Tennessee Gov. Lee admits defeat in school voucher push
8 months ago

Tennessee Gov. Lee admits defeat in school voucher push

Associated Press  

GALLATIN, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee conceded defeat Monday in his push to enact universal school vouchers this year, acknowledging there was not a “path forward” after months of Republican infighting. I feel confident it will be, but we couldn’t put the final pieces together this year.” According to the National Education Association, the largest U.S. teachers union, 11 states have adopted universal school voucher laws. Last year, lawmakers ignored Lee’s request to enact legislation that would keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others following a fatal Nashville school shooting. “But I’ll certainly be talking to primary candidates about how they feel about school choice.” Notably, both House and Senate budget writers still set aside $144 million for the voucher expansion in their spending proposals.

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History of this topic

Tennessee lawmakers approve $52.8B spending plan as hopes of school voucher agreement flounder
8 months ago

Tennessee lawmakers approve $52.8B spending plan as hopes of school voucher agreement flounder

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant Statehouse approved a $52.8 billion spending plan Thursday for the upcoming fiscal year that includes an eye-popping $1.95 billion tax break and refund for businesses, but little new tax relief for most Tennessee families. The House version would overhaul standardized testing for public school students, change teacher and principal evaluation requirements, cover more of the …

Georgia House speaker aims to persuade resistant Republicans in voucher push
9 months, 1 week ago

Georgia House speaker aims to persuade resistant Republicans in voucher push

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is leaning into the push to pass a voucher plan funding private school tuition and home schooling, looking to change the minds of fellow Republican skeptics. The bill would provide $6,500 education savings accounts to students attending public schools that rank in Georgia’s bottom 25% for academic achievement. Those include writing current teacher …

School voucher ideas expose deep GOP divisions in Tennessee Legislature
9 months, 3 weeks ago

School voucher ideas expose deep GOP divisions in Tennessee Legislature

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With a supermajority grip over the Tennessee Statehouse, there are very few things Republicans can’t push through even with the harshest of criticism and public opposition. Yet, after weeks of working behind closed doors on a sweeping school voucher plan that would give coveted public dollars to many more families to spend on private schools, deep divisions …

Tennessee governor pitches school voucher expansion as state revenues stagnate
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Tennessee governor pitches school voucher expansion as state revenues stagnate

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nearly five years after narrowly convincing lawmakers to allow a select number of families to use tax dollars for private schooling, Tennessee Gov. Lee maintains that the state still has enough money to spread around more school vouchers to families, properly fund public schools, distribute pay raises to state employees and even set aside more money for …

Tennessee lawmakers kick off session to mull voucher expansion and changes after school shooting
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Tennessee lawmakers kick off session to mull voucher expansion and changes after school shooting

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE — Tennessee lawmakers returned Tuesday for months of election-year work, anchored by the debate over whether taxpayer money to help students attend private schools should be available statewide for families of any income level. Lawmakers also have a third chance to pass gun control measures in reaction to a deadly Nashville Christian elementary school shooting last March. Lingering tensions …

Some Georgia Republicans who sank an education voucher bill in 2023 aren’t changing their minds
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Some Georgia Republicans who sank an education voucher bill in 2023 aren’t changing their minds

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — On the last day of Georgia’s 2023 legislative session, 16 mostly rural House Republicans defied pressure from Gov. “I’m just not ready to give up on public education as we know it right now,” said Rep. J. Collins of Villa Rica, who added that “taking away money from public education is not the answer.” The Georgia push is …

Tennessee governor unveils push for statewide school voucher expansion, no income limitations
1 year ago

Tennessee governor unveils push for statewide school voucher expansion, no income limitations

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday backed a plan to expand beyond a three-county school voucher program for low-income kids by offering public money for private schooling statewide, regardless of family income. The current program awards eligible families around $8,100 in public tax dollars to help cover private school tuition and other preapproved expenses for up to …

Tenn. nears voucher growth, teacher dues limit with pay bump
1 year, 8 months ago

Tenn. nears voucher growth, teacher dues limit with pay bump

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee on Wednesday put themselves a step away from expanding a school voucher program from two counties to four and raising the minimum teacher salary in a bill that also bans educators from deducting dues for professional organizations from their paychecks. Republican Rep. Gary Hicks, from Rogersville, said the current system ensures local control …

Tennessee judges uphold contentious school voucher law
2 years ago

Tennessee judges uphold contentious school voucher law

Associated Press  

A Tennessee judicial panel has upheld the state’s school voucher law, which allows public tax dollars to be given to families to pay for private schooling. Critics of vouchers argue that the law will weaken the state’s public education system, but the three-judge panel said counties and families who sued couldn’t prove how students would be immediately harmed by the …

Tennessee gov: School voucher program to start immediately
2 years, 5 months ago

Tennessee gov: School voucher program to start immediately

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Just hours prior to Lee’s announcement the voucher program would be implemented this year, the state’s attorneys told a panel of judges that “decisions haven’t been made.” Stephanie Bergmeyer of the attorney general’s office said that some of the deadlines would be based on the participating schools and when they would require a student to …

Court clears path for long-blocked Tennessee school vouchers
2 years, 7 months ago

Court clears path for long-blocked Tennessee school vouchers

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Republican Gov. The Tennessee Supreme Court’s 3-2 decision overturns several lower court rulings that had previously determined the program violated the Tennessee Constitution’s “home rule,” which says the Legislature can’t pass measures singling out individual counties without local support. “Every child deserves a high-quality education, and today’s Tennessee Supreme Court opinion …

Court clears path for long-blocked Tennessee school vouchers
2 years, 7 months ago

Court clears path for long-blocked Tennessee school vouchers

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Tennessee Supreme Court's 3-2 decision overturns several lower …

Tennessee governor signs new K-12 funding formula into law
2 years, 7 months ago

Tennessee governor signs new K-12 funding formula into law

Associated Press  

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law Monday an overhaul he proposed for the formula for funding the state’s multibillion-dollar K-12 education system. Under the new school funding plan, Tennessee would join nearly 40 other states that attach a set amount of money per student. The bill states that schools will receive a base dollar amount of …

Tennessee nears overhaul of K-12 education funding formula
2 years, 7 months ago

Tennessee nears overhaul of K-12 education funding formula

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Republican-dominated General Assembly neared the finish line Wednesday of an overhaul of the state formula for funding its multibillion-dollar K-12 education system, angering Democratic lawmakers who were abruptly blocked from floor discussion of one of this year’s most sweeping pieces of legislation. The school formula measure passed 65-27 in the House with Republican Rep. Mark White, …

Republicans want input from education voucher bill opponents
2 years, 10 months ago

Republicans want input from education voucher bill opponents

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The leader of Republicans in the South Carolina Senate said one of his main goals this session is to pass a bill that would allow some parents to get public money to spend on private schools. Economists who estimate how much bills could cost issued a fiscal impact statement saying if every eligible student participates, the program …

Tennessee bans teaching critical race theory in schools
3 years, 6 months ago

Tennessee bans teaching critical race theory in schools

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is the latest state to ban teachers from teaching certain concepts of race and racism in public schools, where teachers risk losing valuable state funding if they violate the new measure. “We need to make sure that our kids recognize that this country is moving toward a more perfect union, that we should teach the exceptionalism …

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