Latest news with #TDOE
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
More than 38,000 applications for TN school vouchers submitted
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Less than a week after applications for Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarship Program opened, more than 38,000 have been submitted. The program, often referred to as school vouchers, opened applications on May 15. Severe weather likely this evening, multiple rounds expected, all threats possible During a January special session, state lawmakers approved the program, which uses public money to fund scholarships that families can use to help pay for tuition at private schools. There are 20,000 scholarships available in the first year of the program, each worth $7,295. On Tuesday morning, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) stated in a news release that 38,160 applications have been submitted from people across the state. For the 2025-26 school year, 10,000 of the total scholarships will be reserved for students coming from households with a qualified income. The other half will be universal scholarships that are awarded to students regardless of their household's income. The TDOE reports that 18,852 applications were from families with a qualified income. According to the department, 19,308 applications were for universal scholarships. Schools that have registered to participate in the program and accept students using scholarships can be viewed on the Education Freedom Scholarship website. Families hoping to apply for the program can do so online. The TDOE is starting to review applications in the order they are received. Applicants will be notified by email regarding their application status. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee parent eager to apply for new school voucher program
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Next month, public school families will be able to apply for private school vouchers in Tennessee, and some parents are counting down the days. The Tennessee Department of Education announced Thursday applications for the Education Freedom Scholarship Program (EFS), which uses public dollars to help families pay for private school, will open at 12 p.m. CT on May 15. RELATED: School voucher applications to open soon in Tennessee. Here's what you need to know According to the TDOE, 20,000 scholarships worth $7,295 are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Meanwhile, 10,000 scholarships will be reserved for lower-income students; the rest are open to all students. 'I cannot be happier. I cannot be more relieved,' said Yadira Calderon, parent of a Metro Nashville Public Schools student. Calderon's 16-year-old daughter is on the autism spectrum, and lately school has been an uphill battle. 'She's delightful and she's incredible. She has all of these incredible skills, and she has all of these holy cow challenges,' Calderon said. 'I have not had the financial ability to get her out of the system earlier and find that environment that is more conducive to the way she can learn, because my goodness, she can learn.' This past January, the General Assembly narrowly passed the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which will provide taxpayer-funded scholarships to help families pay for private school or other options. Opponents pushed back against the controversial program and argued the measure diverts money away from public schools and into private schools that have no accountability. 'I can't overstate how frustrating it is, and how that it's someone's priority to destroy public education,' Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said in January. 'I understand the controversy. I was one of those five, seven years ago,' Calderon said. [I thought], 'A voucher? Why? The public school system exists for a purpose and a reason, and many kids and many families benefit from it.' But in my case, we have not benefited, and there are many like us.' ⏩ The scholarship likely won't cover the full private school tuition, another concern brought up by opponents. Calderon told News 2 there's no perfect solution, but she believes private school will be a huge improvement. 'We're going to be working on removing those concerns, removing the barriers, because that's what the voucher does. The voucher removes the barrier that many of us have and facilitates going and knocking on the doors of some of the schools that exist that have a proven record of how to better support all kinds of learning,' Calderon said. So far, 211 private schools in the Volunteer State have expressed interest in participating in the Education Freedom Scholarship program. Almost 150 private schools have officially registered. To learn more, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
School voucher applications to open soon in Tennessee. Here's what you need to know
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Applications for Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarship Program are scheduled to open for families next month. On Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Education announced that the application process will launch at 12 p.m. CT on May 15. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → Education Freedom Scholarships allow a child who attends a public school in grades K-12 to use state funds to attend a private school, according to the TDOE. The proposed scholarship amount for the 2025-26 school year is reportedly $7,295. '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. Bill 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.' ⏩ Approximately 20,000 scholarships will be awarded for the 2025-26 school year, officials said. There are currently 211 schools that have indicated they intend to participate in the program. The department previously released a student application checklist, which detailed eligibility requirements and the documentation needed for an application to be approved. To view the checklist, follow this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
ACT outage disrupts testing in Tennessee
A widespread outage disrupted testing for 29 out of the 34 districts administering ACTs on Tuesday. The Tennessee Department of Education said it learned of a national service disruption affecting the platform used by the ACT, which stands for American College Testing. The standardized test is largely accepted by colleges and universities as part of the application process. "Throughout the day, TDOE has been communicating with the impacted districts," a spokesperson form the department told The Tennessean via email on Tuesday afternoon. "They have the authority to decide when/if to postpone their ACT testing day." The issue was identified and resolved as of Tuesday afternoon. Students who already began their test before the disruption will be able to pick up where they left off when they return. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACT outage disrupts testing in Tennessee
