Will Gov. Haslam’s Voucher System Impact Jefferson County Schools?

Funding implications could be far reaching if public education funds are re-routed to private and religious based schools

Dr. Charles Edmonds, Director of Jefferson County, Tennessee Schools and Former Professor of Law – Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Education reform has been a topic on the forefront of the Republican controlled Tennessee legislature and the various changes in collective bargaining and teacher evaluations have met with some degree of resistance from educators across the State. In his most recent State of the State address, Governor Haslam unveiled his most recent proposed Education Initiatives to the joint bodies. Under Haslams proposed plan, there would be significant changes in Education in Tennessee. Senate Bill 196 calls for some 5,000 vouchers to be awarded to low income student at the lowest performing schools across the State. Those vouchers would allow the low income students to attend private school with public funds. Critics of the Bill question the legality of funding private and church schools with tax payer dollars, as well as the long term impact on public education in the State of Tennessee. Supporters tout the ability to give educational choice to those that are economically unable to afford another alternative to public education and are stuck in a poorly functioning educational environment.

Dr. Charles Edmonds, Director of Jefferson County Schools, is a former Professor of Law that taught, among other issues, the inception and legal implications of the voucher system. Dr. Edmonds stated that there is a long history of vouchers, dating back to the 1700s, and the issue of school vouchers was prevalent in the South during the desegregation era. According to Dr. Edmonds, there has been significant judicial review of the issue and, though the Supreme Court came down on the side of allowing school vouchers, independent State Supreme Courts have struck down legislation promoting school vouchers. Governor Haslam is packaging the voucher program as the Tennessee Choice and Opportunity Scholarship Act. In 2006, Florida Supreme Court struck down the Florida Opportunity Scholarship Program and it is possible that the Tennessee Choice and Opportunity Scholarship Act will be brought before the Tennessee Supreme Court, should it find approval in the State legislature.

Edmonds stated that, while the initial phase of the proposal will most likely have little impact in Jefferson County, it is possibility that, due to economic levels in the County, it could have local impact in the next few years. The current proposal includes increasing the number of students that are receiving vouchers to 20,000 within a 4 year period. The Director said that the funding implications could be far reaching if public education funds are re-routed to private and religious based schools. Already public schools are obligated to provide services for privately schooled student’s special needs. State funding  for public schools is dependent on the Better Education Plan formula, which is largely based on student enrollment. Public schools do not receive funds unless a student is enrolled in their system. Beyond dollars for teacher salaries, there are items that are funded by BEP monies including some capitol outlay costs and transportation funding. Director Edmonds is unclear how those funds would be split with the private school and what responsibility the public education system would have to the individual voucher student. He said that public education has difficulty in procuring enough funds under the current system and that the transfer of public dollars from the State treasury to private and religious based schools could put public education at a serious disadvantage. Some rural school systems, including Jefferson County, have already bonded together as a Coalition for Equity of Funding in an effort to equal the monetary playing field with larger, metropolitan counties that have a larger legislative voice. The Director stated that there is a possibility that the coalition could also bring legal action regarding the voucher program if it is seriously detrimental to those rural systems. Jefferson County will be in a holding pattern, along with other systems across the State, to see if Senate Bill 196 has wings with the joint legislative bodies and what the future holds for opportunity scholarships in Tennessee.