Position Statement in Opposition to Public School Vouchers

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee believes that public education is the bedrock for a strong and functioning democracy that serves all communities in our state. We oppose the use of public funds to pay for private school education.

The proposed bills HB0001/SB0001, currently under consideration by the Tennessee legislature, would siphon off funds intended for public education to underwrite costs for families to enroll their students in private schools. While the proposed legislation provides “hold harmless” funding to public schools to compensate them for one year of enrollment losses, it does not provide long-term solutions. By redirecting money to private schools, Tennessee will decrease the pool of funds that all public schools — urban, rural, and suburban — need to increase student achievement and maintain accountability over the long term.

Experience in other states, such as Arizona, has shown that funding universal vouchers leads within a few years to budget overruns that are unsustainable (1). Since Tennessee’s constitution requires a balanced budget, uncontrolled costs could quickly signal a fiscal crisis for the state. Using the same fiscal assumptions that Governor Lee’s administration used in 2024 to support the previous voucher bill legislation, EdTrust-TN estimates that the proposed voucher program for 2025 could divert up to $861.9 million of public taxpayer funds to voucher accounts during the first five years of implementation. This is not sustainable.

There is no consistent pattern of improved student performance when students transfer from public to private school settings. While the research is mixed, student achievement outcomes for voucher recipients have been lackluster at best. For example, public school students in Nashville outperformed ESA (Education Savings Account) voucher recipients in math in 2023-24 by over 10% points (2).

We urge the legislature to reject a universal voucher plan for Tennessee and adhere to the state constitution’s mandate “to maintain and support a free public school system” so that all students, regardless of where they live, receive a quality education.

(1) https://www.propublica.org/arcle/arizona-school-vouchers-budget- meltdown?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

(2) https://nashvillepef.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Update-on-Vouch...