It’s been three years since the school choice program (ESA) was passed by the legislature, but because of lawsuits by anti-school choice groups and cities, the program just recently got started. The students that could have taken advantage of the program during this period lost an opportunity to go to a school that best fits their needs.
Since the program was found to be constitutional by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2022, the program has received hundreds of applications, and students and families are finally able to use their hard-earned tax dollars to pay for education expenses like tutoring or tuition at a private school of their choice.
Expanding the ESA program to include the students who previously qualified is the best way to ensure that students learn in an environment that best fits their needs.
Status Update: In 2023, the General Assembly passed this bill to include students in the ESA program that would have been eligible prior to the injunction and subsequent litigation. We would like to thank Representative Chris Todd and Senator Jon Lundberg for standing up for students!