Latest news with #EducationFreedomAct
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Over 33,000 applications submitted on first day of Tennessee school voucher program
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee officially launched its universal school voucher program on Thursday and state officials reported over 33,000 applications were submitted within hours of its launch. Following the passage of the Education Freedom Act in January, parents can now apply to receive around $7,000 of state funds to be used on private school tuition. A total of 20,000 scholarships will be available for the upcoming school year to use at more than 200 private schools across Tennessee, 10,000 of which will be reserved for eligible students based on income. Oak Ridge catholic school welcomes voucher applicants on program launch day Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Tuesday that the Department of Education received over 33,000 applications on Thursday. Families can still apply at Completed applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. 'The response to universal school choice in Tennessee has been an overwhelming success,' said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. 'Families have embraced the educational opportunities that have been unleashed for their students through the state's Education Freedom Scholarship program.' East Tennessee public schools respond to passage of Governor's school voucher bill If the number of applications received exceeds 75% of the total number of scholarships available, the department may increase the maximum number of scholarships available for the next school year by up to 5,000. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Over 30K applications for TN education freedom scholarships
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee announced that the Tennessee Department of Education received more than 33,000 applications for the Education Freedom Scholarships. According to a press release, Tennessee's first-ever universal school choice program allows parents to choose the school that best fits their child's needs, regardless of income level or zip code. Families can apply for a $7,000 scholarship for their children to attend the private school of their choosing. This comes after legislators passed and Gov. Lee signed the Tennessee Education Freedom Act, which allowed Tennessee's universal choice program to be in effect on Feb. 12. Applications for school vouchers launch May 15 On Mar. 20, the State Board of Education held a meeting to hear the Education Freedom Scholarship Act emergency rules. In the meeting, terms were defined, and processes and procedures for the scholarships were established. EFS_ApplicationChecklistDownload During the meeting, the emergency rules received a unanimous positive recommendation. The emergency rules will remain in effect for 180 days while the department and the State Board of Education work to promulgate permanent rules. The release said a waitlist will be established should additional seats become available. 'This remarkable response demonstrates what we have known all along: Tennessee parents want choices when it comes to their child's education,' said Gov. Lee. 'I'm grateful to the General Assembly for their partnership in delivering universal school choice to families across our state, and I thank the Department of Education for their dedication to a smooth implementation.' The Education Freedom Act has faced significant pushback from lawmakers, educators, and local leaders across the state, with many stating that the program will divert money from struggling public schools. School vouchers officially signed into TN law: What does it mean? 'When you're pulling all of that money from public education, and then that hurts us. It hurts, you know, us when we're trying to build the infrastructure in schools,' said Dolores Rivers with the Memphis Shelby County Education Association. Tennessee State Rep. Jesse Chism of Memphis said the private schools' selectiveness could negatively impact neighborhood schools. 'It won't be school choice for the parent. It's school choice for the schools themselves, because if there's only a certain amount of seats available, they're only going to pick the valedictorians and the athletes,' Chism said. 'So that leaves our other students at our neighborhood schools at a disadvantage, because if you take away the highest achievement students, that makes the median test score go down.' For the 2025-26 school year, 20,000 scholarships will be awarded at more than 200 participating private schools, with the updated list of schools officially registered or intending to participate available on the EFS webpage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oak Ridge catholic school welcomes voucher applicants on program launch day
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Education Freedom Act passed in Tennessee back in January amid plenty of controversy. Applications are now open for parents to apply for the new state-funded scholarships. Saint Mary's Catholic School in Oak Ridge is one of the eligible private schools. On Thursday the school hosted an open computer lab to help parents through the process. Parents jumped at the opportunity to apply on a first-come first-served basis, with Tennessee receiving 20,000 scholarships to more than 200 private schools across the state. Many took advantage of resources at Saint Mary's but faced varying waiting times throughout the day. Once inside the application, parents found the process quick and easy, though each child required a separate submission. Ribbon cut on new 264-home neighborhood in North Knoxville 'It was super simple and I think that's a lot of thanks to the state of Tennessee for just walking us through the whole process. From the initial information to the checklist of what documents we needed to prepare, and then the step-by-step guide to really see what that application was going to look like before we got in there that we were able to just breeze right through it and be so prepared for it,' explained Tiffany Shreve, a mother and Director of Advancement at Saint Mary's Catholic. The school voucher program allows K-12 students to access around $7,000 in state funds for private school. Saint Mary's serves pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. 'Catholic education is an extra expense, but it's an invaluable expense really. But we do have to pay our bills and our teachers, so we welcome this opportunity to help parents to cut some of those costs that they would pay for our school that they can use for their other family needs,' said Sister Mary John Slonkosky, the school's principal. Amy Shanahan, a mother of three, told 6 News that vouchers ease financial stress, especially with her mother living at home and another child on the way. 