Image Credit: Jody Barrett for Tennessee / Facebook
Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
The House K-12 Subcommittee is scheduled to hear potential legislation that would offer more transparency from the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program.
House Bill 1544 (HB1544), sponsored by State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-D69), would “require the department of education to submit an annual report to the general assembly,” providing information about recipients of school vouchers and total costs of the program.
The report would include such information as:
- The county of residence of each recipient
- The school or LEA at which each recipient was enrolled at the time of submitting the scholarship application
- The private school at which each recipient is enrolled
- Each recipient’s grade level
- The annual household income of each recipient
Additionally, the report must provide the total cost in state expenditures for the program including any third-party contracts, administrative costs incurred by the DOE, advertising and marketing expenses, and the total number of scholarships awarded.
The voucher program has received some pushback from legislators on both sides due to the lack of data provided after its first year of inception.
Barrett previously told the Tennessee Conservative, “As elected representatives and stewards of tax dollars collected from the public to be appropriated for the general welfare of the state and its citizens, we owe a fiduciary duty to ensure that all programs funded by taxpayer dollars are achieving the stated goals of the program.”
The House K-12 Subcommittee already voted against a bill sponsored by State Representative Sam Mackenzie (D-Knoxville-D15) that would have required information about schools being attended by voucher recipients. Barrett’s bill asks for far more information in an effort to give legislators the needed clarity for future decision-making.
Governor Bill Lee has continually stated that there is no data “of any value” because the program has only been in effect for one year.
“The most important data is that parents know what’s best for their kids. And if they want a scholarship, then they should get one,” Lee said.
The companion Senate Bill 1643, sponsored by State Senator Page Walley (R-Savannah-D26), was referred to the Senate Education Committee in January but has not yet been assigned to that calendar.
If you would like to offer your support of HB1544 in advance of the K-12 Subcommittee’s meeting on Tuesday, March 3, you can do so by using the contact information below:
House K-12 Subcommittee –HB1544 to be heard Tuesday, March 3
HB1544 creates more transparency for Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program.
rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov; rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov; rep.yusuf.hakeem@capitol.tn.gov; rep.aron.maberry@capitol.tn.gov; rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov; rep.lee.reeves@capitol.tn.gov; rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov; rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov
