Nashville families face competing visions for state-funded private-school tuition as Tennessee’s candidates for governor debate whether to enlarge the statewide voucher program, freeze its growth or eliminate its funding. The election also could influence an older voucher program serving students zoned for Metro Nashville Public Schools.
The decisions will involve both the next governor and the General Assembly. Lawmakers narrowly approved the statewide program’s creation and its subsequent expansion, making legislative races important to the future of an education policy championed by Gov. Bill Lee.
For Nashville, the debate involves two distinct benefits. The statewide Education Freedom Scholarship provides $7,530 toward private-school tuition and fees. The older Education Savings Account program offers Nashville participants $10,132 this school year, with eligibility limited to designated school districts and subject to income requirements.
Those differences are central to the next round of proposals: Supporters want more families to qualify for aid, while opponents and educators question the spending priorities and public oversight attached to it.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Sen. Marsha Blackburn supports expanding the statewide program. In candidate questionnaire responses, she argued that access should not depend on families securing a place through a lottery. Her position favors fewer state requirements, with parents taking the leading role in judging their children’s education.
Blackburn has endorsements from voucher supporters including AFC Victory Fund and Americans for Prosperity. She would continue Lee’s push to broaden access to private-school assistance.
Democratic nominee Jerri Green proposes the opposite approach. She said she would remove funding for the statewide voucher program in her first budget and direct public money toward public schools. Green argues that the program subsidizes families already able to afford private education at the expense of opportunities for other students, including those in rural communities.
Independent candidate David Hatley favors keeping the program at its current size rather than expanding it. His campaign website calls for publishing information about recipients, the destinations of voucher money and student performance.
Another independent, Lauren Pinkston, opposes the universal program but supports keeping Tennessee’s older voucher programs. She would redirect money from the newer statewide initiative to early childhood education.
The legislature established Education Freedom Scholarships in January 2025 after a six-year campaign by Lee. Families statewide are eligible, with low-income households receiving priority. The number of available scholarships grew from 20,000 in the first year to 35,000 in the second.
More than 56,000 families applied for the 35,000 places available for the 2026-27 school year. Tori Venable, Tennessee state director for Americans for Prosperity, cited that gap as a reason to expand access. She wants enough places next year to accommodate, at minimum, the waiting list.
Venable also sees the older Education Savings Account program as a route to expansion. Launched in 2022, it serves eligible students zoned for Metro Nashville, Memphis-Shelby County or Hamilton County schools.
An account’s value corresponds to the per-student funding generated under Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, or TISA, the state’s public-school funding formula. The statewide Education Freedom Scholarship program is funded separately from TISA.
Americans for Prosperity Tennessee favors having education funding move with a student to a chosen public or private school. Venable wants broader income eligibility for Education Savings Accounts and would extend eligibility to the state’s 10 lowest-performing school districts. She argues that greater use of those accounts could reduce demand for statewide scholarships, leaving more places for families elsewhere.
Educators’ concerns extend beyond how many vouchers are available. Drew Sutton, government relations manager for the Tennessee Education Association, said teachers want greater transparency about participating families, school operations and the use of tax dollars.
Sutton argues that public schools face extensive financial and operational oversight while voucher-supported private schools operate under substantially different disclosure requirements. He said limited student information released by the Department of Education suggests that most voucher recipients had not previously attended public schools.
He also urged caution about continued expansion given state budget conditions, interpreting Blackburn’s position as support for vouchers without an enrollment cap.
Together, the candidates’ proposals and advocates’ priorities put several decisions before the next administration and legislature: how much private-school assistance Tennessee should fund, who should qualify and what information taxpayers should receive about the results.