MEMPHIS, Tenn. — This is the second time Governor Bill Lee is bringing his Freedom Education Scholarship Act to the capital to be approved by state lawmakers.
After failing the last session, Governor Lee tells our partner radio station 98.9 that he is certain it will pass during this special session.
“Leadership is all on board with these three ideas and concepts. They want to get it done right away,” Governor Lee said.
He says the Freedom Education Scholarship Act is, “a full commitment to both choice for parents and our existing public school system.”
The bill will allow parents to take $7,200 from taxpayers to choose what school their children attend.
“It makes public schools better, it makes private schools better,” Governor Lee said. “It makes outcomes better.”
Governor Lee says he looks at states like Florida – which has had school choice for over ten years.
“And by the way they have the third-best school outcome in America,” he says.
The program will be awarded to students in a certain order of needs.
Lower-income families first, public schools, and lastly if all the scholarship money is not used it will go to families in private schools.
“Anyone who enrolls in this program must be enrolled in a school that is qualified and there are accountability results to make sure that the school you chose is accredited,” he says.
The program is already offered for low-income families in Shelby County and Governor Lee claims that 90% of the families in the program are happy with it.
“The majority of Tennesseans also endorse this,” Governor Lee said.
But according to a new poll from the bipartisan organization, ‘Red America, Blue America’ more than 500 Tennesseans who participated – 70 percent said ‘no.”
“We have to change directions. We have to quit doing the things that we have been doing that haven’t been working,” he said.
There are still a lot of questions that have yet to be answered – like how it will all work. Many fear it will take funding from scholarships and public schools.
“This bill guarantees that no public school will lose any funding as a result of a child leaving it,” Governor Lee says. “We are committed to the HOPE scholarship. We will make the adjustments in the dollars we have. We have money in both the lottery and the sports betting to accommodate all of this.”
Governor Lee says regarding Memphis Shelby County, “When you get a leader in there that understands that change is hard but you got to make a change and got to change the status quo and you got to do something different than what’s been happening for the last ten, twenty, thirty years. That’s the kind of change that you need, that’s the kind of invasion and creative thinking – and Dr. Feaguins is that kind of a leader and thinker and it’s really unfortunate.”
Parents must have a choice, whether that’s through vouchers or a state takeover, especially when other officials are not listening to their voices.
“When a school board, or an institution, or some status quo, group quits listening to parents and you talking about schools — it’s time to do something,” Governor Lee said.
It would cost more than $400 million in the first year and more than $200 million every year after.
This bill could be amended, passed through a committee, and taken to the floor for a vote in just 24 hours.