Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has proposed expanding the state's voucher system beyond the current three counties to offer public money for private schooling statewide. The current program, approved by state lawmakers in 2019, provides eligible low-income families with around $8,100 in public tax dollars to cover private school tuition and other approved expenses. However, this program has faced legal challenges, with Nashville, Memphis, and civil rights leaders suing to stop its implementation. After being tied up in courts, the program was only implemented in the summer of 2022 following clearance from the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Governor Lee's new initiative, called Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarships, aims to make 20,000 education scholarships available next year. Half of these scholarships would be allocated to lower-income, disabled, or otherwise eligible students, while the remaining 10,000 would be open to any student entitled to attend a public school. The governor believes this program will empower parents to choose the right education for their child while allowing them to have a say in how their taxpayer dollars are spent.

However, opponents of the plan, including Democrats, professional teacher groups, and other critics, argue that expanding the voucher program would further undermine public schools in Tennessee. They believe that diverting taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition statewide would take resources away from already underfunded public schools, potentially leading to closures.

Tanya Coats, the president of the Tennessee Education Association, expressed concern about the impact of the program on public schools, stating that fewer students and less funding would put neighborhood schools at risk. Critics worry that the expansion of the voucher system will weaken public schools instead of creating healthy competition, as Governor Lee had claimed during his first State of the State address in 2019.

Governor Lee's push for vouchers has been a prominent part of his agenda, with school choice being a key issue during his campaign. Since taking office, the governor has appointed pro-voucher members to top advisory positions. The current voucher program is limited to families who meet certain income eligibility criteria, as they must provide federal income tax returns showing they do not exceed twice the federal income eligibility for free school lunch or demonstrate qualification for federal assistance.

Tennessee consistently ranks low in per-student spending for public schools, and a report from the National Education Association ranked the state 38th out of 50 for the 2020-2021 school year. Although the state recently invested $1 billion in education, state spending remains on the lower end.

The voucher program was first implemented in the previous academic year, but due to the legal challenges, the state had limited time to recruit students and schools for the program. As a result, only around 400 students were approved. However, this year, with the addition of Hamilton County, the number of students approved for vouchers has increased to 2,172, according to Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds.

The academic performance of voucher students remains uncertain, as there is limited public data available. However, preliminary data from the Collegiate School of Memphis, one of the participating schools, showed that voucher students had made less growth than expected in math and English when compared to previous years. This negative growth raises concerns about the effectiveness of the program in improving student outcomes.

Governor Lee's proposed expansion of the voucher program will require approval from the state Legislature, where Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers. If passed, the program's universal eligibility for any student entitled to attend a public school would begin in the 2025-2026 school year. In case the number of applications exceeds the available scholarship funds, priority will be given to lower-income, public-school, and returning scholarship students.