The following may be attributed to Knox County educator and Tennessee Education Association President Tanya T. Coats:
“Gov. Lee is right that education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life. His vouchers-for-all plan, however, is not the answer to ensuring student success. Tennessee’s public schools serve more than 90% of students and are often the largest employer in some of our state’s rural communities. Taking taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition statewide instead of increasing investment in our already underfunded public schools threatens the strength of our Tennessee communities.
Instead of using his State of the State address to champion the great work of Tennessee public schools in educating all children, he is pushing a proposal that is not expected to include accountability or requirements around income or previous attendance in a Tennessee public school. This confirms TEA’s long-held position that vouchers have never been about helping economically disadvantaged families whether they live in cities, suburbs or rural communities. The goal has always been to privatize public education and use public dollars to fund private school education, which goes against our Tennessee values.
The General Assembly must fulfill their constitutional obligation to provide a system of public education for our children and do right by all Tennessee students by rejecting the governor’s proposal.”
