Bill expanding state voucher program heads to Lee's desk

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation Thursday morning that greatly expands the state's private school voucher program. SB2247 passed the Senate in an 18-14 vote, with eight Republican dissenters. Local state Sens. Bobby Harshbarger, R-Kingsport, and Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, voted in support of the measure. The bill squealed through a previous House vote Monday with only two votes to spare. State Reps. Renea Jones, R-Unicoi, and Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, were the only local legislators to vote against the measure. The Education Freedom Scholarship program provides vouchers worth around $7,300 for students to put toward private school tuition. That amount is likely to increase to around $7,500 this upcoming year. The program launched last year with 20,000 slots available. But during his State of the State address in February, Lee announced his plan to double the program to 40,000 spots with an annual price tag of $305 million. The legislation that passed the General Assembly cuts the proposed 20,000-voucher expansion down to 15,000. There are seven EFS-registered private schools between Washington and Sullivan Counties, with none in Johnson, Carter, Unicoi and Hawkins Counties. Crowe said his district, encompassing Carter, Johnson and Washington County, has "great deal of interest" in the program. "This has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make," Crowe said in a statement, noting he has received calls from both opponents and supporters of expanding the program. "I believe we can have great public schools by providing them with historic levels of new funding, and we can also provide parents with school choice. I'm proud to do both!" Harshbarger voted against the original legislation establishing the EFS program last year. He said his sticking point was language which tied Tennessee to a federal education program, a provision which was removed in the most recent form of the legislation. Harshbarger also commended some additional safeguards added by the bill. "But we are no longer debating whether this program should exist, it is already in place, and Tennessee families are using it," Harshbarger said. "So the question now is not whether to ignore it, but whether to ensure it is structured responsibly, with proper oversight, transparency, and protections for our public schools." Proponents cite the more than 54,000 EFS applications the state received this year as evidence of the need to expand the program. They say parent satisfaction is the top priority of the program, and that it is reason enough to warrant expanding it. Opponents say of course parents are satisfied — because they claim the vouchers are being taken advantage of primarily by students already enrolled in private schools. During floor debate, state Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, said a similar program in Arkansas resulted in 92% of vouchers being used by students who were already enrolled in private schools. Other provisions in the bill create an income-based pecking order for new applicants, while also requiring the department of Education to report the enrollment status of EFS applicants. Since the program was implemented, the state Department of Education has been mum on the number of vouchers received by students already enrolled in private schools. That's despite bipartisan calls from lawmakers who say they need that information in order to ensure the program is achieving its stated purpose — giving low-income public school families more options in where they send their kids to school. That data will be available to legislators in June, more than a month after the General Assembly voted to expand the EFS program.