Image Credit: Senator Bo Watson (TN-11) / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
State Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11) defended Education Freedom Scholarships earlier this week and says that calling them vouchers is “political.”
Watson took issue with language used to describe Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Program (EFS) earlier this week at Hamilton County’s annual legislative delegation breakfast.
During the event, hosted by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, and attended by county leaders, education officials, and state lawmakers, Watson spoke about what the state can expect in new revenue in 2026 – around 50 million dollars – and made note that part of those funds is committed already for education and expected growth in public schools.
The meeting became tense when Hamilton County Commissioner David Sharpe asked Watson about the state’s plans with regard to balancing funding of public education with the EFS program, commonly called “school vouchers.”
“Voucher is a dog whistle. You know it, I know it. Everybody knows it,” said Watson. “So let’s call it what it is: It’s an education freedom scholarship program.”
Watson later told News Channel 9 that the scholarships are not vouchers.
“The name of the program is Education Freedom Scholarships,” said Watson. “They’re not vouchers, and people use the term vouchers mostly for political reasons.”
In its first year, the number of applications for EFS was almost double the scholarships available.
With 20,000 scholarships approved for the 2025-2026 school year at a cost of $146 million to start and $188 million going forward, demand for the program will outstrip the 5,000 additional scholarships by which the program can expand next school year without the Tennessee General Assembly getting involved.
Watson has said that the program’s ability to expand is based on the state’s ability to afford it.
Half of the scholarships were set aside for families with income levels below 300% of the federal free or reduced-lunch price guidelines – $173,160 a year for a family of four – and the rest were made available to families with no restrictions on income.
Over 2,000 students in Hamilton County are currently making use of the “voucher” or “scholarship” with 1,300 students above the income limit taking advantage of the funds.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
