General Assembly hands Tennessee schools over to oligarchs

The Plaid Privatizer has won.

Gov. Bill Lee finally achieved his longtime dream of handing public education funding in Tennessee over to some of his favorite oligarchs.

The Tennessean reports:

Republican lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to a $447 million statewide publicly funded school voucher program — a long-sought victory for Gov. Bill Lee and a host of school choice advocates who have spent millions pushing the plan.

Tennessee will now have two taxpayer-funded school systems. The private school voucher system will siphon money from public schools, drive up local property taxes, and bust the state’s budget – just as it has done in other states.

The plan is also unlikely to get results – in state after state, voucher scams have failed to improve academic achievement.

Sen. Charlane Oliver clearly illuminated the big picture of Lee’s scam:

Tennessee’s public education system is under siege by wealthy conservative oligarchs, including former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who are bankrolling Republican leaders to push school vouchers. Ultra-wealthy conservatives have made dismantling public education their mission, even descending upon Washington ready to disband the U.S. Department of Education.

As public education in the state unravels and unaccountable private school operators bleed taxpayers dry, just remember: This is all on the Plaid Privatizer, Bill Lee.