A major Senate panel on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide public funding for private school tuition for Tennessee students whose school systems do not offer in-person learning throughout the year.
However, lawmakers previously amended the bill to remove a provision that would also include vouchers for students whose parents disagree with the school mask mandate in their district.
The 6-2 vote on the Senate Education Committee came after only 30 minutes of discussion about a controversial voucher policy that has been debated in Tennessee's legislature for years and is currently being challenged in court.
Unlike Tennessee's 2019 voucher law, which was promoted as helping low-income students who attend low-performing schools in some districts, the new law seeks to encourage all 147 school systems in the state to To encourage students to learn individually amidst COVID-19.
"We're doing this because we know that individualized learning is the most effective way to educate a child," said Riceville Sen. Mike Bell. Leaned on remote instruction.
The Republican lawmaker, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Dixon's Representative Michael Cursio, said he wants the public school system to "take that work seriously" and keep brick-and-mortar classrooms open. He referenced the larger districts of Memphis and Nashville, which provided mostly online education in the past school year and saw a more than average statewide drop in their student scores.
The bill would extend voucher eligibility for students in any district that does not offer in-person learning for 180 days due to the coronavirus pandemic for three upcoming school years beginning September 1, 2022.
Other eligibility requirements under the 2019 law will remain in place for students in districts that have high concentrations of low-performing "priority schools," or schools in the state's school turnaround district program, known as Achievement School Districts. goes. This criterion applied to Memphis and Nashville, where leaders did not want vouchers to be presented and challenged the law in court.
Tennessee's voucher program was halted by a judge in 2020 because it only applied to students in Memphis and Nashville. The case is pending appeal, with arguments set before the Tennessee Supreme Court on February 24.
In a Senate panel, lawmakers questioned whether the new proposal could trigger voucher eligibility in districts receiving state-approved exemptions to temporarily switch to distance learning. Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn began the exemption process after the COVID delta version of the outbreak made it difficult for schools to keep staff.
Charlie Bufalino, assistant commissioner for policy and legislative affairs for the Tennessee Department of Education, said the short answer is yes. However, it is uncertain whether the distance discount will be offered at the beginning of the next school year when the proposed voucher law goes into effect.
If distance relaxation is still available, Bufalino said districts may consider offering an individual option while providing temporary distance learning -- or they may consider closing schools due to bad weather, illness, or other widespread challenges. You can use your reserves of 13 days.
Memphis Democrat Sen. Roumesh Akbari, who voted against the bill, said districts could quickly end their stockpile days and be forced to extend their school year into the summer.
Akbari also pointed out that many private schools continue to switch back and forth between in-person and remote learning to keep pace with the changing pandemic.
"What happens if a parent tries to use this [voucher] just because they want to bring their child to a private school, and that private school is doing virtual learning?" He asked. “Then we are taking state dollars to go to this private school, and they are doing the same thing that is being done by [public schools].”
"That's the beauty about this piece of law," replied Bell. "It's up to the parents. It's the parent's responsibility to choose a school that best meets their child's needs."
“My concern with this is that it is still state dollars,” Akbari reiterated, “and they are taking state dollars to a private school that is potentially doing the same thing that a public school is doing.” So it's not helping something that has been identified as a problem. It is just giving parents a state fund to take their child to a private school. ,
Voucher critics have long argued that voucher advocates have an agenda beyond giving families more education options, many of whom already have many options such as public charter schools, magnet schools, online schools, and more. Specialized elective schools, as well as homeschooling and private schools. They say the goal is to privatize education, especially for more affluent families who can afford the full cost of private school tuition in excess of $7,000 or to provide Tennessee vouchers.
The leader of Tennessee school superintendents said their organization opposes the bill, as it contains all voucher laws.
"We are protesting public funding to abandon our public schools," said executive director Dale Lynch. “Decisions are quite difficult at the local level especially during this pandemic. Adding this extra layer only adds to the challenges we face and we strive to do what is best for all students."
On a related note, Gov. Bill Lee, who supported the 2019 legislation, wants to rewrite Tennessee's 30-year system for funding schools to a student-based approach rather than the current resource-based approach.
The change could force the state to do a student-by-student count that would make it easier for Tennessee to expand a private school voucher program, though Lee denies that's why he's pushing for an overhaul. Used to be.