost about $447 million total, and includes several provisions not directly related to the scholarship program.
Here's what's in the bill:
Education Freedom Act of 2025 will offer 20,000 scholarships or vouchers worth about $7,296 each in taxpayer funds to students statewide to attend Category I-III state-accredited private schools. Students attending independent home schools and umbrella church-related home schools would not be eligible to participate.
Half of the vouchers are reserved for families with incomes below 300% of the income limit to quality for free or reduced price lunch – about $170,000 for a family of four – or children with disabilities. The remaining 10,000 slots have no income limit. Tennessee's median household income was $85,900 in 2024.
While Lee and others have pitched the program as a way to ensure families without means to pay for private school have access to the school of their choice, leaders this week acknowledged that the program is not designed for disadvantaged families – and could benefit the wealthy.
'I never once said this was a program designed for disadvantaged families, and I've never heard the governor say that. … This legislation has been marketed as a parental empowerment tool,' said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. 'We're not going to penalize people who work hard and might do a little better than someone else. We want these to be universal.'
Participating students will be required to take a standardized achievement test each year from third through 11th grade, though they are not required to take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program test. A number of private schools already administer the TCAP each year. For those that do, the bill requires the state to collect a sampling of voucher-recipient's TCAP test results to compare with statewide TCAP achievement.
The program does not create any additional requirements for participating private schools, or require private schools to accept voucher recipients.
Students with disabilities are not guaranteed individualized education plans under the program.
Guarantees that districts will never receive less state TISA funding than they currently receive, to make up any gaps school districts could see from enrollment drops
Allocates funding for school construction and maintenance, which will prioritize at-risk counties, high-performing districts, and fast-growing counties, then counties with damage from natural disasters. Other counties can apply for remaining funds.
Offers funding for a $2,000 bonus for every teacher in the state, if local school boards adopt a resolution affirming they want to participate in the Education Freedom Act. Teachers in districts that do not pass such a resolution will not receive bonuses.
Lawmakers who are K-12 school teachers may not receive a bonus, but their spouses may, and lawmakers' families are welcome to apply for the $7,296 scholarships.
Logistics for how to apply for a scholarship are not yet available. Once the bill is signed into law, the Department of Education can start work toward launching the program, a process that could take months, and will include rulemaking, hiring contractors, and developing an application process.
With Republicans holding a supermajority in both chambers, it's rare for votes to be close in either chamber. Twenty-one House Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the bill, as did seven Senate Republicans. Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, voted present.
Their opposition came after threats from out-of-state groups that lawmakers could face primary challenges next election cycle for voting against the bill, and claims from members of their own caucus, like Sen. Bo Watson, that those who "align with the current presidential administration and their view towards school choice… must support this bill.'
Here are the Senate Republicans who opposed the measure:
Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Manchester
Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville
Sen. Robert Harshbarger, R-Kingsport
Sen. Tom Hatcher, R-Blount County
Sen. Jessie Seal, R-Tazewell
Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown
Sen. Page Walley, R-Savannah
And House Republicans who opposed the measure:
Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough
Rep. Fred Atchley, R-Sevierville
Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson
Rep. Rush Bricken, R-Tullahoma
Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville
Rep. Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield
Rep. Monty Fritts, R-Kingston
Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville
Rep. Gary Hicks, R-Rogersville
Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland
Rep. Chris Hurt, R-Halls
Rep. Renea Jones, R-Unicoi
Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown
Rep. Kevin Raper, R-Cleveland
Rep. Michelle Reneau, R-Signal Mountain
Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore
Rep. Rick Scarbrough, R-Oak Ridge
Rep. Paul Sherrell, R-Sparta
Rep. Tom Stinnett, R-Friendsville
Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton
Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lawmakers just passed $447M Tennessee school choice bill. What to know
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
41 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
Speaker Johnson Downplays Musk's Influence, Suggests Republicans Will Pass Budget Bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on June 8 downplayed tech billionaire Elon Musk's critical comments and said that House Republicans will pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act backed by President Donald Trump. Last week, Musk and Trump got into a heated back and forth after the Tesla CEO repeatedly bashed the spending bill on social media. Trump suggested that it was because of its cuts to electric vehicle mandates, and at one point floated cutting federal money to Musk's companies. Meanwhile, Musk took credit for Trump and the GOP winning the 2024 election and threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard to protect them.
ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard to protect them. | Opinion I've watched the violence in Los Angeles this weekend, aimed at law enforcement officers who are attempting to uphold our nation's immigration laws, with growing anger. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump orders troops to LA as agents, protesters clash over immigration President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat violent protesters opposed to immigration enforcement. The images of fires burning and smoking rising above the streets of Los Angeles make America's second-largest city look like a war zone. But it's not war. It's what happens when a Republican president enforces the law in a state as far left and as lost as California. President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to restore peace in Los Angeles after protesters set fires, defaced buildings, slashed vehicle tires and hurled pieces of concrete at local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A Department of Homeland Security news release on June 7 noted that ICE agents − and their families − have endured a surge in threats and harassment. I've watched this violence, aimed at law enforcement officers who are attempting to uphold our nation's immigration laws, with growing anger. If California is one version of America and the rest of the country is another version, I know which America I choose. It's the same one a majority of Americans also have chosen. Polls have consistently shown that voters side with Trump and other Republicans on immigration and border security, not the lawlessness and chaos that Democrats and their progressive allies promote. And to answer the question I'll inevitably get: Yes, I voted for this, and I'd vote for this again. Opinion: Guess who Americans want to run the economy? Hint: It's not Democrats. California Gov. Newsom denounces Trump's effort to restore order California Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced Trump's decision to send in the National Guard as "inflammatory." That's not a good look for a governor with national ambitions. Newsom's staff hasn't helped him either. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X a photo of demonstrators posing in front of a fire while one person waved a Mexican flag. Hegseth wrote: "Another 'mostly peaceful protest' brought to you by @GavinNewsom. DEPORT." Newsom's press office responded: "Are you going to send in the Marines the next time the Philadelphia Eagles win, too?" Comparing violent protests against federal officers enforcing the law to a Super Bowl celebration that went too far is tone death, even for the governor of California. Opinion: Texas woman's death would have been prevented if Biden had secured the border It's important to note that ICE agents aren't arresting just anyone. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the arrests in Los Angeles included people accused of drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery and the smuggling of illegal immigrants. Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced The fact that the protests broke out because the demonstrators didn't want illegal immigrants with criminal records to be arrested or deported is sad and pathetic. America is a melting pot, and our arms should be open to people who want to come to this land to live a better life. But we must follow a legal process for immigrants to enter and stay in the United States. But progressive states like California and Democratic leaders like Newsom and former President Joe Biden have ignored our immigration laws. They sent a clear message to people all over the world that the border was open, and millions took advantage of that fact to enter our country illegally. Now, it is Trump who must enforce the law and restore order, whether Gavin Newsom and the violent protesters in the streets of Los Angeles like it or not. Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Week in Louisiana Poltics: Approaching the end of the legislative session
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — We're approaching the end of the regular legislative session this week. We've seen many bills debated in the legislature. So far, Governor Jeff Landry has signed into law six bills from his tort and insurance reform effort, which he says will lower insurance rates. We've seen election security bills make it out of committee—they are headed to the House for final passage. And then there's the state's budget, which is House Bill 1 by Representative Jack McFarland. That bill easily passed out of the Committee on Appropriations and then sailed through the full House with bipartisan support. Louisiana House committee rejects bill on homeless camps It's awaiting final passage in the Senate, then will head back to the House, where it'll likely reflect priorities from both the legislature and the governor, including education, fully funding services, and teacher pay raises. This and more on Your Local Election Headquarters. Several injured after Tennessee plane crash Southern University Law Center offering help to clear criminal records with event in Gonzales The best midsize SUVs for 2025 Invasive tick that can be deadly for cattle causing concerns among researchers Tropical Storm Barbara strengthens off Mexico, expected to become hurricane Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
