There are 33 article(s) tagged Vouchers:
Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee campaigned on vouchers in both 2018 and 2022, but the bill’s chances of becoming law appeared in jeopardy last week. Lawmakers questioned the cost, the effect on private schools and the changing nature of the legislation.
Two Memphis Democrats in the state House talk on "Behind The Headlines" about the resurgent questions by lawmakers of both parties around the school vouchers program passed by the Legislature last year and on a fast track for implementation this summer.
Getting high-quality private schools to sign on is viewed as crucial to the success of the education savings account program, which will launch with up to 5,000 students zoned for Shelby County Schools, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, and the state-run Achievement School District.
The new hires are expected to further expand the influence of organizations advocating for education policies such as vouchers and charter schools.
Reps. Bo Mitchell of Nashville and Joe Towns of Memphis have drafted separate proposals that would rescind Tennessee’s education savings account law.
The goal of the meeting at a private Christian school in southeast Memphis was to tell families that starting next year, they could be eligible for up to $7,300 in education voucher money to send their children to a private school or to use for other private services.
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ClassWallet started work for Tennessee Nov. 4 after signing a two-year contract worth $2.53 million with the Department of Education, according to documents obtained by Chalkbeat.
Tennessee House Democrats want to ask about a pot of money tucked into the Department of Economic and Community Development’s budget.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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."
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.
'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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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