Tennessee has a unique and immediate opportunity to positively impact the lives of students, our future workforce, and the economic growth of our state, if we move quickly and carefully to adopt a bold new way to fund our public schools.

At least 27% of Tennessee’s tax dollars are spent on K-12 education every year, more than $5.6 billion in the current fiscal year. Tennesseans rightly want to be able to understand how these many billions of dollars are spent each and every year.

For the last thirty years, schools have been funded through a complex formula called the Basic Education Program (the BEP), which determines the amount of state taxpayer dollars that flow into each local school district.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday after it struck down a suit that alleged the governor's school voucher program was unconstitutional, according to the Tennessean.

Lee's education savings account program allows eligible students to go to private school using public funding. The programs only apply to Shelby County and Metro Nashville districts, the report read.

The bill that authorized the voucher program in 2019 was just barely approved by the General Assembly.

Latino students are not only behind their white counterparts in math and English, they are also opting out of college or, if they are continuing higher ed, are not completing their degrees.

Live from Music Row Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Director of the American Federation for Children John Patton to the newsmaker line to discuss the advancement of the educational savings account program for families in Shelby and Davidson counties, and how to apply.

Eligible families now have the choice to use an ESA – also known as a voucher – to attend private schools and get extra help for their children.

The 113th Tennessee General Assembly has convened, and National School Choice Week kicked off on Jan. 22. Around the country and right here in Tennessee, there is good news on the school choice front. We have much work to do as our elected representatives gather for another legislative session and work on legislation that will affect students across the state. With two school choice programs – the Education Savings Account Program and the Individualized Education Program – up and running in Tennessee, more families than ever before are able to send their child to the school of their choice, and that is certainly something to celebrate.

On Wednesday, Tennessee’s Supreme Court handed down exciting news for parents across the state by overruling lower courts and rejecting the lead claim in a lawsuit against the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program.

This program would provide $7,300 in funds for educational expenses such as tuition and tutoring to eligible families. But for over two years, the ESA had been tied up in courts, as Nashville-area municipal and county governments fought to keep low- and middle-income families from accessing this life-changing program.

The Tennessee General Assembly expanded the state’s Individualized Education Account program to include students with dyslexia Monday, when the House of Representatives voted 69-21 in favor of the measure.

The bill previously passed the Tennessee Senate 24-7. The legislation now heads to Governor Lee’s desk. He is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days.

The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, congratulates Greg Vital on his victory in the special election for House District 29. Tonight, voters showed their overwhelming support of school choice by electing Greg Vital with 80% of the vote. Greg Vital will replace school choice champion Representative Mike Carter, who was pivotal in helping pass the Education Savings Account legislation that could provide much-needed educational choice for 15,000 students across the state.

My name is Marquita Holt. I am a Nashville native. I have always had a desire and a heart for children. I was originally working with older children when I began to realize that they had some gaps in their education. Then I met Ms. Sonceria Radford at church.

It was her children that were a big inspiration for me. They have gone through a school that used the Montessori philosophy, and it completely inspired me to further understand why these children were so curious. They asked so many questions and were so joyful and so exciting. That is how I became interested in Montessori philosophy. I am a co-founder of Nia House, the Director of Admissions, and Director of Marketing.

My name is Darlene Neely. I am one of the co-founders, the Academic Dean, and the lead teacher in the 3–6-year-old classroom at Nia House Montessori School in Nashville, TN. My experience with the Montessori approach started in 1996 when I worked with a team to try to start the first Montessori school in Nashville. I spent 18 years working at Hull Jackson Montessori. During my time there, I started a program at Belmont University where I became one of three founders in a rare program that trained Montessori teachers.

When I was 37 weeks pregnant, I received the devastating news that my firstborn, Davidson, was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. There were many questions and concerns that flooded my mind at that time. How were we going to help him? Would he speak? Would he run? Would he learn to drive?

Soon after he was born, I had the overwhelming joy of knowing Davidson was fearfully and wonderfully made. Still, I wondered what could we do to help Davidson succeed in a world that now appeared stacked against him.

My name is Veronica Chambers. I am a lead instructor at Bridges Memphis youth organization.

I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship and attend the school that shaped me into the person I am today. As a businesswoman, I cannot stress enough how much of an impact a teacher can have in a young person’s life. Knowing that, I try my best to influence the youth as much as the program has for me.

The American Federation for Children, the nation’s largest school choice advocacy organization, congratulates the candidates who support educational choice on their successes in Thursday night’s Tennessee Primary elections. The election results are in line with numerous public polls that have found strong support for school choice.

With a new school choice program, my son will now be able to explore different cultures, learn the things that will be beneficial to a successful livelihood, and not just learning to pass standardized tests. My son and I eagerly await the 2020-2021 school year and the years to follow knowing he will have an opportunity for a successful life.

Sending my child to a charter school was the best decision I’ve ever made. She was able to excel and thrive freely. She was introduced to so many programs and extracurricular activities that helped boost her college application. I saw how successful my daughter turned out to be and it encouraged me to repeat the process with my grandchildren.

“This is an extremely disappointing decision, and unfairly penalizes the thousands of families who were hoping to utilize the ESA program. These families are desperately looking for options to help their children succeed academically. This law was proposed by Governor Bill Lee, passed the Tennessee General Assembly, and poll after poll has shown that Tennessee families in our struggling school systems support it. The number of parents that have applied thus far shows that this was a needed educational lifeline for families in Nashville and Memphis. As the enrollment period is currently underway, this creates regrettable confusion for those families who had already applied or were preparing to apply. We urge the Attorney General to take the necessary next steps to appeal, defend, and protect the program.”

American Federation for Children-Tennessee today announced the launch of a website dedicated to helping parents navigate school options for their children ahead of the Education Savings Account program open enrollment period, which is expected to begin this month. The website, www.tnschoolfinder.org, offers parents in the Memphis and Nashville areas the opportunity to compare their zoned public school to other public schools, public charter schools, and private schools in their area. Cities across Tennessee will continue to be added over time.

“Today’s vote marks a historic victory for students in Tennessee. Members of the House and Senate voted to open doors for children who have been trapped in failing schools for far too long. They voted to rightly give families choice when it comes to their child’s education. They voted to set children on a path to success.”