school vouchers

Political expert says results were based on variables that changed race to race and indicate no strong support for Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher plan.

With one day left until Tennessee’s Republican primary, groups pushing for the adoption of a universal private school voucher program have poured record money into the state’s election.

Ahead of Tennessee's primary election, pro-voucher groups are spending over $1 million on television advertisement campaigns in an effort to defeat Republican lawmakers who opposed Gov. Bill Lee's universal school voucher proposal.

While Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher proposal is clearly a key issue this election year, there is less agreement on where Tennessee voters stand on the contentious education policy, incentivizing many state legislative candidates to avoid discussing the matter.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Republican leaders — predicting passage of a private-school voucher bill in 2025 — will have to outflank conservative groups as well as opponents such as the Tennessee Education Association.

State lawmakers wrapped the 2024 session up Thursday night, having passed two of the biggest bills in the last week.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has conceded defeat on his push to enact universal school vouchers this year, acknowledging there was “not a pathway for the bill” after months of Republican infighting. Lee said Monday that he was disappointed but promised to renew school voucher talks next year.

Leaders of the Tennessee House and Senate say they are meeting privately to discuss compromises on two main bills that came directly from Gov. Bill Lee. But in public, negotiations haven’t yet drawn the chambers any closer together.

Time is of the essence for lawmakers championing universal private school vouchers. Committees in both the state House and Senate this week put off considering proposals that would bring vouchers to families across Tennessee.

After more than four hours, tense exchanges and numerous objections, a key House committee passed a sweeping, controversial school voucher bill on Wednesday. Meanwhile the Senate version cleared its first hurdle in the Education Committee with relative ease.