Tennessee policymakers and Gov. Lee have decided that funding a separate, $300 million voucher school system is more important than investing in our state’s public schools.
That decision carries real costs, as this letter writer to the Tennessean points out:
The wonderful public school my precious granddaughters attend has been informed that they will lose $338,000 this year. In essence, to have the same services in 2026-2027, they will have to find donors and philanthropies to chip away at this hole in the next few months, or drastically reduce staffing. Already, current staff cover two or three job descriptions, double up on learning support and, at the same time, have produced better test scores and student retention. The system disincentivizes success.
Four months to raise $338,000 that won’t provide extras or undergird new efforts. It’ll be just enough to maintain. Metro and the State do not provide fundraising support. PTAs are keeping the doors open, and moms are popping their trunks in the pickup line to provide diapers, hygiene products and food for students whose government-supported benefits have been reduced or stopped altogether.
