Image: Senator Jack Johnson (left); Representative William Lamberth (right) Image Credit: Senator Jack Johnson / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Republican Tennessee lawmakers are seemingly being secretive about their plans for school choice vouchers. So far, majority leaders for the House and Senate have filed “caption bills” which give only a general description that is related to the intent of the bill.
Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) has filed House Bill 2468 (HB2468) with Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) filing the corresponding Senate Bill 2787 (SB2787).
Amendments that “make the bills” will come later and are not yet available for public scrutiny.
Last November, Governor Bill Lee announced his plan for statewide ESAs that aims to provide 20,000 educational savings accounts the first year, and unlimited ESAs to follow.
Of that beginning 20,000, half would go to students at 300% of the federal poverty level, who have a disability or who are otherwise eligible for the ESA pilot currently operating in Davidson, Hamilton and Shelby counties and the other 10,000 would be more universal.
According to a recent poll from the Beacon Center of Tennessee, over 68% of Tennesseans support the Lee’s proposal to expand the ESA program.
With a price tag of $141.5 million of state funds just for the first year with funding sure to increase in subsequent years, and the state now facing a $610 million budget shortfall, it’s perhaps not surprising that few details have been shared.
Lee claims that he is determined to adequately fund both public schools and his voucher plan saying they are both a “priority.” ESA funding will be separate from the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, the state’s K-12 education funding formula.
Under House rules, a vote in a subcommittee can happen the next day after an amendment is introduced, leaving little notice for public comment.
Some opponents of the bill are not waiting for details to be released but are making appointments to meet with lawmakers to discuss their objections now.
Free Your Children, a homeschooling advocacy organization, is holding a rally at the Capitol today and meeting with several legislators to express their views about Lee’s intention to include Category IV private schools which many of the state’s homeschoolers utilize.
The 2024 legislative session is expected to be shorter than last year’s because it is an election year.
All 99 House members and half of the Senate seats are involved in the election process and lawmakers will be anxious to adjourn for the year as campaign contributions cannot be accepted until the session is over.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative.
You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
