The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling attention to the recently passed universal voucher law in Tennessee — and the concerning lack of public input in its rushed passage.
Tennessee’s new, half-a-billion dollar voucher program forces taxpayers to pay private school tuition for the wealthiest families in Tennessee, including those who already send their children to private schools. Rather than being about “school choice” or helping disadvantaged students, the new scheme subsidizes private schools and wealthy families, leaving public schools behind.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson not only acknowledged that the law was intended to support the wealthiest Tennesseeans but also denied having ever claimed otherwise. This program, set to grow over time, will ultimately cost Tennessee taxpayers up to $1 billion annually within a decade, despite little evidence that voucher programs improve student outcomes. Families in rural districts and those who do not wish to send their children to religious private schools — typically the only option — must pay for this program but cannot take advantage of it.
The public is quickly learning that private school vouchers are a failed experiment. Last year, voters in Nebraska and Kentucky overwhelmingly rejected voucher schemes. That’s why Tennessee, like Iowa last session, rushed through this irresponsible and unpopular new program. In a special legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly swiftly approved the bill without allowing adequate time for public debate or input.
“Tennessee’s leaders are knowingly acting against their constituents’ best interests in order to promote their own religious beliefs and to siphon money from public schools into unregulated private schools,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “This rushed and poorly thought-out legislation will drain public resources that could be used to improve the state’s chronically underfunded public education system and ensure that every student, regardless of background, has access to a quality education.”
FFRF urges Tennessee residents to demand that state lawmakers reverse course. Public education is meant to serve all students — and should be strengthened, not undermined. Tennessee lawmakers know that gutting the state’s secular public schools is unpopular; the public should not let them get away with it lightly.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation remains committed to advocating for a strong, secular and inclusive public education system that serves the needs of every student.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including more than 500 members and a chapter in Tennessee. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
