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Who killed Tennessee’s universal school voucher bill?

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher plan was supposed to be part of a “conservative education revolution.” But for now, at least, it’s dead.

Lee made the announcement on X Monday morning, saying he was “extremely disappointed.”

Lee and pro-voucher lobbying groups campaigned hard to get a bill through the legislature that would offer up to 20,000 “Education Freedom Scholarships” of $7,075 in public funds to put toward the costs of private school. Those scholarships would be open to students even if they’re wealthy or already attend private school.

Proponents of the plan said it would have empowered parents with more say over where their children go to school. Opponents said it would have subsidized tuition for the rich.

 

Despite concerted efforts to pass a bill, none emerged victorious. Here’s a rundown of the forces that contributed to the downfall of Tennessee’s school voucher expansion.

Political infighting

Leaders of the House and Senate could not get on the same page about their voucher proposals. And both of the bills differed from the governor’s version. Negotiations stretched on for weeks with little change in either chamber’s position. In the end, Sen. Bo Watson referred to the gap between the House and Senate as a “chasm.”

“[The House wants] to pass a bill that has school choice in it, but does a lot of other education reforms, some of which some of us would argue rolls back some of the changes that we fought for for well over a decade within these legislative chambers,” Watson said.

For their part, the House bill’s proponents said their plan would implement public school reforms that educators had been asking for for years. The expansive proposal offered a new pathway to avoid being held back for Tennessee fourth graders under the state’s literacy law. It also would have reduced evaluations for highly rated teachers and reduced standardized testing, among many other things.

Local school boards, superintendents and educators

A broad coalition of local education groups from across the state loudly opposed any voucher proposal. More than 50 school districts issued public statements against vouchers, saying they would have “detrimental” impacts on public schools by diverting public funds into private hands. The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents listed voucher opposition among its legislative priorities for the 2024 session. So did the Tennessee Education Association, which represents tens of thousands of teachers and school staff across the state. The group dedicated much of its legislative advocacy week to combatting the voucher proposal.

 

Public education advocacy groups

While lawmakers tried to close the wide gap in their proposals, public education advocates worked to raise awareness about vouchers.

Gini Pupo-Walker serves as executive director of the The Education Trust — Tennessee. She said her group helped “educate all sorts of folks about how to talk about the impact that these vouchers could have and why they’re problematic for a number of reasons.”

For example, The Education Trust—Tennessee held a webinar in January sharing research about the efficacy of voucher programs around the country. The webinar also included a Q&A session with Beth Lewis of Save Our Schools Arizona, a group that opposes vouchers and advocates for greater public school investment. Lewis explained how vouchers in her state quickly ran wildly over budget, and highlighted a lack of accountability in the program. The webinar, along with other educational materials, reached a broad audience of stakeholders, and spread from there.

“We had someone from the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents attend that webinar,” Pupo-Walker said. “Then he invited [Lewis] to come to their statewide convening of superintendents that they held this spring. And she came, flew into town, and she spoke to all of the superintendents in Tennessee about what was happening in Arizona related to universal voucher expansion.”

Leaked audio from a meeting with Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, also revealed that the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, known as SCORE, was opposed to the voucher proposal. SCORE has long worked to hold Tennessee schools to high standards. The voucher proposal would have decreased some accountability measures.

Protesters

Parents from both sides of the political aisle showed up consistently urging lawmakers not to pass vouchers.

Some parents share similar concerns to education advocacy groups. They worried the policy would siphon much-needed dollars from the public school system and subsidize private school, largely for people who could already afford it. Parents and educators also raised concerns about discrimination, since private schools have full control to choose who they admit. And many advocates for people with disabilities opposed the proposal, since it required special needs students to sign away their right to an individualized education plan.

A large group of demonstrators met on the steps of the capitol in March, with vouchers among its chief concerns.

In contrast, another group of parents — homeschool advocates — opposed the voucher proposal over fears it would interfere with their children’s education. Tiffany Boyd of the group Free Your Children said “what the government funds, it runs.” Although House lawmakers insisted they had written homeschool families out of the bill, Boyd remained skeptical of how it might be changed in the future. She and others from her group continued protesting the bill at finance committees even as the voucher bill appeared to be losing steam.

A controversial education commissioner

Lee’s education commissioner, Lizzette Reynolds enthusiastically supports private school vouchers, pointing to parental satisfaction. However, her tenure has been plagued by controversy and missteps, that may have distracted from the voucher plan.

Reynolds appeared before the Senate Education Committee for the first time in January. There, she gave an update on the state’s existing voucher program for lower income families. When questioned about the academic performance of those vouchers recipients, Reynolds said: “The results aren’t anything to write home about.”

Students in the pilot program are required to take TCAP, and performed far worse than their public school peers.

Later that month, Democrats called on Reynolds to resign, saying she was not qualified to hold the post. Under state law, the education commissioner must “be qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority.” Reynolds does not hold a teaching credential, nor does she have experience as a school administrator. In a statement, the governor’s office maintained that she was qualified for the job.

“Additionally, though not explicitly required by statute, Commissioner Reynolds is currently enrolled in the UT Martin Education Preparation Program (EPP) to expand upon her previous experience,” the statement read.

The Tennessean later revealed that Reynolds wrongly received free tuition for those courses, twice signing paperwork that she had worked for the state for six months or longer when she had not. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that was the result of an “administrative error” and that Reynolds had personally repaid the money.

Could vouchers be resurrected?

Even though the bill is dead for now, Lee announced he would push for universal vouchers again next year. Americans For Prosperity, a Koch brothers-affiliated, conservative lobbying group, wrote in a statement, “While we are disappointed that families will have to wait yet another year for educational freedom, we are going to keep working until education savings accounts are available for all Tennesseans.”

News Channel 5 reported earlier this year that pro-voucher groups with deep pockets have historically poured money into defeating lawmakers who vote against vouchers. Every House member is up for reelection later this year, along with half the Senate.

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