State budget set to take a hit from rapid private school coupon scam
This blog takes a look at the numbers when it comes to Tennessee’s expanded school voucher scheme – set to go universal in the upcoming academic year.
Applications continue to flow in for Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program. The TDOE has released data showing that the number of scholarships applied for by families with a qualified income was equal to those for by parents with no economic restrictions.
As of the beginning of this week, the department has received a total of 38,160 applications:
- 18,852 applications for qualified income scholarships.
- 19,308 applications for universal scholarships.
- Applications have been received from more than 300 zip codes across the state.
- An average of 2,935 applications per grade level have been submitted for students entering Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Critics of the program continue to fire away even as applications increase. According to Sam Stockard at the Tennessee Lookout, the program is slated to cost about $400 million next year and escalate to $1.1 billion in five years. Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons says, calling Gov. Lee’s program “a scam that will harm students, de-fund public education, and expedite our state’s impending budget crisis.”
