While leaders in some states are suing the Administration for release of the funds, Gov. Lee is not – and if the funds are not ultimately released, it could mean lost jobs and less programs for Tennessee kids most in need.
A spokesperson for Hamilton County Schools says they are at risk of losing $4.1 million that funds “several targeted services such as academic intervention (tutoring), teacher professional learning, and support for English learners.”
One reason Tennessee’s privatizer-in-chief (Bill Lee) suggests the state needs school vouchers is his belief that public schools aren’t always up to the task.
However, the most recent statewide testing data suggests otherwise, noting continuous improvement in scores post-pandemic.
Tennessee students continued to show post-pandemic progress on statewide testing this year, though a majority of third graders fell short of hitting a critical reading benchmark.
More third graders scored proficient this year, with 41.7% compared to 40.9% on last year’s reading test, according to testing data released Tuesday by the Tennessee Department of Education.
The article notes an upward trend and cites the current Education Commissioner as among those praising the work of the state’s public schools:
“We are encouraged to see improvements across all subject areas. This year’s TCAP results reflect Tennessee’s strong commitment to investing in our students’ futures and the steady progress we’re making statewide,” education commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said in a statement. “We are grateful to our teachers, schools, and districts whose unwavering dedication has driven significant improvements in student performance and paved the way for lasting success.”
The program is inexpensive and it works, so naturally, Tennessee policymakers don’t want to participate.
I suspect many of them spent this Sunday in church, singing praises to a Jesus whose teachings they willfully ignore.
More maddening? The Tennessee voters who show up continue to elect “leaders” like Lee simply because these politicians align with their chosen King, Donald Trump.
Here’s more on Sun Bucks and the 675,000 children who suffered this summer so Bill Lee could prove a point:
Sun Bucks is a pragmatic and powerful innovation. After fifty years of relying primarily on congregate meal service, pandemic-era pilots proved that grocery benefits are a high-impact complement. By institutionalizing that lesson, Sun Bucks delivers $120 per child to bridge the summer nutrition gap while preserving meal sites where they are effective. And beyond reducing hardship, the program’s $3.5 billion in benefits may generate over $5 billion in local economic activity each summer, supporting families, businesses, farmers, and communities alike. States that decline to participate are not just forgoing a proven strategy to reduce child hunger—they are turning down fully funded federal benefits that could strengthen their own local economies.
Yep. That’s Bill Lee. “turning down fully-funded federal benefits that could strengthen” Tennessee’s economy.
Nationally, the frozen funds amount to around $7 billion.
In Tennessee, the funds amount to $118 million. Of course, in the Volunteer State, Gov. Lee is all-in on Trumpism and so is cheering the demise of public schools.
Meanwhile, Attorneys General in some states – like North Carolina – are suing Trump to release the funds and avoid programmatic and staffing cuts.
While lawmakers did not approve a state takeover of Memphis schools this year, some haven’t stopped dreaming of how and when they might take over the state’s largest district.
Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor told WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines” Friday that their legislation to establish a state-appointed “board of managers” overseeing the district will be fast-tracked to pass this spring.
Memphis City Council Member Jerri Green – a previous candidate for the TN House of Representatives – announced she plans to run for Governor in 2026. Current Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited.
Green, a Democrat, said she plans to bring an “army of moms” to the campaign.
An interesting tidbit from The Education Report about Indiana’s voucher program and the possible implications for Tennessee:
Tennessee starts a universal school voucher plan in the 2025-2026 school year. That program is already at capacity in terms of the number of applicants. All 20,000 slots will be taken.
If growth of the program tracks Indiana, that would mean that by 2035, Tennessee will be spending more than $1.4 billion on private school coupons.
Which brings us to the second big takeaway: These vouchers are just creating a discount for wealthy families – they are not a pathway for low- and middle-income families to gain access to private school education.
State Rep. Aftyn Behn a candidate for Tennessee’s 7th House District
A Tennessee State Representative with a reputation for hardcore community organizing and a passion for defending public education is now a candidate for Congress.
Behn focused her announcement on her work as an organizer – work that paid off when she defeated a popular Metro Council member in the primary for House District 51.
I’ve seen it as a social worker, sitting with families of kids with disabilities who can’t get the care they need — parents forced to take dead-end jobs just to scrape by, instead of being able to stay home and care for their own children. As a legislator, I’ve heard it firsthand, picking up the phone for my constituents who’ve been waiting years for their SSDI to come through, or who were kicked off TennCare with nowhere else to turn.
Our country is broken. Our systems are broken. And the billionaires and corrupt politicians who broke them are getting richer than ever, while pointing the finger at immigrants and trans kids to distract us from who’s really to blame.
While Behn has organized around the state on healthcare issues, she’s also been a strong advocate for Nashville and Tennessee public schools.
Withheld funds or potential cuts could heavily impact Tennessee education programs, where it’s primarily been used to pay for teacher development, after-school programs, and other child care initiatives.
In a statement, Memphis-Shelby County Schools district officials say 100 teacher and staff positions could be impacted if some $17 million is withheld.
A pair of stories in The Education Report highlight the unfortunate reality of a federal school voucher scheme brought about by the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Robert Kim, Executive Director of Education Law Center:
“Education has not been spared in this bloodbath. This legislation establishes a federal tax credit school voucher scheme with no spending cap. Study after study shows that vouchers sweep aside civil rights protections, support segregation, decimate public school budgets, and do not improve student outcomes. Vouchers undermine public education, the cornerstone of our democracy, and have no place in federal policy.”
The federal voucher is proposed as a tax credit scholarship, meaning that every dollar taxpayers put into the voucher program is a dollar of revenue the federal government does not collect (and for which each donor gets a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, a deal unlike any available for other donation credits). The House version has a cap on the amount of tax revenue the government will give up; the Senate version has no such cap.
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