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.
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) launched a website focused on recruiting people to teach in Nashville’s public schools.
From a promotional emal:
At NPEF, we believe teachers are the best positioned to move the needle for students and advance the positive outcomes we all want for kids. That is why we created the Teach Nashville websiteto support Metro Nashville Public Schools’ recruitment efforts by acting as a one-stop-shop for information on becoming a teacher in our district.
The online resource contains a variety of information that new and aspiring teachers need to solidify their decision to work in our district. On the Teach Nashville site, prospective MNPS educators can hear directly from teachers in our district about their experiences, find out what makes MNPS unique, learn about the teacher licensure process, explore different Nashville neighborhoods, find information about salary and benefits, and more.
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) will soon be seeking a new President and CEO. Katie Cour, who has led the advocacy nonprofit for more than six years, is moving on to a new opportunity.
An email sent by NPEF explains:
Today we are sharing the bittersweet news that Katie Cour, our president and CEO, will be stepping away from NPEF after over six years with the organization. We are extremely grateful to Katie for the transformative work she has helped us achieve and the strong partnerships she has built.
During her tenure, Katie has been a strategic thinker, leader, and collaborator dedicated to addressing critical challenges in public education, and she has helped spark important conversations about improving outcomes for students. As NPEF’s president and CEO, she has shaped initiatives such as Teacherpreneur, a partnership with Metro Schools and the Mayor’s Office to improve teacher pay, NPEF’s documentary “By Design: The Shaping of Nashville’s Public Schools,” and the launch of the Nashville Child and Youth Collaborative alongside other local nonprofits.
Cour’s last day is July 3, 2025. The group will conduct a national search for its next leader.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition issued a statement from Executive Director, Lisa Sherman Luna, following the defeat of legislation sponsored by William Lamberth and Bo Watson that would have excluded some children in the state from the ability to access public schools.
“This victory is a hard-fought win that has come from months of work from our team, organizers, campaign partners, faith leaders, educators, business owners and more – Tennessans who understand the importance of fighting for the safety and protection of our children and families, no matter where they live. For now, our children are able to attend public school and receive an education, but this past year taught us how quickly our rights can be stripped from us by the same lawmakers who were elected to look out for everyone in our state, not just a select few.
The Trump administration’s immigration policies are emboldening extremism here in Tennessee, but we are determined to show both our state leaders and the administration that they cannot enact this egregious agenda without a fight.
Our battle is ongoing: The state now has its first-ever Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer – a former ICE agent – and it is now a felony for local lawmakers to vote in favor of policies protecting immigrant families. Despite the challenges that these new rules will bring, we are more prepared than ever to continue telling the stories and fighting for the rights of our communities.”
Finally, we’re all still waiting to see what happens with the so-called Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA)—aka the tax shelter for the wealthy that’s also a federal voucher scheme intended to ram vouchers into every state—even those that don’t want it. Those of us with our ear to the ground have heard conflicting things: maybe it will make it into the federal reconciliation process (where it would need only a simple GOP majority to pass) or maybe it’ll come up for a vote later in the year. One thing we know is that Betsy DeVos’s group is continuing to make this a top priority, so it’s something to keep monitoring closely.
The North Dakota House overwhelmingly rejected an Education Savings Account bill Thursday night, a day after the governor vetoed a similar bill.
House members voted 78-14 against Senate Bill 2400, which sought to provide private school vouchers plus Education Savings Accounts for public school and homeschooled students.
A group of Tennessee pastors affiliated with the Southern Christian Coalition condemned Tennessee lawmakers for what the group said was a “harmful” legislative session.
“As a Christian pastor, I believe all children are made in the image of God and deserve the freedom to learn, be themselves, and thrive—regardless of where they’re born or their family’s income,” said Rev. Dr. C. Don Jones, Pastor of Andersonville and Heiskell United Methodist Churches in East Tennessee. “Yet this 2025 legislative session has harmed vulnerable children across our state. While we’re thankful some of the worst bills didn’t pass, significant damage was still done. The January Special Session’s voucher program diverted public education funds to private schools, hurting children in public schools. Lawmakers also continued restricting TANF funds meant to help families in poverty, and Governor Lee rejected federal money intended to feed hungry children during summer months. When will these attacks on our children stop?”
Lee rejected $75 million in federal funds that would have supported a program to add funds to EBT cards for families whose kids receive free/reduced lunch during the school year.
Then there is Tennessee, where odious legislation that would have given public schools the right to turn away undocumented students, or charge them tuition, collapsed this week due to widespread opposition. A broad coalition of groups, sixty five strong, including the Tennessee Chapter of NAACP, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) — one of my favorite grassroots organizing groups—and an array of immigrant rights organizations helped bring this thing down.
Local school officials played a key role too. The Hamilton County School Board, representing the largest school system in the home district of Bo Watson, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, voted unanimously to condemn the legislation last week, and every one of the district’s 79 school principals came out in opposition.
As Tennessee moves forward with expensive voucher scheme, other states are rejected the bad idea
The effort to divert public funds to unaccountable private schools ran into roadblocks in Missouri and Utah last week.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan to rapidly enlarge a scholarship program for private and religious schools with an infusion of state tax funds was cut out of the budget Wednesday as the Senate Appropriations Committee finished revising spending plans for the coming year.
The Republican Senator who stripped the voucher funding said public schools should be the state’s top funding priority.
In Utah, a judge came to the rescue of the state’s students:
Utah’s $100 million school voucher program violates the state’s constitution, a judge ruled Friday.
“[Because] the Program is a legislatively created, publicly funded education program aimed at elementary and secondary education, it must satisfy the constitutional requirements applicable to the ‘public education system’ set forth in the Utah Constitution,” Third District Judge Laura Scott wrote in her ruling. “The Program is not ‘open to all children of the state.’”
The judge said public education funds in Utah must be used to support schools that accept all students – and that private schools may restrict admission, so cannot be recipients of public education dollars.
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) announced the newest recipients of their Hall of Fame honor.
Janet Miller, this year’s Nelson C. Andrews Distinguished Service Award honoree. Janet has served as a real estate and development leader in Nashville for over 30 years. She is currently the CEO and Market Leader as well as the incoming Vice Chairman of Colliers Nashville. Janet proudly declares the foundation for her success is the public education she received in Nashville, which has guided and inspired her service to our community throughout her career
We are also excited to announce this year’s Distinguished Alumni honorees. These individuals have shown exemplary leadership and service in our community and are inspiring examples of the incredible talent cultivated by Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Martesha Johnson Moore, a graduate of Whites Creek High School, is the Nashville Metropolitan Chief Public Defender.
Marlene Eskind Moses, a graduate of Hillsboro High School, is an internationally recognized family law attorney at GSRM Law.
Tom Parrish, a graduate of Hillwood High School, now known as James Lawson High School, is the Chief Operating Officer at the Scarlett Family Foundation where he manages the day-to-day operations and relationships with grant seekers, recipients, and key business partners.
