Bill Lee vs. Sun Bucks

One more story on Gov. Bill Lee letting TN kids go hungry:

For the first time in five years, the majority of low-income students across Tennessee will not receive supplemental grocery funds this summer to help bridge the months when they aren’t receiving school meals.

This is because Lee rejected federal support of Summer EBT – and instead, created a new, TN-funded program. The new program will serve only 25,000 kids in just 15 counties – down from the 700,000 kids served in all 95 counties since 2020.

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It’s vouchers – thanks to Gov. Bill Lee

Bill Lee’s legacy will be the undoing of Tennessee’s public education system. First, through the ill-designed TISA formula and then by way of a universal school voucher scheme.

In fact, states with existing voucher programs are already reporting budget woes:

Stateline reports:

In submitting her updated budget proposal in March, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs lamented the rising costs of the state’s school vouchers program that directs public dollars to pay private school tuition.

Characterizing vouchers as an “entitlement program,” Hobbs said the state could spend more than $1 billion subsidizing private education in the upcoming fiscal year. The Democratic governor said those expenses could crowd out other budget priorities, including disability programs and pay raises for firefighters and state troopers.

Tennessee’s voucher scheme will cost nearly $150 million in year one – and the cost of the private school coupon plan could balloon quickly.

Of course, by the time the voucher plan eats so many state dollars that other programs are cut, Lee will no longer be governor.

Still, when public education in the state suffocates under the weight of school vouchers, there is one man who should bear the brunt of the blame: Bill Lee.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Voucher Coupon Scheme Starts NOW

May 15th is the launch of TN’s new, $1.1 billion voucher scheme

Gov. Bill Lee spent significant time and energy during his term attempting to pass a universal school voucher scheme that would provide coupons for discounted admission to private schools.

He finally convinced the legislature to pass this plan during a special legislative session early this year. In 2019, lawmakers passed a limited voucher plan – for only Memphis and Nashville – and then expanded that to Chattanooga.

The early results from that plan suggest it isn’t “working” – if by working one means helping students improve academic outcomes.

Results from other states show vouchers consistently cost a ton of money and fail to produce results.

No matter, Tennessee lawmakers are all-in.

So, here we are.

And some lawmakers are issuing a final warning about the dangerous territory Tennessee is about to enter:

Tennessee Senate Democrats said school vouchers will cost state taxpayers more than $1 billion. They also warned the plan could lead to less state funds for public schools. As a result, the Democrats are calling the plan a “billion-dollar boondoggle.”

The plan calls for 20,000 vouchers worth $7295 each to be available for students in grades K-12 to use at the private school of their family’s choice.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Pastors call out Gov. Lee for failing moral test of investing in children

The Southern Christian Coalition is calling out Gov. Bill Lee for his Administration’s failure to properly fund Tennessee public schools.

On news that the state now ranks 47th nationally in per student investment – and last among our Southeastern neighbors, Rev. Chris Warren -a Cumberland Presbyterian minister from Murfreesboro – said:

“Scripture reminds us often to care for both children and the vulnerable in our midst. By prioritizing voucher schemes instead of fully funding our public schools, it’s clear that Governor Lee and the Supermajority Legislature have neglected this scripture’s call. Instead, they have prioritized underfunding public education while funneling millions to vouchers. This benefits powerful outside interest groups while our children suffer.”

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Sure, it means short-term hunger – but at least TN is free from “federal interference”

Gov. Bill Lee is among a cohort of GOP governors trying to wean their governments off of “dependence” on the federal government. No Medicaid expansion, for example.

Nevermind that Tennesseans have paid into the federal treasury – Lee doesn’t want the money.

One might think that if there was an easy and affordable way to help feed kids over the summer, a state leader would take it. But, a number of Republican governors are not – including Tennessee’s Lee.

The Wall Street Journal digs deeper into a story I wrote about back in February.

When the federal government offered to cover the cost of feeding Tennessee’s poor children last summer, state officials accepted the cash.

Some $84 million in federal money flowed into Tennessee. The families of 700,000 kids were given $120 per child to buy food during the summer months when school is out.

Washington made the same offer for the coming summer. This time, Tennessee said no.

