As Tennessee voucher application launches, parents report mixed results on wait times
Some Tennesseans reported long waits and wildly fluctuating estimated times while others moved through with no issues as they applied for the newly launched Education Freedom Scholarships on May 15.
The scholarships are taxpayer-funded vouchers that families can use to offset private K-12 tuition and expand the state's previously limited program to statewide participation. A total of 20,000 scholarships worth $7,295 each are available for the 2025-26 school year. The first 10,000 are reserved for families with limited incomes, children with disabilities and previous recipients of state school vouchers. The remaining 10,000 are available to students regardless of income.
AT Rice logged on as the applications opened at noon CT and waited nearly two hours in the queue. Rice said the estimated wait time bounced from 102 minutes to 11 minutes to 222 minutes. Others posted similar accounts on social media, expressing frustration over the process.
Tennessee school vouchers: How to apply, who qualifies for the first-come scholarships
When Bobby Anderson logged on around the same time, he also saw large fluctuations in the wait time before getting through the queue in about five minutes. He was able to put in two applications for his kids easily and said the process from entering the queue to finishing the applications took only 10 minutes total.
Anderson, who lives in Bethesda, said his two children he submitted scholarship applications for are already enrolled in private school. He thinks Tennessee's approach to offering a limited number of scholarships is a smart move.
"I think it's great," he said of the program. "I think that public school just isn't for everyone. ... Private school, at least for our kids, worked out better."
Ahead of the application launch, the Tennessee Department of Education shared resources with families to guide them through the process. It also said it prepared its website for a high volume of traffic and tested its site and virtual queuing tool to manage the influx.
More information on the scholarships can be found at TN.gov/education/EFS.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN school vouchers: Parents have mixed results on application wait times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Want to grow your own rice? A step-by-step guide for adventurous gardeners
Many of us think of rice as a plant that grows in flooded fields, and that's because the kind of rice we're most familiar with — the long-grain, wetland variety called lowland rice — can be considered semi-aquatic, although it's technically a grass. Lowland rice would be challenging to grow in a home garden, but another, less common variety can be cultivated more easily in typical backyard conditions. Duborskian rice, a Russian short-grained dryland, or 'upland' rice, is a highly ornamental plant that can even be grown in containers, where its 2-foot-tall green and gold panicles will lend height and beauty to the center or rear of mixed planters. But if grown as a crop, cultivating rice from your plants can be a fun activity for adventurous gardeners. Start by making spaceWhen determining how many plants to grow, consider that it takes approximately 10 plants to produce 1 pound of rice. Since each plant occupies only 1 foot of garden space, a 10-by-10-foot plot will hold 100 plants, which will yield roughly 6 to 10 pounds of rice in a season. In the absence of purchased starter plants, seeds are best sown directly into the garden in May or June in frost-free zones. Elsewhere, they should be started indoors four weeks before the danger of frost has passed. Expect seeds to germinate in five to seven days. A 24-hour water soak before sowing will hasten germination. Indoor starts are best aided by a heat mat. Four-week-old seedlings should be transplanted outdoors at the same time it's considered safe to plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in your region. Taking care of your rice plantsSelect a sunny spot and enrich the soil with a generous amount of compost before planting. Since the rice requires a high level of nutrients, fertilize every two weeks with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer. Space plants 1 foot apart to ensure adequate circulation between them, as they will need to be pollinated by wind. You might also surround plants with netting to protect them from birds. Keep the surrounding soil free of weeds throughout the growing season. Separating the rice from the chaff, and other steps Your rice will be ready to harvest in about 105 days. You'll know it's ready when the seed heads appear dry but haven't yet dropped their seeds. At that point, cut plants down to ground level and hang the stalks up for a few days to dry further. But that's