Tennessee bishops welcome ‘landmark’ school choice voucher program
Caroline MolloyTennessee Catholic bishops on Monday lauded the passage of legislation establishing Tennessee’s first-ever universal school choice program, which is set to fund more than 20,000 scholarships to private schools.
Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025, which was passed on Jan. 30, will fund 20,000 scholarships, half of which are income-restricted. The passage of the act shortly followed the Trump-Vance administration’s executive order last week instructing federal agencies to expand school choice.
The Education Freedom Act provides $7,000 scholarships to enable students to attend private schools while also increasing funding for public schools. It sets aside bonuses to be awarded to public school teachers for excellence, increases K–12 facilities funding, and the legislation promises that school district funding won’t decrease due to disenrollment.
The Tennessee Catholic Conference applauded the Education Freedom Act in a Feb. 3 statement.
“This landmark legislation reflects our shared commitment to ensuring families that every child, regardless of background, has access to an education that nurtures their potential and supports their families’ unique needs,” the statement read. “In addition to supporting family choice in education, the new law includes provisions to support public schools across the state with significant funding for facility maintenance and expansion as well as financial bonuses for public school teachers.”
The act sets aside nearly $146 million for the Education Freedom Scholarships as well as a little more than $198 million for teacher bonuses. It also sets aside $77 million in funding for K–12 facilities and $2.7 million for administration costs.
The program builds off of a previous pilot program in which Tennessee had expanded school choice via an education savings account pilot program in several counties.
“We thank Gov. Bill Lee for his leadership in the area of family choice in education,” the statement continued. “The education scholarships already in place in Memphis, Chattanooga, and Nashville are making progress educating students looking for opportunities not available in public schools. This new program will make options available across the state.”
