Bill to increase transparency of voucher program dies in committee

NASHVILLE — A bill that would have provided transparency to the state's private school voucher program died in a subcommittee Tuesday. The bill, HB1052, would have required the Comptroller's Office to provide the General Assembly with an annual report detailing the number of private school voucher recipients who were previously enrolled in a public school. That data is not currently available to the public or lawmakers, though it is necessary for holding the program accountable. It would confirm whether the Education Freedom Scholarship Program is living up to its promise of providing "school choice" to public school students who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend a private school. The Education Freedom Scholarship Act provides around $7,300 to 20,000 recipients, half of which must be from households with incomes less than 300% of the federal poverty level — about $96,000 for a family of four. The bill comes amid Gov. Bill Lee's push to double the amount of available scholarships this year. "Bottom line, it's so we can make informed decisions," said state Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, while presenting his bill to the subcommittee. "We talk about being fiscally conservative on both sides of the aisle, and about how important it is for the government to be transparent. But right now, we don't have that transparency." McKenzie's bill died in a 2 to 5 vote along party lines. When asked why he voted against the legislation, House Education Committee Chairman Mark White, R-Memphis, said he didn't believe it was the right way to go about getting the information. White, a cosponsor of the Education Freedom Act last year, expressed concerns over potential privacy violations, though he said the data is necessary to hold the program accountable. "I think I understand what [McKenzie] is asking for, but at this particular point in time, I think there should be more of a move from the department to put some things together so we can have more details on what can be collected," said White. But that's not the final word on whether the data will be made public. A similar bill, sponsored by Dickson Republican Rep. Jody Barrett, would require the Department of Education to submit an annual report to the General Assembly showing the number of public to private school transfers. It would also require data on the recipient's county of residence and annual household income, among other information. The House version of that bill has seven cosponsors — one of whom is state Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, who voted in support of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act last year. Hill did not respond to requests for comment on this story. State Rep. Bud Hulsey, R-Kingsport, said he was unaware of Barrett's bill, but would "probably" support it if it came to a House floor vote. "We need to know those kinds of pieces of information," Hulsey said via text message. "I can't speak to whether or not the majority would support it." State Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, said he expects this data to be available before the General Assembly makes a decision to expand the Education Freedom Scholarship. "I do support Senator Walley in requesting that the Department of Education provide data on the Education Freedom Scholarships," said Crowe. "This data would certainly allow the general assembly as well as the public to take a holistic look at the EFS program to see whether it appears prudent to move forward, expand or even make changes or adjustments that might be needed before moving forward." There are three schools in Washington County eligible to receive voucher funds and three in Sullivan County.