Let's Answer Some Questions About School Vouchers in Tennessee
This blog post originally appeared on Ashley Craven’s campaign website. To view the original post and learn more about her campaign for the Oak Ridge Board of Education, visit www.voteacraven.com
School vouchers are one of the most harmful threats to public schools in Tennessee, and a lot of people are familiar with the term vouchers or the phrase school choices, but don’t know the exact details about how they work. Let’s break down exactly what they are and why they hurt our public schools.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee enters the House chamber and greets Lt. Gov. Randy McNally for Lee’s sixth State of the State Address. Source Tennessee Lookout
What is a voucher?
A voucher is like a gift card from the state of Tennessee, paid for with taxpayer dollars. THe proposed voucher amount per student for 2024-2025 was $7,075. The voucher is payment made directly to a private school to apply towards the tuition of a student.
So who uses these vouchers?
The state wants you to believe that vouchers help low-income families afford private school, or offers “school choice.”But here’s the reality: most private schools cost way more than $7,000. For example, Webb School of Knoxville charges at least $23,000 for elementary students. That means families need to come up with the difference—around $16,000 or more—per child, on top of the voucher.
Most low-income families don’t have that kind of money. So the voucher is then offered to someone in the next income tier. And it works its way up until it lands in the hands of families that DO have enough disposable income to cover that $16,000 difference in tuition. So families that already have enough income to afford private school now get a discount thanks to taxpayer dollars. It becomes a handout for those already wealthy enough to send their kids to private school.
Why is "School Choice" a bad thing?
School choice already exists. If you live in Oak Ridge you have the choice to send your child to Oak Ridge Public Schools or Anderson County Schools at no cost. And you have the choice to send your child to private school. You just can't use tax dollars to supplement that tuition.
Public funds should not go to private schools for a number of reasons. A few examples are:
Private schools are not held to the same standards as public schools.
They are not beholden to state testing standards.
They do not have to accept students with disabilities.
They do not have to provide transportation to and from the school.
School Funding - How TN Changed School Funding in Anticipation of Vouchers
What is BEP vs. TISA, and why does it matter?
This is where things get tricky, but it’s really important. Tennessee used to fund schools through something called BEP (Basic Education Program). BEP split funding into three categories: instructional staff (like teachers), classroom costs (like supplies), and non-classroom costs (like transportation).The state would fund 70 percent of the instructional category, 75 percent of the classroom category and 50 percent of the non-classroom category; the remaining funding was from local district contributions.
But in 2022, the state switched to a new funding formula called TISA (Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement). TISA is based on funding individual students, not the school as a whole. Here’s how it works:
Base: Every student is “worth” a base amount of $7,075, which is meant to cover the basic cost of educating that child. (Does that number look familiar? It’s the same amount as the voucher.)
Weights: Extra funding is added for students with additional needs, like kids from low-income families, students with disabilities, or students in rural areas. These weights add more money to the base amount, depending on the specific needs of the child.
Direct Funding: This is extra money for specific programs, like literacy support for younger students, career and technical education (CTE) programs, or even charter school support. It’s meant to help schools provide additional resources outside of regular classroom instruction.
Outcomes Funding: Schools get extra money based on student performance, especially when students improve their achievement scores.
How do vouchers connect to TISA?
TISA’s focus on funding each student individually puts a price tag on them to transfer to a voucher amount. Under TISA, if a student leaves a public school and uses a voucher to attend private school, the base amount of $7,075 moves with them, and the school loses not only the base, but also any additional funding connected to weights, direct funding, and outcomes funding.
In total, public schools lose about $10,000 for every student that transfers to a private school using a voucher. If 50 students leave, that’s half a million dollars gone from the public school’s budget. And remember, private schools don’t have to take all students or meet the same standards, so public schools are left with less funding while still serving every child, and children who often have greater needs.
Why are vouchers bad for Tennessee’s public schools?
Vouchers drain resources from public schools. Every $7,075 that goes to a private school is a $10,000 taken away from the public system, which is responsible for educating all students. Public schools are the backbone of our communities, and they are accountable to the public because they are funded by the public. They can’t turn students away or avoid state standards.
The Bottom Line
Vouchers are designed to help private entities at the expense of public education. Public tax dollars should be invested in our public schools, which serve everyone. By diverting money away from public schools, vouchers threaten the quality of education for all students.
As someone running to serve on the Oak Ridge Board of Education, as a mom invested in public school for her own children, as the daughter of two retired public educators, and as a citizen who wants what’s best for our community,
I will always stand against vouchers and advocate for our public schools. I hope you’ll do the same with your vote in November.
To learn more about Ashley Craven and her campaign for Oak Ridge Board of Education, visit her campaign website here: voteacraven.com
Continue the conversation with The VoteTalks Podcast, and listen to Ashley’s conversations with legislators like Gloria Johnson, Charlane Oliver.
