School Vouchers in Tennessee: Closer to Becoming an Inadequate Reality
On April 23, 2019, the Tennessee house voted to approve school vouchers (aka “education savings accounts”). The same day, the state senate finance committee had already passed a version of the voucher bill, with the senate finance committee’s version being restricted to Nashville and Shelby County Schools. The full senate has yet to vote on the measure, then, if the senate bill passes, both house and senate need to hash out a final bill.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who really wants to bring school vouchers to Tennessee, chose to amend his proposed budget to include $916,000 worth of vote-changing enticements to freshman congress members, as the April 23, 2019, Tennesseean reports:
A USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee review of Lee’s latest budget proposal shows several lawmakers who were once against or on the fence about the governor’s controversial education savings account legislation received funding for their requests.The lawmakers identified in the review include freshmen Reps. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro; Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka; Clay Doggett, R-Pulaski; Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington; and Chris Todd, R-Jackson.In total, the governor has proposed fulfilling the requests from the group of freshmen lawmakers to the tune of $916,000.
Lee wants school vouchers, and he is on the way to getting his wish. What could go wrong?
Well, as much as Lee wants to take public funding and send it to private schools in the name of “choice,” the reality is that parents cannot simply take the $7,300 per student from the public school system and have that amount clearly cover a CONTINUE READING: School Vouchers in Tennessee: Closer to Becoming an Inadequate Reality | deutsch29
