Tennessee is set to significantly expand its universal school voucher program, increasing the number of available vouchers by 15,000 and allocating approximately $260 million in state funds to private educational institutions. This follows a recent decision by the Tennessee Senate, which voted 18-14 to approve a total of 35,000 vouchers for the 2026-27 school year.
The Senate’s decision aligns with a similar bill passed in the House earlier this week, which also proposed 5,000 fewer vouchers than the 40,000 initially requested by Gov. Bill Lee. The House approved the bill with a narrow margin of 52-43, and it now awaits the governor’s signature to become law.
The Senate’s debate on the voucher program included discussions over amendments that could affect public school funding, drawing criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans. A notable amendment changes the “hold-harmless” provision, which ensures funding for school districts experiencing student disenrollment. The modification specifies that districts will only be reimbursed for students who leave public schools for vouchers, altering the previous policy that covered all disenrollments.
An additional change requires that only students who provided Social Security numbers upon enrollment will contribute to district compensation for losing students to vouchers. This amendment has raised concerns about its impact on rural schools and privacy issues.
Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) voiced his worries, stating, “The people should be able to depend on us doing what we say we’re going to do.” Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) cautioned that these changes might eventually eliminate the hold-harmless provision entirely.
Under federal regulations, schools cannot mandate the submission of Social Security numbers from students. Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) clarified that while schools may request these numbers, parents are not obligated to provide them. He explained that this amendment would utilize the Social Security numbers of voucher recipients to track student transitions from public to private schools.
Democrats have expressed concerns about this requirement’s potential impact on undocumented students and their families. Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) highlighted that this amendment follows “two unsuccessful efforts in this body to go after Plyler,” referencing the Supreme Court decision that guarantees public education access regardless of immigration status. She warned of a “chilling effect” on student enrollment and potential decreases in district funding.
Further, Sen. Yarbro mentioned that expecting schools to gather Social Security numbers could breach federal privacy laws, especially since some institutions have ceased this practice due to data breaches.
There is also debate over the program’s efficacy, as some legislators criticize the expansion without evidence of improved academic performance for students using vouchers. Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) pointed to a state report indicating that previous voucher program participants performed worse than their public school counterparts.
However, Republican leaders cite the high number of applications—over 56,000 families this year—as evidence of the program’s popularity. They argue that parental choice should be a primary indicator of success. Johnson remarked, “If a parent who loves their child unconditionally does not believe that public school is meeting the needs of that child, we should satisfy our constitutional obligation and give them an option.”
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This article was initially published by the Nashville Banner and shared through a partnership with The Associated Press.