not the end of it. Rice will have to be removed from its stalks, and each grain's tough outer shell, called a hull, will need to be removed. On commercial farms, they have equipment to do this, but since you're growing rice at home, you will have to do it manually. Tie the cut ends of the dried stalks together, then place a screen (an old window screen will do) over a wheelbarrow. Rub the seed heads against the screen until the grains fall off into the wheelbarrow. If this sounds too complicated, you can achieve the same results by beating the tied bunch of stalks onto a clean sheet that you've laid on the ground. Once the grains have been separated from their stalks, scoop them up and remove the hulls in batches using a mortar and pestle (put the kids to work!) If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can hit them with a rubber mallet, but it's a delicate balance to remove the hulls without crushing the rice. The next step is to separate the proverbial rice from the chaff (the hulls). The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a fan to blow the light-as-air hulls away. You can't eat the hulls, but they can be added to compost piles or used as mulch. If you'd like to save rice for replanting next year, put some aside before removing the hulls; they'll need to be intact for the seeds to germinate. To enjoy the fruits of your labor, cook the grains as you would any rice and enjoy it in sweet or savory recipes. It'll be good, but not likely as good as the story you'll be able to tell about that time you grew your own rice. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Clarke Schmidt's pitching adjustment, Jasson Dominguez update: Yankees takeaways from a 4-0 loss to Cleveland
NEW YORK – Having just gone 2-for-2 this year in collecting AL Player of the Month awards, Aaron Judge was in a bit of a slide* entering Wednesday night. *For the reigning, unanimous MVP, going 0-for-6 (but with three walks) in the last two games of a sensational 2025 season might just seem as if he's overdue to break out. Advertisement Batting .389, Judge singled twice Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, giving him an MLB-leading 28 multi-hit games this season. But this was one of the quieter Yankee nights of the season, with Cleveland right-hander Luis Ortiz and three relievers prevailing in a 4-0 Guardians' win before 36,759 fans. Shut out for just the second time this season, here are five Yankees takeaways from Wednesday night: Clarke Schmidt: A shaky opening Jun 4, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) pitches in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images In the span of six batters, Cleveland took a 3-0 lead off Schmidt. After a full-count walk to leadoff batter Steven Kwan, the right-handed Schmidt felt the heavily lefty Guardians lineup had 'a really good approach'' in hunting cutters, sweepers and curveballs inside. Advertisement 'Credit to them…especially from the top of the order,'' said Schmidt, who gave up a two-run homer to No. 2 hitter Angel Martinez on a first-pitch cutter and doubles to Jose Ramirez and Daniel Schneemann. From there, Schmidt lasted into the sixth inning and didn't permit another run, retiring 15 of the last 19 batters he faced and matching a career high with eight strikeouts. Increasing his use of the four-seam fastball, designed to get lefty hitters off his cutter, Schmidt generally kept the ball away and yielded just singles after the first inning. Ben Rice: Trusting the process Rice's fast development in 2025 as a potent, reliable hitter is evident even in at-bats that don't result in hits. Advertisement After lining out to left in his first at-bat, Rice collected two singles (one an infield hit) out of the No. 2 spot, between Trent Grisham and Judge. 'Just stay with it,'' Rice said of his process. 'If you're hitting the ball hard, more often than not you should be successful. Just got to tell yourself to stick with it.'' Aaron Boone agreed. 'We'll sign up for that,'' the manager said. 'If he's controlling the strike zone and continuing to hit the ball hard, he's in a good spot.'' Jun 4, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino throws out the first pitch prior to the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Fernando Cruz: A trusted reliever returns Making his first appearance since May 17, the right-handed Cruz struck out the side in the eighth inning – but also yielded a solo homer. Advertisement Kyle Manzardo's two-out, eighth inning solo shot gave Cleveland a four-run lead. But afterward, there was satisfaction in Cruz's initial outing off the injured list. 'Feel amazing. The velo was there, the stuff was there. I'm ready,'' said Cruz, sidelined due to right shoulder inflammation. The action on Cruz's signature splitter was present, 'tallying up three more of the worst swings I've seen,'' Boone said of how that pitch can fool big-league hitters. 