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Seven months after Gov. Bill Lee’s first universal school voucher bill died over disagreements within the legislature’s Republican supermajority, GOP leaders were unified as they introduced new legislation Wednesday.
House and Senate majority leaders William Lamberth and Jack Johnson filed identical bills to create Education Freedom Scholarships giving $7,075 each in public funding for a private education for up to 20,000 students, beginning next fall.
Recipients in grades 3-11 would be required to take a national or state standardized achievement test to track the program’s effectiveness.
In an effort to garner support among public school advocates, the proposal calls for giving every public school teacher in Tennessee a one-time $2,000 bonus. It also would direct 80% of tax revenues from Tennessee’s new sports betting industry toward local school building costs, especially for emergency needs and for 38 rural counties designated as distressed or at risk.
In a statement, the governor said he looks forward to delivering on his promise for more education choices for parents.
“For more than a year, I have worked in partnership with the General Assembly to introduce a unified school choice plan that empowers parents when it comes to their child’s education and further invests in Tennessee’s public schools and teachers,” Lee said.
Both Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton issued statements of support.
The bills were the first legislation introduced for the next General Assembly to consider when it convenes Jan. 14, signaling the governor’s intention to make the issue his top legislative priority for a second straight year.
The proposal arrived one day after pivotal elections in which vouchers were an issue in numerous legislative races across Tennessee, plus on the ballot in other states. Republicans retained their grip on both of Tennessee’s legislative chambers, while voters in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska rejected measures that would have steered public dollars toward private schools.
Lee is expected to speak later Wednesday with reporters about his latest plan, including whether he intends to call a special session in January to focus exclusively on it.
The governor successfully pushed for a 2019 law to create a smaller voucher program in Nashville and Memphis, which has since expanded to Chattanooga. The state comptroller’s first report on that “pilot” program’s effectiveness is due Jan. 1, 2026.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
