Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
With the expansion of Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program (EFS) likely to be a central focus during this year’s legislative session and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle raising questions about the program, two Democrat lawmakers are working to advance a bill which would require the comptroller’s office to compile a report on certain information about the program and present it annually to the General Assembly.
Rep. Sam McKenzie and Sen. Jeff Yarbro sponsored HB1052/SB1338 last year, but it was deferred by the House Education K-12 Subcommittee until 2026.
As written, the bill would dictate the office of research and education accountability (OREA), which is within the comptroller’s office, create an annual report about the voucher program for the current school year.
The report would include:
- The number of total recipients
- The number of recipients who have participated in the program for two or more school years
- The number of recipients who were enrolled in public school for the preceding school year
- The number of recipients who were eligible to enroll in a public K-12 school for the first time
Gov. Lee’s office announced on Jan. 15 that the EFS has seen record interest heading into its second year, with over 50,000 new and renewal applications for the 2026-27 school year, with approximately half applying for income prioritized scholarships.
“As demand for Education Freedom Scholarships continues to grow, I look forward to working with the General Assembly to increase the number of available scholarships for the 2026-27 school year,” Lee said. “It’s clear that Tennessee parents want choices when it comes to their child’s education, and expanding access to this program will ensure every child has an opportunity to thrive, regardless of income or zip code.”
But some legislators remain skeptical of the expansion plan, and both Republicans and Democrats have been questioning the fiscal implications of the program and expressing frustration at the Department of Education’s (DOE) inability or unwillingness to produce certain data, including information about how many scholarship recipients were already enrolled in private schools or if there are any significant problems that need to be addressed.
And several conservative lawmakers from more rural districts have already said they will not support expansion of the program this year, primarily over the high costs. Reps. Jody Barrett (Dickson-District 69), Todd Warner (Chapel Hill-District 92), and Monty Fritts (Kingston-District 32) all voted against the passage of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act and have continued to be critical of the measure as it has been implemented.
“One of the main pillars to my objection against the program last year was the financial and fiscal conservative concerns about funding the program,” Barrett said last week. “So unless there’s some pot of money out there that they haven’t disclosed to us yet that will fund this program and cover its costs, I just don’t see how we’re going to avoid stepping off into a black hole if we keep doing this.”
Warner called the program “a scam from day one”, and said he believes that if the DOE would reveal the numbers, they would show an estimated 70% of the vouchers awarded this year went to students already enrolled in private schools.
“I think our leadership makes a bad mistake running this type of [expansion] bill in an election year because they’re gonna get these rural Republicans, these rural conservatives where there’s no private schools, they’re gonna get ‘em primaried, and it’s already happening,” he said.
It is unknown if any of these Reps. will put their support behind HB1052, but Barrett has already filed HB1544 which appears to be a more comprehensive bill than the Democrats’ as it will require the state to provide lawmakers with a full report on the voucher program, including the number of students already enrolled in private schools.
As the 2026 legislative session progresses, transparency and accountability surrounding the program will be a topic of conversation many from all political perspectives are sure to find interesting.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
