NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After spending months advocating for statewide school vouchers with a Republican supermajority in both the House and Senate, the two chambers have finally admitted they just can't agree on a path forward.
Gov. Bill Lee called the defeat of his signature legislation disappointing.
"The chambers came very close to determining what the final version should look like," Lee told reporters on Monday.
Much like remarks from a losing coach after the big game, at times, Gov. Lee appeared visibly frustrated, but when asked about any regrets, he replied.
"I regret that families don’t have a choice until next year."
Tennessee House and Senate Republicans had vastly different visions for how to implement school choice, but ultimately couldn't meet in the middle. Now, the effort is dead, at least until they can get a rematch next season.
"We’ve been working on five and a half, going on six years now, we’ll keep on working on it," said Lee.
Evidently, there could be some roster changes in the legislature too. NewsChannel 5 asked if the Governor would personally try to defeat legislative candidates against school choice. "I think elections are -- elections are determined based on what people think are important, policy matters in an election. School Choice is a widely popular idea in this state," said Gov. Lee.
So NewsChannel 5 asked the question again. "Will you directly play a role in that? I know Gov. Abbott was pretty direct in the Texas battle over this. Will that be something that you’d be interested in doing?" asked Reporter Chris Davis.
"I’ve always engaged in primaries in this state whenever there’s an election. But I’ll certainly be talking to primary candidates about how they feel about school choice," answered Gov. Lee.
Later, when Lee's answer was posted on X, advocates for school choice cheered the governor on.
"Let's goooo! August will be here before y'all know it. We're going to deliver an even greater policy majority for #SchoolChoice. This is part of the Republican platform and if you don't support parents making [education] decisions for their own kids then run as a Democrat," wrote Tori Venable, State Director for Americans for Prosperity.
"This is the way, Governor Bill Lee," posted Corey DeAngelis, Senior Fellow at School Choice Now.
Democrats say they hope the Governor sticks with that game plan, because it's a match up they think they could win.
"So I would love nothing more than for Gov. Bill Lee to make Nov. 24 about public schools and public education," said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville. "If this is a vote straight up on who supports public education and our public schools, Democrats are going to win statewide."
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