In an email sent by advocacy group TN for All, Nashville Metro Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda issues a call to action against the legislature’s attempt to rapidly expand Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher scheme. If expanded, the plan could cost as much as $300 million next year.
The email reads in part:
Last night, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to pass an expansion of Governor Lee’s voucher scheme.
These vouchers, called “Education Freedom Scholarships,” have so far gone primarily to wealthy families whose children were already enrolled in private schools, with no evidence from the Lee administration to suggest otherwise.
For the upcoming school year, each voucher will be worth $7,530 per student attending a private school, which is more state funding per pupil than Tennessee provides to K 12 public school students. Meanwhile, Tennessee ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending for public education.
In short, this means more strain on our public schools and less support for the students who rely on them.
Vouchers are a bad deal for Tennessee families. Our children deserve strong, stable investment in their public schools.
