Tenn. non-public faculty voucher regulation may broaden to Hamilton County

Tennessee’s non-public faculty voucher regulation, which now solely impacts districts and a few college students in Memphis and Nashville, would widen to incorporate Hamilton County Faculties below new laws filed this week.

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican, desires the legislature to broaden the eligibility standards for the training financial savings account program to incorporate college students in districts with a minimum of 5 of the state’s lowest-performing faculties, as recognized within the final three “precedence faculty” cycles since 2015.

Beneath these standards, Hamilton County Faculties, which relies in Chattanooga, would qualify — however not districts in different counties with precedence faculties equivalent to Knox or Madison.

The proposal would mark the primary growth of this system that launched this fall below the controversial 2019 voucher regulation. The regulation, which was signed by Gov. Invoice Lee, handed Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature after a decade-long tug-of-war between those that need to use taxpayer cash to offer dad and mom extra training selections and others who say that strategy diverts cash from already underfunded public faculties.

When the preliminary voucher invoice was being debated, Gardenhire was amongst lawmakers in Chattanooga and Knoxville who sought to exclude their counties from the regulation’s attain. However Gardenhire says the circumstances have modified, and he now helps together with his dwelling district.

He famous that Hamilton County Faculties now has extra precedence faculties than in 2019, when the district was within the midst of a $20 million faculty enchancment plan referred to as Partnership Community. That initiative has since been disbanded.

“We’ll know in a number of years if the ESA program works. However we all know what we’re doing now in Hamilton County shouldn’t be working. It’s a complete catastrophe,” Gardenhire informed Chalkbeat on Thursday.

Gardenhire stated he additionally was involved initially that courts would overturn the brand new training financial savings account regulation, however the Tennessee Supreme Courtroom upheld it on attraction this spring. (Plaintiffs that embrace native governments in Davidson and Shelby counties are nonetheless contemplating whether or not to attraction one other court docket’s current ruling dismissing the rest of their claims.)

“With the appeals adjudicated, it’s time to place Hamilton County Faculties below the ESA Act,” Gardenhire stated.

Democrats, who voted unanimously in opposition to the voucher regulation, had been fast to criticize the invoice.

“Public faculty tax {dollars} belong in our public faculties,” stated Sen. Raumesh Akbari, of Memphis. “We opposed non-public faculty vouchers for Nashville and Memphis, and we oppose any growth of a disproven strategy that hasn’t labored anyplace it’s been tried.”

Akbari stated Tennessee ought to as a substitute make investments its time and sources in methods which have a confirmed file of boosting scholar achievement, like smaller class sizes and wraparound scholar help. 

The regulation refers to training financial savings accounts as a “pilot program” and directs the state comptroller to report on this system’s efficacy after its third 12 months of enrolling college students. However as a result of ongoing litigation delayed this system’s launch, the primary report isn’t due till Jan. 1, 2026.

Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, a Chattanooga Democrat, stated Tennessee shouldn’t broaden this system so quickly after rolling it out.

“Good coverage means finding out one thing for a number of years earlier than you begin attempting to vary it,” Hakeem stated. “We don’t also have a 12 months of knowledge but to trace.”

Gardenhire stated he has a co-sponsor lined up within the Home however declined to establish that legislator. 

Two key GOP legislative leaders have signed on as co-sponsors within the Senate: Bo Watson, of Hixson, who chaired his chamber’s finance committee within the current legislative session; and Sen. Jon Lundsberg, of Bristol, who chaired the training committee.

Tennessee is amongst greater than 20 states which have both began or expanded voucher-type applications within the final two years.

Analysis on the effectiveness of vouchers is blended. Current research have discovered that switching to personal training utilizing a voucher tends to not assist — and will even hurt — college students’ take a look at scores, particularly in math. Different research, although, have discovered impartial or optimistic results of vouchers on highschool commencement and faculty attendance. 

You’ll be able to observe the invoice’s progress right here.

Marta W. Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.