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The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
According to a media release by the Press Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman, departments of Tennessee government are asking for new spending in the amount of 5.6 BILLION dollars for the next fiscal year.
This new spending request does not account for the proposed doubling of Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, commonly known as the “voucher system.” Under current law, the cost of the program is around 1.1 billion dollars every five years. The Fiscal Review Note to SB6001 / HB6004 that estimates the cost of the voucher legislation is linked here.
The legislation that created the Education Freedom Scholarship Act is absent a reporting mechanism to disclose the number of students receiving scholarship money who were already attending a private school. Critics argue that it was absent by design.
The Press Secretary of State Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis) provided the following data and commentary, in part, on the department budget requests.
“During its public budget hearing, the Education Department omitted funding requests for Gov. Bill Lee’s private school voucher scheme and the K-12 student funding formula. Gov. Lee and key Republican lawmakers have expressed a desire to expand the $1.1 billion voucher program that’s subsidizing private school tuition costs for 20,000 students who were already enrolled in private academies. The GOP House speaker says he wants to double the size of the program. The governor has kept his intentions closer to the vest.
State agencies are requesting 559 more staff positions
Nine state departments collectively asked Gov. Bill Lee to fund 559 new staff positions in the upcoming budget. About half of the requested positions are related to public safety and criminal investigations. The second biggest was from the Children’s Services Department, which requested 153 new positions to reduce high caseloads that have crippled staff morale and left vulnerable children without the attention they need. The total number of state employees has grown under Gov. Bill Lee’s tenure by 2,285. In the current budget year, there are 49,543 funded staff positions.” – Media Release, Brandon J. Puttbrese, The Office of Senator London Lamar
A spreadsheet that provides a detailed analysis of the funding increases by department is provided below.
The media release also included information that suggested Tennessee ranks near the bottom of the nation in K-12 education spending, supported by the link provided here.
Republican Candidate for Tennessee Governor Monty Fritts has, on many occasions, stated that “Tennessee’s budget growth is unsustainable.”
From 2019 to 2025, the budget grew 59%. Fritts was the only republican to vote NO on the current fiscal year appropriations bill, HB1409. The graph below, provided by Fritts, demonstrates the state budget growth since 2015. Fritts contends that “school vouchers violate the Tennessee Constitution.”
Well known conservative activist Gary Humble, Founder of Tennessee Stands remarked during a presentation in Johnson City that “Tennessee’s voucher system amounts to a redistribution of wealth to families that already have their children in private schools.” The Fiscal Review Note on the bill confirms that an estimated 65% of the recipients of Education Freedom Scholarships (Vouchers) already have their children enrolled in private schools. Some estimates run as high as 80%.
Local officials at the county level are hoping that our governor and legislature will prioritize funding for local initiatives, specifically restoring the veteran’s property tax relief fund and returning a portion of real estate transfer tax proceeds to local governments for road repairs, debt service, and infrastructure needs.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
