One unresolved question was whether lawmakers might further expand the number of families who can use tax dollars for private school expenses.

An amendment under consideration would expand the scope of who can qualify to use tax dollars for private school expenses.

Democrats fail in bid to increase accountability for the program.

The House K-12 Subcommittee advanced the plan on a 5-3 vote on Tuesday morning.

According to a news release, the Tennessee Department of Education has received more than 50,304 new and renewal applications for the program that allows families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses.

Lawmakers are expected to debate multiple issues that played a prominent role in last year’s legislative session, including state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

More than 60 percent of respondents said they support expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship and adopting policies that allow parents to send their children to public schools across district or county lines without paying tuition.

Just 11 percent of participating students tested proficient in math on state testing during the program’s initial 2022-23 year. That number rose to 19.5 percent in the 2024-25 school year.

Speaking at a town hall event in Jonesborough, Tennessee last week, Green said her priorities would be to expand Medicaid, repeal Tennessee’s grocery tax, and end the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act that allows families to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school.

Last school year, 3,693 students in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga received assistance for private school expenses through the Education Savings Account (ESA), frequently referred to as school vouchers.

The program, frequently referred to as vouchers, is providing 20 thousand children with tax dollars to pay for private school expenses, and Blackburn says it will be a key part of her education policy if she’s elected governor next year.

By offering a 100 percent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to private school scholarship organizations, the bill would allow individuals to redirect their tax dollars to educational causes, potentially reshaping Tennessee’s K–12 landscape.

Lawmakers on the Joint Government Operations Committee met Monday to review administration rules for the newly launched Education Freedom Scholarship program and to ask questions about some of the challenges that appeared during its launch.

Governor Bill Lee signed the legislation creating the program in February, allowing up to 20 thousand families to use $7,295 in taxpayer dollars to pay for private school expenses.

Both polls asked voters for their support of key education policies that have been backed this year by Republican leaders, including President Trump and Governor Bill Lee.

The Tennessee Department of Education plans to launch the application portal at 10 P.M. CT according to a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly.

That list includes more than three dozen schools in Shelby County and more than two dozen in Davidson.

The Tennessee State House voted 53 to 45 Thursday afternoon to approve Governor Bill Lee’s plan to let families use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school.

The legislation comfortably advanced out of the House and Senate Education Committees Tuesday with just two Republicans, joining all Democrats voting against it.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, opened the first day of the special session on Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act of 2025 by replacing half of the members serving on the influential House Education Committee.