Parents blame Tennessee education department upheaval for voucher problems
Eight-year-old Gigi Benassi winces as a pressure probe tickles her ear during a comprehensive hearing test with Audiologist Rachel Lunsford at the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf on Jan. 30, 2020. Gigi is moderately to severely deaf. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Marta W. Aldrich
Marta W. Aldrich is the senior statehouse correspondent at Chalkbeat Tennessee. A newswoman for The Associated Press for most of her career, Marta has covered state government, politics, business, education and other Tennessee news. She has served as news editor of United Methodist News Service and features editor of American Profile magazine. Marta is a graduate of Memphis City Schools and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
The Individualized Education Account program is under scrutiny, and voucher opponents say the problems bolster their case that Tennessee can't be trusted to launch the larger school voucher program this summer.
Topics
Education Savings Accounts Individualized Education Account Tennessee Department of Education Penny SchwinnRelated stories
Tennessee hires Florida company to manage education vouchers
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.
Education voucher rules cruise through Tennessee board
The program is on track to launch in the fall of 2020, a year earlier than required under a new state law. Lee ordered the accelerated timeline this summer.
First group of Memphis parents hears how vouchers work
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.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.