Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee (AFP-TN) and the Beacon Center of Tennessee released statements applauding Governor Bill Lee’s announcement of his administration’s legislative proposal to establish universal school choice in the Volunteer State.
The Education Freedom Scholarship Act will “empower Tennessee parents with the freedom to pick the right school for each child, while giving families a choice in where their taxpayer dollars are spent,” according to a press release by Lee’s office.
A statewide school choice program would be established over the next two years while prioritizing low-income students and students with disabilities under the legislation.
“AFP has been on the frontlines fighting for school choice and more parental control since our chapter launched in 2013. We’ve seen the shift through thousands of door-to-door conversations with Tennesseans: parents want more control and choices over how their children are educated. Giving $7000 back to parents to select the school that works best for their child is a good start,” AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable said in a statement. “We support Gov. Bill Lee’s plan for Educational Freedom Scholarships; we are ready and willing to bring every parent, every teacher, even students along with us to the Capitol to show the statewide support universal school choice has from Mountain City to Memphis.”
“By time session is over, we’ll ensure every family in Tennessee knows if their lawmaker believes parents know what’s best, or if they support the failing status quo where politicians & unions make decisions for them,” Venable said.
In July, 69 percent of respondents in a poll conducted by the Beacon Center approved of the state’s expansion of education savings accounts statewide.
Beacon CEO Justin Owen noted this on Tuesday, saying, “Parents everywhere deserve true educational freedom, and Tennesseans across the political spectrum agree. Our recent poll shows that nearly 70% of Tennessee voters support expanding our ESA program statewide, including a strong majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, while only 17% oppose it.
“Beacon has long advocated for expanding parental choice, and we are grateful the governor is leading the charge to make it happen in 2024,” Owen added.
On Tuesday, Lee held an event formally announcing his plan alongside Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders – whose state has adopted universal school choice – as well as state lawmakers and families in Tennessee that have already benefited from the program.
Nine states have adopted universal school choice in the U.S.
WATCH LIVE: Governor Bill Lee Makes Education Freedom Announcement https://t.co/PLR3ViPzDo
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) November 28, 2023
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
