Andy Spears on Vouchers

 

In Tennessee, A Warning on Vouchers

As lawmakers prepare to vote on voucher scam, some final words

by Andy Spears

Tennessee lawmakers are slated to take up Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher scam legislation tomorrow (Thursday, January 30th). 

The plan is expected to cost taxpayers roughly $1 billion over the first five years. 

While there is a “hold harmless” clause for local districts, the experience in other states (Indiana, Arizona, Florida) suggests the cost to local taxpayers will greatly exceed projections. 

Dollars spent on vouchers are not available for public K-12 schools. 

The plan effectively creates two school systems. 

Tennessee currently ranks 45th in the nation in school funding. On a national report card ranking state investment in public schools, Tennessee earns a grade of “F” in both funding level and funding effort. While our state’s current formula is reasonably equitable, the level of investment is simply not adequate. 

If Tennessee has an extra $1 billion to invest in schools over the next five years, that money ($200 million a year) should go to our existing public schools. 

We can (and should) boost teacher compensation. We should begin addressing the multi-billion dollar infrastructure needs. We should ensure students attend well-resourced schools. 

Instead, Gov. Lee and his legislative allies want to spend those dollars on a school voucher initiative. 

And, it’s not like we don’t know how that will go. 

The state’s pilot voucher program tells us students who accept vouchers see no academic gains - in fact, they tend to perform at levels below their peers in zoned schools. 

This is not surprising. It is exactly what happens in other states. In state after state, school voucher programs have shown dismal academic results. 

Lee’s plan, then, is to spend more money and get worse results. 

Upgrade to paid

Even the Tennessee Business Roundtable is skeptical of the voucher scheme. 

To me, awarding new $7,075 private-school subsidies to families with six-figure incomes seems neither necessary nor fiscally conservative. Our state’s general fund revenues are expected to decline over the current fiscal year and to grow very little next year, while we’re also seeking to continue investing in teacher salaries, disaster relief, and tackling Tennessee’s multi-billion-dollar list of needed infrastructure investments.

Thanks to years of corporate tax giveaways, Tennessee’s budget is now strained. 

Even if you support the state’s current tax policies, as the Roundtable notes, funding a voucher program for wealthy families is not the highest and best use of our limited funds. 

We can remain a relatively low tax state and also dedicate new money to public schools - to the tune of at least $1 billion in new investment over the next five years. 

Or, we can choose to fund a voucher program likely to strain local school system budgets and leave kids behind. 

Finally, a note from our neighbors in Kentucky: Vouchers are not politically popular. In a state where Donald Trump won by a 2-1 margin, school vouchers lost a ballot initiative by a 2-1 margin. People in red and blue counties strongly oppose using public funds to fund unaccountable private schools.