Vote on school voucher bill delayed

Controversial proposal held until Thursday

NASHVILLE — Faced with opposition from some fellow Republicans and a flurry of amendments, state Rep. Bill Dunn postponed a vote Monday on the controversial school voucher bill that was set for the House of Representatives.

The bill is now scheduled for consideration Thursday.

Some of the 22 amendments f iled before the House convened were by Dunn, as the Knoxville Republican tried to shore up rural Republicans who have been skeptical about vouchers. One would prohibit vouchers in any county with populations under 300,000 in the 2010 Census, limiting their use to Shelby, Davidson, Knox and Hamilton counties.

Another Dunn amendment would defer the start of a voucher program until the 2017-18 school year. Other lawmakers filed amendments to block vouchers from their districts.

Vouchers allow parents to take the state and local taxpayer funds earmarked for each pupil from their local public school to pay their child’s tuition in a private school. Precise amounts would vary among the state’s 141 school districts but average $6,800 to $7,000 per student per year.

Eligibility would be limited to low-income students attending public schools in the bottom 5 percent in overall achievement statewide — the state’s “priority schools.” If there are unused vouchers after the sign-up deadline each year, any low-income student anywhere in the school district could qualify.

The list of priority schools is updated every three years. They are cur- rently located only in the Shelby, Knox, Hamilton, Nashville and Jackson-Madison County school districts.

Postponing votes is routine, especially when there aren’t enough votes for passage. But when Dunn rose and asked to postpone the bill, some members objected and House Speaker Beth Harwell ordered a rare rollcall vote on a motion to defer. Deferral was approved 51-34 — notable because House passage requires 50 affirmative votes.