A group that supports a statewide program of private school discount coupons for wealthy families (school vouchers) is among the top political spenders in Tennessee.
Over the next two years, the School Freedom Fund spent $4.5 million across Tennessee’s 2024 legislative cycle and a special election for a Middle Tennessee Congressional seat in 2025. The group won five of the six primaries it spent on, signaling the value of its backing in winning competitive Republican elections.
The group spent nearly twice as much as the Tennessee Republican Caucus did in the 2024 cycle. Following that, state lawmakers passed Lee’s original 2024 statewide plan by a five-vote margin in the state House.
Now, the state has a $300 million school voucher scheme. Tennessee also invests less in public education than any other state in the nation.
