Lee to accelerate school voucher plan
Governor says start date will be ASAP
Despite concerns from the House about launching a controversial school voucher program earlier than planned, Gov. Bill Lee said he intends to move forward with a faster time frame.
When asked on Thursday if he would consider continuing to wait until the 2021-2022 school year — which Lee’s administration originally said was the target start date for a state education savings account program — Lee said he wanted vouchers to be implemented “as soon as possible.”
Incoming House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who will be sworn in to the position during an Aug. 23 special legislative session, told the USA TODAY Network Tennessee this week that he was not in favor of the program beginning in 2020, which Lee’s office has confirmed it is now working toward.
“I do not think it needs to be accelerated at this point,” said Sexton, R-crossville, who voted against the bill. “Hearing from the (House) members, I think they are lockstep in that, as well.”
Lee is undeterred.
“The program initially, and the funding that was set aside initially, was for a much broader program,” Lee told reporters Thursday before speaking at the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards Luncheon in Cool Springs.
“The fact that we have streamlined that program and (that) it’s smaller in scope allows us to get started early with the funding that’s in place.”
The legislation, which narrowly passed the House, was eventually narrowed in scope before from its original version.
While the bill originally also included homeschoolers and Hamilton, Knox and Madison county school districts, ESAS will now only be available to Metro Nashville and Shelby County school students.
Families qualifying for vouchers will receive $7,300 in public funds per student each year to use on private school costs.
In a statement Thursday, Lt. Gov. Randy Mcnally’s office did not express concerns with Lee’s plan to expedite the process.
“The legislation passed by the General Assembly gives the administration some discretion as to when the program may start,” said Adam Kleinheider, spokesperson for Mcnally. “While he is open to working with Speaker-select Sexton and the administration on the best timeline, Lt. Governor Mcnally trusts Governor Lee to roll out the program at the proper pace.”
In response to whether his administration was diverting from the implementation timeline it had pushed prior to the bill’s passage, Lee said the “idea of acceleration is really a misunderstanding,” stressing that the bill set 2021 as a deadline and allows for an earlier start date.
Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.