The WSJ story notes that Republican-led states are conflicted over accepting the Summer EBT funds – 14 are taking the money, 13 (like Tennessee) are not.

Instead of ensuring all kids have access to food this summer, Lee is starting his own program – one that leaves the fast majority of kids in need without access to food.

Tennessee can spend $1 billion to give wealthy families coupons for private schools. The state can spend hundreds of millions to build a stadium for a privately-owned football team.

But we sure can’t accept money from the federal government to ensure hungry families get a boost.

Seems that someone (Bill Lee) has some pretty mixed up priorities.

question marks on paper crafts
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

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A new report shows that Tennessee has hit a new low – now the lowest among our Southeastern neighbors in school funding.

While Tennessee historically ranks in the bottom 10 nationally – usually in the 44-45 range – we’d usually end up with funding above some of our Southern neighbors.

Thanks to Bill Lee, not anymore.

Tennessee ranks dead last among neighboring states when it comes to investment in schools after six years of Lee’s “leadership.”

Instead of seeking to right the ship and push Tennessee forward, Lee has now convinced his legislative allies to embrace a billion-dollar school voucher scheme.

If you think it’s bad now, it will very likely get worse.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Vouchers Hurt Kids

Ohio data shows school voucher schemes lead to academic harms for students

Gov. Bill Lee’s top legislative priority since his election in 2018 has been a statewide school voucher scheme.

During a special legislative session in January, Lee’s dream was realized. While existing evidence suggested this plan would be both bad for taxpayers and harmful to kids, Lee persisted. Now, new data out of Ohio confirms that those warning of the harms of vouchers were onto something.

Let’s be clear: The data over more than a decade shows that vouchers are both very expensive and ineffective at improving academic achievement.

On all proficiency tests, students getting a voucher for one year or less overall are about 75% proficient. Three years later, they’re 54% proficient.

That’s a drop of nearly 1/3!

The Ohio numbers show that students did not improve in any subject – in fact, their scores declined!

Vouchers are bad.

They hurt kids.

And taxpayers will be on the hook for a program that doesn’t just “not work” it actually has negative impacts.

Bill Lee’s signature legislative achievement is a multi-billion dollar program that will hurt Tennessee kids.

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Dismantling the Department of Education will have devastating impacts

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday celebrated Donald Trump’s “executive order” to dismantle and effectively end the U.S. Department of Education.

Unsurprisingly, the same Governor who relentlessly pushed to destroy public education in Tennessee through a costly and ineffective school voucher scheme also supports this latest very bad idea.

Here’s a bit of what I wrote about it over at The Education Report:

In short: This will be bad. All of it. The end of the Department of Education. The end of public school. The advent of “free market, choose your own adventure” education.

The end result: an exacerbation of income-based inequality. Or, the dream scenario of Project 2025.

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Fiscally irresponsible and unjust.

That’s how the Tennessee Justice Center describes TN Gov. Bill Lee’s plan to reject federal funds to support a summer food program for kids.

Instead, Lee’s administration will create its own program – spending the same amount of state money to feed a lot less kids.

“Instead of serving 700,000 Tennessee children through Summer EBT, TDHS’s program will reach a max of 25,000 children. Despite spending nearly as much as it would take to serve the entire state, the Tennessee program will reach less than 4% of the children that received Summer EBT in 2024.”

Lee found money for a $1.1 billion voucher coupon program to help wealthy families save money on the private schools their kids are already attending – but he can’t find the money to feed hungry kids across all 95 counties this summer.

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Oak Ridge and Voucher Opposition

Retired teacher speaks out against voucher scam

A retired teacher from Anderson County spoke to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge about the reasons she opposes Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher scam.

Objections to the new bill that lawmakers must ponder this year were presented in a recent talk by Marsha Livingston, a retired teacher from Anderson County Schools.

Based on valid data comparing the educational outcomes of public and private school students in Tennessee the last two years and in other states with large rural populations, she said, student academic achievement based on test scores in public schools generally surpasses that of students in private schools supported by public money.

 She quoted Andy Spears, publisher of the Tennessee Education Report, who wrote, “With little data showing any significant positive gains, and new data suggesting possible harms, it’s difficult to understand why policymakers would adopt a voucher system in Tennessee.”

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