Tennessee parents, teachers, advocates push back against school voucher proposal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee parents, teachers, and community members are taking over school board meetings across the state this September to advocate for fully-funded public schools and push back against Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed, state-funded, universal school choice plan.

The campaign, called Public School Strong TN, is led by the organization, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), where community members from across the state, including East TN parent, Dustin Park, show up to local school board meetings to share their stories about why they are fighting for honest, equitable, safe, and fully-funded public schools.

“I have a son with Down syndrome, so very early on I had to become an advocate for him,” Park said. “From the lens of my son who has a disability, there is no choice for him because most private schools will not accept kids with disabilities because they have to have additional supports required by federal law,” he continued.

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Last legislative session, Gov. Lee proposed a $144 million universal school choice plan where Tennessee would pay for students to attend private school or another option if their parents choose. The General Assembly failed to pass the bill last legislative session .

Park told News 2 children with a disability, or those on free and reduced lunch and other special programs, must “sign away” their federal due process rights if they obtain a school voucher for a private school.

“To me, that is fundamentally discrimination and an effort to segregate out kids with disabilities,” Park said.

Tennesseans taking part in Public School Strong TN have shown up to school board meetings across the state in matching t-shirts to express their support for strong public schools and their concern about the ongoing attempts to undermine and underfund schools, the group said.

“It’s a way for us to visually show that the majority of Tennesseans want fully-supported schools,” Liv Cook, a former special education teacher and current lead organizer of the Public School Strong TN campaign said. “We know there are some issues in our schools, but that doesn’t mean we have to privatize our schools, it means we have to come together as a community and really take a stand that we deserve fully-funded schools.”

However, a proponent of school choice told News 2 the programs have actually helped make public schools better in other states.

“It creates what they call a competitive effect, and that just makes sense,” Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice said. “If traditional schools are worried about losing their families, then they have to improve faster to make sure they meet their families’ needs and keep them in their system.”

Enlow argues a child’s education shouldn’t have to suffer based on where they live or how much money they have. He said Gov. Lee’s proposal to establish a universal school choice program gives parents more options to ensure their child is receiving the kind of education that works best for them.

“What Governor Lee is trying to do here is really trying to empower families to say where you live doesn’t determine the quality of your education, and we’re going to give you the power to determine what’s best for your child,” Enlow said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Lee told reporters he had not given up on a universal school choice program in TN, alluding to another potential school choice bill this upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 2025.

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“I believe parents ought to have a choice of where their kids go to school, and I’ll always believe that,” Lee said. “I’ll continue to work in hopes that we can give parents more choice.”

To get involved in SOCM and Public School Strong TN, click here.

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