There are 21 article(s) tagged School vouchers:

• January 2021

  • Opinion: Pandemic makes need for school choice clear

    ‘The point is not to determine the merits of public education versus private education. Why can’t we champion both?’

    By Abbey Cowens January 22, 2021

  • Kelsey appointed to chair state Senate’s education committee

    Kelsey, who represents Germantown, Cordova and East Memphis. will serve as chairman of the senate education committee.

    By Abigail Warren January 13, 2021

• November 2020

  • Tennessee takes overturned school voucher law to state’s highest court

    Metro Nashville and Shelby County challenged the law because it applies only to their communities without giving their local governments or voters a say.

    By Marta W. Aldrich November 25, 2020

  • Opinion: Beacon Center research shows ESAs would benefit Memphis, Nashville school districts

    ‘The cries that the ESA program will gut classroom funding and leave the most vulnerable students with fewer resources is antithetical to both the purpose and benefits of the ESA program.’

    By Jason Edmonds November 25, 2020

• October 2020

  • School vouchers are an issue in legislative races

    In one of the legislature’s most high-profile races, Jerri Green is considered a serious challenger to Republican Rep. Mark White, chairman of the House Education Committee. They are polar opposites on the issue of vouchers.

    By Marta W. Aldrich October 15, 2020

• August 2020

  • Governor lists school vouchers among his biggest accomplishments – and disappointments

    Gov. Bill Lee expects the voucher rollout, which was halted when a Nashville judge overturned the 2019 law in May, will be resurrected in 2021. The Tennessee Court of Appeals is expected to rule this fall on the state’s appeal.

    By Marta W. Aldrich August 21, 2020

• June 2020

  • Pared-down budget scrubs proposed teacher bonus

    For educators, the retreat marked a disappointing end to a budget process that was so promising in February when Gov. Bill Lee asked the legislature for nearly $650 million in new dollars for K-12 education.

    By Marta W. Aldrich June 19, 2020

  • State Supreme Court won’t hear school voucher appeal

    A Davidson County chancellor in early May ruled the voucher program unconstitutional, saying the Legislature forced the program on Shelby and Metro Nashville without local approval.

    By Sam Stockard June 04, 2020

• May 2020

  • Five education issues to watch as Legislature resumes

    As lawmakers begin returning to the Capitol, they’ll face cratering revenues and the need to make deep cuts to Tennessee’s spending plan.

    By Marta W. Aldrich May 27, 2020

  • Voucher program draws support without a word

    Tennessee’s Education Savings Account program drew support in Republican-controlled subcommittees Tuesday, May 26, 2020, with hardly a word.

    By Sam Stockard May 26, 2020

  • Attorney General asks Supreme Court to intervene in voucher lawsuit

    Gov. Bill Lee said the State Attorney General has filed a request for the Tennessee Supreme Court to take the Education Savings Account case and allow it to move forward while the case is on appeal.

    By Sam Stockard May 21, 2020

  • Appeals Court declines voucher program work during appeal

    The Tennessee Court of Appeals rejected the state's efforts to keep working on the Education Savings Account program while it's under appeal and set an Aug. 5 hearing for arguments, which could make it difficult for the program to get the go-ahead in time to start offering vouchers this year.

    By Sam Stockard May 19, 2020

  • A mother credits targeted choices for sons’ high school opportunity

    Smaller class sizes, class time spent teaching instead of dealing with behavioral problems, and a rigorous college-prep curriculum were important to me. But times change, and different students thrive in different environments.

    By Lori Lynn Love May 16, 2020

  • Tennessee’s education voucher mess is slimier than a salamander

    Gov. Bill Lee called the day the House passed the school voucher law last year an “historic day.” If so, the bar for historic days is lower than a salamander’s belly.

    By Dan Conaway May 15, 2020

  • Judge denies motion to proceed with school vouchers pending appeal

    Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin also scolded the state education department for its “mixed messaging” in continuing to take applications for the voucher program without alerting parents about the status of the legal case.

    By Marta W. Aldrich May 07, 2020

  • Chancellor strikes down school voucher law

    Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin has struck down the state’s private school voucher law, known as the Education Savings Account (ESA) Pilot Program.

    By Sam Stockard May 05, 2020

• April 2020

  • Tennessee will wait to award school vouchers until judge rules

    One lawsuit over education savings accounts, or vouchers, pits the state against Metro Nashville and Shelby County governments, as well as Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Another was filed on behalf of parents in Memphis and Nashville.

    By Marta W. Aldrich April 29, 2020

• March 2020

  • Tennessee begins taking school voucher applications

    Even as the new education voucher program is mired in a court battle and public schools may lose more funding if the coronavirus pandemic causes a recession, the state education department is accepting applications through April 29 via an online site. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 31, 2020

  • Judge pledges to move swiftly on education voucher lawsuit

    Chancellor Anne C. Martin indicated that she likely will allow three pro-voucher groups representing parents from Memphis and Nashville to become part of the case. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 07, 2020

  • Pro-voucher group launches online school search for Memphis, Nashville

    Billed as a “one-stop shop” for parents, Tennessee School Finder focuses on school choices for families zoned to Shelby County Schools, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and the state-run Achievement School District. 

    By Marta W. Aldrich March 04, 2020

• February 2020

  • Lawmakers seek raft of information about voucher program as key Republican expresses regrets

    Gov. Bill Lee's education voucher program is taking hits from all directions as legislators raise questions.

    By Sam Stockard February 12, 2020