Gov. Bill Lee unveils Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act; families describe how education savings accounts helped them afford private school

Gov. Bill Lee unveiled the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act, a proposal to create a statewide school‑choice program that he said would ‘‘empower parents with the freedom to choose the right education for their child’’ and give families a voice in how taxpayer dollars are spent. The announcement included remarks from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and testimony from parents who said education savings accounts made private schooling affordable for their children.

Lee framed the plan as an extension of recent investments in public schools, saying Tennessee has increased funding and raised teacher pay while expanding choice. "Today, we are unveiling the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act. Our plan to establish a new statewide school choice program that will empower parents with the freedom to choose the right education for their child, and to give them a say in where their taxpayer dollars are spent," Lee said.

Why it matters: Lee and supporters argued the proposal would give parents options for children who are not thriving in their assigned schools. Lee repeated a numerical point used at the event: "of the 1,000,000 children that are in school in Tennessee, 900,000 of them do not have a choice about the school that they might or that their family might choose," a figure he used to frame the scale of the proposal.

Arkansas example: Gov. Sarah Sanders, who the governor invited to speak, described Arkansas’s recent reform package "Arkansas Learns" and said the state's education freedom accounts are a cornerstone. "This program gives families the ability to send their kids to whichever school best fits their needs," Sanders said, citing teacher pay increases, literacy coaches and career education investments as part of Arkansas’s changes.

Family testimony: Parents who have used education savings accounts spoke at the event. Ariel Munson thanked officials and described using the ESA to send a son to Saint George’s Independent School in Shelby County, saying the program helped her "feed my family and not have to worry about" paying for education. Steven and Brooke Edging of Hixson (Hamilton County) said the program allowed all four of their children to attend the same private school after their daughter’s experience in middle school.

What happens next: Officials at the event said the proposal will be taken up by the General Assembly. Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and House leadership signaled they would work with the governor to move the bill through committees. At the event, participants repeatedly framed the proposal as intended to coexist with continued investments in public education rather than to replace them.

No formal vote or adoption occurred at the event. The governor closed by thanking advocacy groups and saying there is "a lot of work to do going forward," and indicating the proposal will proceed through the legislative process.