Kelsey Urges Expansion as Competing Voucher Bill Sidelined

Tennessee lawmakers are poised to wrangle over the potential size of Governor Bill Haslam’s proposed school vouchers program. A competing bill was sidelined Wednesday.

Haslam wants the initial vouchers rollout to be relatively small, targeting just poor students zoned for failing schools. But some lawmakers want access for lots more Tennessee families to pay private-school tuition using public-school money.

A bill to that end just got pushed to the back burner, with the idea of including families making up to $75 thousand. But Senator Brian Kelsey says it’s still his plan to try tacking something along those lines onto the governor’s proposal.

“Well you’re still talking about – that’s the salary of for example a police officer and a teacher, and it’s not unreasonable to think that these are the types of people that need to be helped by this bill.”

Governor Haslam has so far resisted expanding the vouchers program. Whether his measured approach holds up will be tested in the legislature next week.