'It's putting the choice back into the people. We don't have to go to schools we're zoned for. Private schools are expensive, but this helps make it more affordable so that parents have more choice in where they send their students,' Shanahan said. While it's unclear how many vouchers each school will receive, 10,000 will be income based and another 10,000 will be universal. Former governor Bill Haslam appointed to University of Tennessee Board of Trustees 'They're the future and that starts with education and all different types of education. And every student is different. They learn differently. They learn in different environments. And that's what's so beautiful about this, is that there is support to educate our future in the right environment for that student,' added Shreve. The Department of Education reported the Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarship website has had around 30,000 visits within the past week. Initial wait times varied from 45 minutes to upwards of two hours. After the initial wave of applicants Thursday morning, parents are able to log right in with little wait. Saint Mary's Catholic School plans to continue to stay open throughout the weekend allowing parents an opportunity to gain access to the technology to apply if needed. The private school shares vouchers will help to pay 72% of their tuition costs. Many people in the state are not for these new vouchers, saying that they will essentially do more harm than good. ▶ See more top stories on 'Vouchers do not work, not in any state that has them. We should not be subsidizing private school for students who never attended public schools over the next few years,' Democratic Knoxville State Rep. Gloria Johnson. 'We will be sending $1 billion to private schools for the voucher scam while our public schools continue to lose funding. We are giving more money in a private school voucher than we pay for public school students in the majority of counties.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Applications for Tennessee's new school voucher program to open on May 15
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The application window for Tennessee's new school voucher program opens Thursday, May 15 at noon CT/ 1 p.m. Eastern. A total of 20,000 scholarships will be available for the upcoming school year to use at more than 200 private schools across Tennessee. The scholarships are made possible by the Education Freedom Act, which state lawmakers passed in January. The scholarships allow a child who attends a public school in grades K-12 to use state funds to attend a private school. The amount available to students is around $7,000. $10,000 reward offered in 40-year-old Campbell County cold case 'A quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child's life, and for the first time, families across Tennessee have the opportunity to choose the best school for their child,' said Gov. Lee. 'I'm grateful that the vast majority of eligible schools intend to participate in Education Freedom Scholarships, and I have full confidence in the Department of Education's ability to implement the program.' Of the scholarship available, 10,000 will be reserved for eligible students based on income, IEA eligibility, or ESA eligibility. The Department of Education released a student application checklist, which provides detailed eligibility requirements. To be eligible, the student must live in Tennessee, be a U.S. citizen or be lawfully in the U.S., have not more than 13 years in school and entering grades K-12 and must be 5 years old by September 30, 2025. 'I appreciate all the families and schools who engaged throughout this implementation phase as we continue to best prepare them for the upcoming application launch on May 15,' said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. East Tennessee public schools respond to passage of Governor's school voucher bill According to the Vanderbilt Poll, 8% of parents with public school children said they plan to use the vouchers, while 34% of parents of private school students said they plan to apply for a voucher to help pay tuition. If the number of applicants exceeds 75% of the vouchers available, the act allows for the number of scholarships to be increased by up to 5,000. To learn more, visit the Education Freedom Scholarship webpage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teacher Appreciation Week in Tennessee: Here's what to know about pay, bonuses, morale
As Teacher Appreciation Week gets underway nationwide, the topic of teacher pay is front of mind for many. While a recent report showed teacher morale has improved in Tennessee, the need for more pay and adequate staffing for schools remains. Here's a quick rundown of what to know about teacher pay and teacher morale in Tennessee. The National Education Association, the largest labor union in the United States, released a report in April that showed Tennessee teachers are making 4.7% less than they did a decade ago, adjusting for inflation. Tennessee ranked 38th in the nation for average teacher salary at $58,630. That mirrors the most current data available from the Tennessee Department of Education. The state also ranks 29th in average teacher starting pay at $44,897, according to the National Education Association report. The state enacted a law in 2023 to raise minimum salaries for all teachers to $50,000 by 2026. The previous minimum was set at $35,000. Teacher pay in Tennessee: How much do educators make in your district? The Tennessee legislature passed a law in January that expanded the state's existing school voucher program, which offers taxpayer-funded vouchers for families to offset costs for private K-12 schooling. The hotly debated legislation, known as the Education Freedom Act, was backed by Gov. Bill Lee. He has long advocated for vouchers and what he hails as "school choice" for families. The Education Freedom Act offers a one-time $2,000 bonus for every teacher in Tennessee. However, a last-minute amendment tacked onto the bill requires local school boards to adopt a resolution affirming they want to participate in the Education Freedom Act if they want the bonuses. If a district doesn't pass a resolution, its teachers will not receive the bonuses. Districts have until June 1 to pass the resolutions. Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson Sean Braisted said that the school board has not yet passed a resolution, but that he anticipates they will by the deadline. It's not clear if other districts have similar plans. Education Freedom Scholarships: Tennessee lawmakers passed a $447M school voucher bill. Here's what it does. Teacher morale is on the upswing in Tennessee and nationwide but the issues of understaffing and lagging pay persist, according to a report released in March. The annual "State of Teaching" report measures how teachers feel about their profession through a national survey. It was launched in 2024 by Education Week, a nonprofit news organization that covers national K-12 education. This year's report also included state-by-state data on teacher morale. Report: Tennessee teacher morale improves, but needs for more staff, pay remain Tennessee and 23 other states saw a teacher morale index score that either matched or surpassed the national average. However, the report showed that Tennessee teachers said they need more staff support and more money for supplies and instructional resources. Some also said better pay was a priority for them. Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@ You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Teacher Appreciation Week: What to know about pay, bonuses
