Sen. London Lamar: Voucher rollout a $1.1 billion taxpayer-funded giveaway to private school families
EdTrust: Majority of Tenn. public school students will receive less education funding than Gov. Lee’s $7,300 private school voucher
MEMPHIS — On the eve of Gov. Bill Lee’s second private school voucher program opening for applications, Senate Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, condemned the voucher expansion as a billion-dollar boondoggle that shortchanges Tennessee’s public school students and teachers.
“It’s a shame private school vouchers have made it this far. We’ve seen the evidence — vouchers drain public schools of resources, lead to worse outcomes for students, and waste millions in public tax dollars. The data is clear: Vouchers do not work,” said Sen. Lamar. “If wealthy families want to send their kids to private schools, that’s their right. But they shouldn’t expect the public to foot the bill. Tennessee’s public tax dollars belong in public schools — where those funds are subject to accountability, oversight and where every student is welcome.”
Beginning Thursday, May 15, families across Tennessee can apply for one of 20,000 taxpayer-funded vouchers worth $7,295 apiece.
It’s not school choice. It’s the school’s choice.
Despite claims of “universal” access, the program is skewed to mostly benefit families already enrolled in private schools. Gov. Lee’s own education commissioner confirmed the costly imbalance in 2024, revealing that 53% of students using Lee’s first voucher program had never been enrolled in public school.
The exclusionary effect is a result of how private schools work: Most private schools charge tuition rates far higher than the voucher’s value, have limited space, and impose selective admissions criteria that allow them to turn away any student, including those with disabilities.
Education experts have long warned that voucher programs like this one fail students and defund public schools. In fact, Gov. Lee’s own pilot voucher program has consistently delivered dismal academic results.
One of the primary reasons voucher programs produce such poor academic outcomes is because reputable private schools are still inaccessible so families end up enrolling their children in fly-by-night subprime private schools that swarm the state hunting for tax dollars.
For example, the fully online ZOHOR Academy USA, which has a “Yahoo” email address listed on its public website, is registered to participate. Another school that intends to take state tax dollars is the Academy for Academic Excellence in Montgomery County. It has no website and hasn’t updated its Facebook page since August 2024.
$1.1 billion cost to taxpayers in five years
The voucher expansion, passed by the Republican supermajority in a February special session, will cost Tennessee taxpayers at least $1.1 billion over the next five years.
The fiscal analysis for the amended law estimated public schools will lose $50.3 million in fiscal year 2027 due to students leaving public schools to utilize the voucher.
Meanwhile, Tennessee ranks 47th in the country for per-student public school funding. In fact, research from EdTrust Tennessee shows that 51% of public school students will receive less per-student funding than voucher recipients.
