Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher bill advances in Tenn. House

House lawmakers greeted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s controversial education savings account proposal with a flood of questions Tuesday.

Even with lingering questions left unanswered, Lee’s school voucher proposal passed its first hurdle before a packed Curriculum, Testing and Innovation Subcommittee.

House Bill 939 would create education savings accounts in Tennessee, which would provide public money to parents so they could choose other educational options, such as private school.

The bill, which went before House lawmakers for the first time, was met with numerous concerns. Lawmakers asked questions about how the bill provides transportation and why the bill doesn’t call for students in the program to take every state test.

Rep. Charlie Baum, Rmurfreesboro, asked why the bill doesn’t require students that would participate in the program to take the ACT, social studies or science tests. Instead, it requires students enrolled in the program to take only a state math or English test.

“It seems it would be wise now to ask for all tests,” Baum said.

Rep. Bill Dunn, Rknoxville, and Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-somerville, are working the legislation through the General Assembly. The House and Senate majority leaders — Rep. William Lamberth, R-portland, and Sen. Jack Johnson, Rfranklin — are carrying the governor’s bills.

Dunn framed the bill as one that provides parents with options and said the proposal expands choice for parents to fit the individual needs of students. He said public schools only meet the needs of some students.

“We want what is best for all,” Dunn said. “While so much good can happen in schools, it can’t be the best for each student.”

Plenty of questions over the bill

Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-arlington, said he has concerns over the bill and asked how this would affect current homeschool parents.

“From a pro-homeschool perspective, and this seems counter-intuitive, I am concerned it will do harm in the long run,” Leatherwood said.

Rep. Mark White, Rmemphis, argued for the bill but said he wants to ensure the “game-changing bill” is scrutinized. He had a slate of questions, including about how transportation would work.

Democrats were no different.

Rep. Vincent Dixie, Dnashville, asked how the funds would be dispersed to parents enrolled in the program. Dixie also asked about how the state would prevent fraud.

What does the bill do?

Lee’s plan would set aside $75 million over the next three years to begin the education savings account program. If approved, it would begin in the 2021-22 school year. By 2024, the plan could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million, according to the bill.

The proposal would allow for as many as 15,000 Tennessee students to be enrolled in the program in its fifth year. The state will initially begin with 5,000 students and increase the size of the program by 2,500 students a year.

The governor’s office doesn’t have an estimate on how many students would actually use this type of program, said Brent Easley, Lee’s legislative director.

Students could also use that money to pay for college.

Eligible students would include children that have been enrolled in a Tennessee public school zoned to a district with at least three or more schools in the bottom 10 percent of all statewide in terms of academic performance.

It is a list that includes Shelby County Schools, Knox County Schools, the Jackson-madison County School District, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Hamilton County Schools, as well as the state-run Achievement School District. Families would also need to meet income eligibility requirements.

The legislation also calls for measures to protect against fraud.

Opponents raise issues of fraud, funding, outcomes

Opponents have listed issues in other states, as well as concerns that the program would defund cash-strapped public schools.

In Arizona last fall, a state audit found that the state’s education department repeatedly failed to flag parents’ accounts that were showing a high risk of fraud.

Tennessee Education Association’s lobbyist Jim Wrye said research has shown school vouchers haven’t improved academic outcomes. He also raised questions over how this bill would be funded in the long-run.

The bill calls for grant funds to offset costs to districts from students that are leaving for the program.

“You don’t fund recurring expenses with onetime,” he said.

Former lawmaker Roy Herron, a lobbyist with Strengthen Our Schools Tennessee, noted how under the ESA proposal, computers can be purchased. But he suggested that might be abused.

“The parents can buy a computer and as long as the child uses it 1 percent of the time or less, the parents can watch porn on it 99 percent of the time,” he said.

The ESA bill now heads to the House Education Committee. The Senate version has yet to be taken up in committee. Reporter Joel Ebert contributed to this report.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Byjasongonzales.