Gov. Lee's cabinet members called for questions about $4M mystery fund
Tennessee House Democrats want to ask about a pot of money tucked into the Department of Economic and Community Development’s budget.
Topic: Vouchers
RSSThere are 25 article(s) tagged Vouchers:
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November 2019
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August 2019
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Manager named for Tennessee school voucher program
Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn named Amity Schuyler voucher project manager. “She believes in education savings accounts. And to take the lead on this project, I need someone who believes in it,” Schwinn said.
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Governor promises ‘funding will be there’ for early voucher start
Gov. Bill Lee said the state, which began its new fiscal year on July 1, has enough money to start the education savings account program for the 2020-21 school year. His decision to work toward an early rollout caught even some staff members in his education department off guard.
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Tennessee replaces its voucher-friendly House speaker with a voucher opponent
Sexton has strong ties to public education. He attended schools in Knox County before graduating in 1989 from Oak Ridge High School in neighboring Anderson County. His mother was a kindergarten teacher for more than 30 years, and his grandfather was a principal.
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May 2019
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Voucher legislation might not have passed after Casada texting scandal, GOP leader says
Asked on Tuesday if the House would have passed the voucher bill had Casada already been under the cloud of a scandal, Rep. Mark White of Memphis said “probably not.” White voted for the bill.
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The fine print: Five things to know about the state's voucher legislation
The state education department must administer the education savings accounts, establish a fraud-reporting system, and suspend or terminate schools that don’t comply with rules. It must produce an annual report on the number of students participating, the results of a parent survey, overall student performance and “graduation outcomes.”
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Betsy DeVos praises Tennessee voucher program
When asked for her opinion on the provision that could affect immigrant or undocumented students, DeVos said: “I think that’s been a matter for Tennessee to debate. I can’t comment on a hypothetical."
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Conaway: Surely our governor has something better to do
Whether or not the voucher program becomes law, it’s bad law, and a self-inflicted wound to our new governor. He used his honeymoon period to shove school vouchers down the throats of just two districts already strangled for cash.
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April 2019
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Governor huddles with school leaders in cities affected by voucher proposal
'We hope the governor reconsiders,' said Joris Ray, Shelby County Schools’ interim superintendent, about the education savings account proposal. 'I think the governor’s heart is in the right place. But on this particular issue, I think he needs to listen and have an open heart.'
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Voucher proposal is 'step backwards,' says civil rights, education coalition
The statement — released as the governor’s bill is slated for key legislative committee votes this week — marks the first time that the 3-year-old coalition has taken a stand against a major proposal.
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Voucher proposal open to legal challenge for excluding undocumented students
The Tennessee Senate bill retains House language requiring applicants to provide government-issued documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, or passports. That provision could be in conflict with a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that requires states to offer public education to all children, regardless of their immigration status.
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Conaway: Pray for the Constitution
I don’t want my kids taught your religion on my nickel anymore than you want them taught mine on yours. Neither of us has the right to send them to that private school with the other’s money.
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Voucher program would double in size, add homeschoolers under latest proposal
The latest amendment would cap the voucher program at 30,000 students instead of 15,000 as approved by House committees. And it would add back homeschoolers who were stripped out of the House bill last month to appease several representatives.
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Lawmakers lower income limit for school voucher eligibility
Gov. Bill Lee had campaigned on giving more educational choices to low-income families in districts with failing schools. But the original income cap was criticized for being well above what’s considered low-income in Tennessee.
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Voucher opponents shift strategy as bill barrels through Legislature
In the past, critics of vouchers have had more time to mount spirited public opposition, often in the form of rallies in Nashville and Memphis, the city that would likely be most affected.
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March 2019
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SCS board voices opposition to vouchers
School board members in Shelby County have consistently opposed using state funds for private school tuition, and the latest proposal, which expands eligible expenses to tutoring and online courses, is no different, they said.
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Will Tennessee vouchers help black families go where they were once shunned?
Black Memphians make up a large portion of the people who will qualify for the governor’s proposal, but they are hesitant to trust predominately white private schools.
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Governor says plans would help low-income students, but they cast a much wider net
Gov. Bill Lee's proposed voucher program could provide an average of $7,300 annually to families that make double the annual income under federal eligibility requirements for receiving free and reduced-price lunches.
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How Tennessee’s latest voucher proposal differs from past plans
The biggest difference – and most costly for parents – is that traditional vouchers would have covered all tuition costs. Education savings accounts would not necessarily cover all of a student’s private-school tuition.
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Tennesseans consider Gov. Lee's voucher plan – and wonder who benefits most
Some Tennesseans say the income threshold makes vouchers appealing to families for which private school is within reach, compared to students from low-income families who may be looking to escape low-performing schools.
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Let's strengthen public 'school choice' in Tennessee
Instead of trying a new, unproven program with dubious accountability to the taxpayers who are funding it, why don’t we double down on the initiatives that are already working across the state?
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Voucher program won't harm public schools, Tennessee governor says
Gov. Bill Lee said his proposed education savings accounts would not siphon money from public schools: “For every dollar that goes with a child that leaves a school or a district, that district will receive a fill-in-the-gap amount of equal amount.”
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Education voucher plan by Tennessee's governor generates more questions than answers
Supporters and opponents of Lee's proposal for education savings accounts are mobilizing for likely the biggest battle of the legislative session.
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February 2019
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Lawmakers aware of fraud in states with vouchers, education savings accounts
The potential for fraud has some Tennessee legislators, including Memphis Rep. Mark White and Memphis Sen. Raumesh Akbari, cautious about broader school choice options.
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October 2018
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Texas minister rallies Tennessee pastors against private school vouchers
A Texas pastor who has fought private school vouchers in his home state is bringing his call of support for traditional public education to Tennessee.
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