NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Funding education will once again be a big topic in Tennessee’s legislature this session, but not just public education.
Gov. Bill Lee wants to expand the school voucher program over the next two years to all students in the state. Currently, about 2,000 vouchers are available to lower-income families in three counties: Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton. A voucher gives thousands of dollars of state money to a family to use for tuition at a private school.
PART ONE in Carrie's series: A public school perspective: How one Tennessee superintendent perceives vouchers
“Parents are looking for choice where they can apparently find something they are not finding in public school settings,” Rick Musacchio said.
Musacchio is the executive director of the Tennessee Catholic Conference and recently sat down with me to talk about vouchers from a private school perspective.
In his role, he spends a fair amount of time on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill talking about education.
When the voucher program launched two years ago in Tennessee, the Catholic Dioceses opened their school doors to families seeking a change.
"This year with the addition of Chattanooga, we’re about 600 students statewide — about 300 in Memphis, a little over 200 in Nashville, and fewer than a hundred in the first wave in Chattanooga," he said.
Musacchio does not know if any voucher-eligible children have been turned away from their schools in the past two years, but as Gov. Lee looks to expand the program’s availability, opponents argue private schools will be able to pick and choose who gets in. Musacchio said that has always been at the foundation of private schooling.
"Yes, I think that is true that schools do evaluate all applicants that is part of the private school system. One of the things about the whole choice program it helps parents, families, and schools determine who is a good fit together," he said.
Currently, Lee’s universal voucher program lacks specifics when it comes to another type of evaluation — student testing. The tests mandated in public schools have been the point of controversy. As public school advocates call for universal requirements under a universal voucher system, Musacchio believes the dioceses have time and results on its side — giving the nationally recognized Iowa test for decades.
“I think what we would look for is accountability within the system and we would encourage the legislators up here to recognize there are tests beyond the TCAP, beyond the TN Ready — those are relatively new tests.”
Private schools can also set their standards when it comes to teacher qualifications — something not afforded to public schools — where the candidate pool is rapidly shrinking.
Again, Musacchio believes the data tells the story.
“Kids in third grade in Catholic schools across the state are testing a full grade level ahead of where they are as an average that includes our schools with high numbers of English as a second language learners and it includes schools with a high percentage of lower-income students.”
If Tennessee lawmakers pass a universal voucher system, it will be the 10th state to do so. Musacchio sees it as a win for all.
“Affording families more choice of schools is a positive thing for all schools.”
View Carrie's coverage of a public school perspective in the player below.
What is the governor wanting?
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced in 2023 his desire to expand vouchers to all 95 counties across the state.
Lee's plan — which he is calling "Freedom Educational Scholarships" — will provide thousands of dollars for students to attend private schools.
Lee's new proposal for an Education Freedom Scholarship Act would provide an estimated $7,000 per student beginning in the 2024-25 school year, according to the one-pager obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
According to the summary, in the first year, only students who are at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, have a disability or are eligible for the existing ESA pilot program could take part in the program.
Beginning in 2025-26, the plan calls for "universal eligibility for all students entitled to attend a public school."
What is Tennessee's current voucher program?
Tennessee's current education savings account is only for three parts of the state: Davidson, Hamilton and Shelby Counties.
Enacted in 2019 by the legislature, it established a program for students to receive money directly for their education rather than a public school system to pay for private education. The vote was contentious with then-Speaker Glen Casada, passing only by one vote with the board held for more than 40 minutes. Now-House Speaker Cameron Sexton didn't vote for the program.
However, the program didn't start until 2022 because of a lawsuit in the chancery court, where those who didn't want the program deemed it unconstitutional. An order was placed in 2020 that the program couldn't begin. Two years later, a three-judge panel lifted an injunction two weeks before the 2022 school year to allow the program to move forward.
The Tennessee Department of Education officials said in summer 2022 they were "excited to restart work" for families and students. During the injunction, the department couldn't work on preparation plans for the ESAs.
Students now have $9,000 to use toward a school, where they could also apply for financial aid to supplement the rest of the cost.
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