As the legislative session wears on, Gov. Bill Lee’s signature policy initiative (school vouchers) still hasn’t received final approval.
Instead, it seems the delay in consideration and the multiple versions of the voucher scheme have given rise to increasing opposition.
The most recent example is The Education Trust.
The advocacy group wrote a letter to legislative leaders outlining reasons for opposing school vouchers.
Here’s a brief summary of their opposition:
Our concerns with universal vouchers include, but are not limited to, their negative fiscal impact on public schools, the lack of civil rights protections for students, the lack of transparency and accountability on their effectiveness, and the well-documented negative impact of vouchers on student achievement.
Here’s more from the letter:
Vouchers were instituted in the 1950s and 1960s by Southern governors to thwart mandatory school desegregation. The rise of private schools in the South and the diversion of public funds through vouchers was a direct response of white communities to desegregation requirements. The current components of both HB1183/SB503 echo the original intent of early vouchers, ensuring that the participating private schools are not subject to federal civil rights laws, can select the students they wish to admit, and do not face the same public accountability standards that all public schools face.
They advocate for a better use of the funds planned for vouchers:
The Governor’s proposed budget allocation for vouchers would divert up to $141.5M in public taxpayer funds to private schools in the first year alone. Alternatively, $141.5M could cover more than 2,500 additional teacher salaries annually and help sustain the programming we implemented in response to the pandemic.
And about student achievement:
Student achievement ought to be the driving force behind any education reform initiative, and the impact of school vouchers on student success is dubious at best. Research does confirm, however, that additional investments in public education yield positive results for students, and for low-income students in particular.
When has Bill Lee ever listened to Tennesseans?
I hope the lawmakers will listen to their constituents and put the proposed dollars for vouchers towards our public schools