WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): Last week, the Tennessee Legislature passed the Education Freedom Act, Gov. Bill Lee's signature school voucher plan. Advocates call it a win for school choice. Tennesseans who choose to put their kids in private schools can now get a $7,000 a year subsidy. But Democrats and some Republicans call it a "scam" and "welfare for the wealthy." Marta Aldrich has been covering the story for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Thank you for joining us.
MARTA ALDRICH: Happy to be here.
BLANK: Marta, this same plan failed last year. Many Republicans were against it. What changed their minds?
ALDRICH: What's interesting is that even with the Republican supermajority, and universal voucher programs springing up in other red states, the governor was not able to pass his first proposal last year. Almost immediately after that, Lee's team began huddling with Republican legislative leaders in both chambers about how to get on the same page with a new bill. They agreed on a testing mandate, but only requiring voucher recipients to take national tests, not the state's TCAP assessment. They also agreed on a list of which costly incentives they could add for public schools to get votes from rural lawmakers. And they dropped a Senate provision that might have allowed public school students to enroll in any district, even if they're not zoned for it.
BLANK: Originally, vouchers were to help poor families afford a private education. But now rich families can also get this money. You know, in a state where conservative lawmakers do debate free lunches for poor kids, how did private school subsidies for rich folks become a more reasonable idea?
ALDRICH: Well, the refrain we've heard for years from voucher supporters is that school vouchers would help students who are "trapped in failing schools." But this year, we didn't hear that rhetoric so much. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who carried the bill for the governor, now says that these latest universal vouchers were never designed for disadvantaged families. In the Senate Finance Committee during special session, Johnson said the state isn't going to penalize people who've been successful and who "work hard and might do a little better than someone else. We want these to be universal and that's the ultimate goal," he said.
BLANK: Many Democrats and some Republicans say public education will eventually lose money to sustain this program. How do they say that would happen?
ALDRICH: Well, this is a pricey initiative. In the first year, the program could cost up to $450 million. Then assuming it grows by 5,000 students a year, as the legislation allows, the cost could top $1.1 billion in the first five years. That's increasing our state budget at a time when our tax revenues are sagging, mostly because of tax breaks for corporations and businesses enacted in 2024 under another initiative from this governor. And keep in mind that the legislature also just approved another $470 million for flood and disaster relief. Democrats and some Republicans say this pace isn't sustainable. But the legislature's Republican leadership say they got this.
BLANK: Well, finally Marta, opponents pointed out that there's usually a lot of accountability when institutions get public money, but especially schools. What kind of expectations do lawmakers have for private schools that accept these state dollars?
ALDRICH: They'll have to administer national tests to voucher recipients and report those results to the state, but not much else as long as they meet the standards required for state accreditation for private schools. And the governor says, parents provide the ultimate accountability when it comes to school choice.