Tennessee personal school voucher growth bill clears very first legislative hurdle

A proposal that would increase eligibility for non-public college vouchers to learners in a 3rd substantial Tennessee school district passed very easily out of its to start with legislative committee on Wednesday.

The Senate Training Committee voted 6-2 to advance a bill to carry the state’s training cost savings account application to Hamilton County Schools.

If the laws becomes law, eligible households in the Chattanooga-dependent district, which has 44,000 learners, could use to obtain taxpayer cash to fork out towards non-public university tuition up coming faculty 12 months. 

The system, pushed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, introduced this university yr in Memphis and Nashville just after the Tennessee Supreme Courtroom upheld the 2019 voucher legislation very last spring. Metro Nashville and Shelby County governments proceed to challenge the law’s constitutionality and have appealed their case to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

The expansion bill handed out of committee with tiny discussion.

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican sponsoring the measure, mentioned his proposal “just adds Hamilton County to the ESA pilot program” and wouldn’t have an affect on other counties or university districts.

But Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari said it is as well shortly to broaden a new state method that’s supposed as a pilot to see if education savings accounts are productive.

“I never believe there is been sufficient time to even see if it will be productive,” reported Akbari, a Memphis Democrat who voted “no” with Republican Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald.

“I was opposed to it becoming piloted in Shelby County and in Davidson County as perfectly,” Akbari additional.

Sen. Rusty Crowe, a Republican from Johnson Metropolis, declined to vote.

The regulation directs the point out comptroller to report on the program’s efficacy following its 3rd calendar year of enrolling college students, which would be by Jan. 1, 2026.

As of Monday, the state schooling division had permitted 643 applications to use vouchers, three-fifths of which are from people wanting to depart Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

You can keep track of the bill on the state legislature’s web-site.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and handles the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Get hold of her at [email protected].