'Thought he was really good,'' said Boone. 'Good to see him get out there (and have) a reasonable pitch count (18). Aaron Judge vs. Luis Ortiz Jun 4, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a single in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Ortiz tossed 5.2 shutout innings with seven strikeouts, including one big strikeout of Judge. Advertisement With two out and runners at first and second, Judge - batting as the tying run - looked at a called third strike on a 2-2 slider by Ortiz - who wasn't as successful vs. the Yankees' captain in April. On April 23 at Cleveland, Judge went 2-for-2 with a walk against Ortiz, driving an RBI triple off the center field wall against the right-hander in a 5-1 Yankees' win. Emmanuel Clase closed out the Yanks in a non-save spot Wednesday, stranding runners at second and third by striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. - who saw a 101-mph fastball followed by a 92-mph slider. Jasson Dominguez: Due back Thursday May 11, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) stands in the dugout against the Athletics in the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images After sitting out the first two games against Cleveland, split by both clubs, Jasson Dominguez is due back in Thursday's lineup according to Boone. Advertisement The switch-hitting outfielder suffered a left thumb contusion in Sunday's game at Dodger Stadium, leading into Monday's team off date. Before Wednesday's game, Dominguez said his condition had improved. After taking some swings for the first time since Sunday, Dominguez "should be good to go'' Thursday, said Boone. Also, Giancarlo Stanton (elbow tendinitis) was traveling back to New York from Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, with Boone suggesting they'll next determine the slugger's next step, which could be a brief minor league rehab stint. This article originally appeared on Clarke Schmidt's pitching adjustment, Jasson Dominguez update: Yankees takeaways from a 4-0 loss to Cleveland
USA Today
7 days ago
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports names Alabama safety as player whose NFL Draft stock could soar in 2025
USA TODAY Sports names Alabama safety as player whose NFL Draft stock could soar in 2025 The Alabama Crimson Tide are returning some big names on both sides of the ball in 2025 as Kalen DeBoer enters his second season as head coach. Alabama's offense will feature standout players from a year ago such as star receiver (and video game cover athlete) Ryan Williams and fellow wideout Germie Bernard. Jam Miller returns at tailback after rushing for 668 yards (4.3 AVG) and seven touchdowns in a somewhat crowded backfield with Justice Haynes, who transferred to Georgia Tech. On defense, linebacker Deontae Lawson and defensive lineman LT Overton were named to the recent Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. Safeties Keon Sabb and Brey Hubbard also return, as does cornerback Domani Jackson. USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday named 10 NFL Draft prospects whose stock could be poised to rise during the 2025 college football season. Sabb made the list as a potential first-round pick at defensive back. USA TODAY Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz said: "After helping Michigan win a national championship in 2023, Sabb took on a new challenge last year by going to Tuscaloosa to help the Crimson Tide navigate the post-Nick Saban era. He made a strong early impression, recording two interceptions in his first game for Alabama and notching 39 total tackles before being lost for the season to a lower-extremity injury. The 6-1, 205-pounder blends puts together impressive size and coverage skills to allow him to clamp down on tight ends and patrol underneath in zone coverage. With his strong tackling allowing him to also be a force in the box, he should be coveted for his ability to handle a few key tasks, even if he doesn't fit the mold of a typical single-high safety. If he's able to stay healthy, expect his buzz to build." Sabb started Alabama's first seven games last year before his season-ending injury in the Tennessee game on Oct. 19. In the Tide's season-opening 62-0 shutout of Western Kentucky, he returned a TJ Finley interception 23 yards to set up Alabama's first touchdown of the year. Sabb struck again on WKU's next drive, picking off another Finley pass and returning it 64 yards to set up another score. Two weeks later, he had six tackles and two pass breakups in Alabama's 42-10 rout of Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. Alabama will open the 2025 season in Tallahassee against Florida State on Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinions.
