Latest news with #TennesseeEducationFreedomAct
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
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
TN Senate Education Committee members ask TSBA to ‘voluntarily submit' all communications related to school voucher bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Republican members of the Tennessee Senate Education Committee have submitted a letter to the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) asking them to turn over all 'formal and informal communications' related to the Tennessee Education Freedom Act. The law, which passed a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly in January during a special session of the legislature called by Gov. Bill Lee specifically to address the issue, expanded a controversial voucher pilot program held in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties. In the letter, Committee Chairman Sen. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) said it was 'important for Tennesseans to have the most accurate information concerning pending and adopted legislation.' Click here to read the full letter sent to the TSBA 'The recent discussions around school choice and the passage of the Tennessee Education Freedom Act created a situation where a great deal of information concerning the bill's purpose, provisions, and elements were misrepresented to local communities, boards, councils, and commissions,' the letter reads. 'Whereas we understand that opinions may vary in these contentious moments, facts do not.' The committee members who signed the letter—all eight Republicans, but not lone Democratic Sen. Raumesh Akbari—requested the TSBA's 'cooperation in cutting through any speculation and misunderstanding that might have occurred during the public discourse' about the law. 'To assist this understanding, we are requesting that you voluntarily submit to the Senate Education committee all formal and informal communications with school boards, directors, or districts in Tennessee,' the committee asks in the letter. The communications include all disseminated documents, actions plans, power points, research, white papers, email exchanges, and 'any other documentation that could be considered under a typical Freedom of Information Act Request.' The committee asked the materials be submitted no later than Saturday, April 5. One member of the committee, Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), posted a copy of the letter to his official Facebook page, asserting 'evidence that false information might have been intentionally pushed to local school boards, educators, and communities for the purpose of creating conflict.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
