Tennessee Education Leaders Debate the Value of Charters, Vouchers and Accountability in School Choice

On Monday, education leaders from private, charter, and traditional public-school sectors discussed the future of school choice in Tennessee. (Photo: Unsplash)

Education leaders from a variety of sectors discussed the future of school choice in Tennessee at a Monday panel hosted by the League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro-Rutherford County. Their comments revealed a wide range of opinions and significant uncertainty about the impact of state programs involving vouchers, public charter schools, and accountability.

Panelists first tackled vouchers, a term often used to describe Tennessee’s two private-school choice programs including the Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) and the Education Savings Account (ESA).

Lawmakers approved the EFS program during a special legislative session in January and Governor Bill Lee signed it into law last February. The program provides state funds that up to 20,000 eligible students may use at private schools. While the program prioritizes students under a certain income threshold, it is open to all eligible Tennessee families.

Tennessee leaders are currently discussing expanding the EFS program next year to allow more families to participate.

The ESA program limits eligibility to students whose families earn no more than twice the federal free-lunch threshold. Unlike the EFS program, it’s limited to families who are zoned for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools or Hamilton County Schools.  In the 2023-24 school year, 2,088 students were enrolled in private schools using ESA funds, representing a 362 percent increase over the prior year. 

Panelists Unsure or Warning of Negative Effects

When asked about the potential impact of programs like the ESA and EFS on public schools, panelists agreed there’s not yet enough information to draw firm conclusions.

Dr. Jimmy Sullivan, director of Rutherford County Schools, said it will take time to measure the results.

“We won’t know the true impact of ESAs  until May of this year,” Sullivan said. “How are we truly going to know the impact? I don’t know if we’ll truly get to know it.”

Matt Tiller, president of Middle Tennessee Christian School, agreed.

“It’s probably going to be a full year before you see an impact for both public and private schools,” Tiller said.

However, others expressed concern that early data from Tennessee and other states suggest mixed outcomes.

“The research about ESAs is not positive,” said Dr. Sean Corcoran, associate professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University. “There are zero or largely negative effects on student outcomes. Private schools are increasing their tuition in response to the ESAs. Tennessee has basically blocked the release of any information for these kids using ESAs.”

Angela Wynn, a parent of five and Public School Strong Tennessee advocate, raised equity concerns.

“What are we doing for those counties where kids don’t have a private school to choose to attend?” Wynn asked.

Charter Schools: Debunking Common Myths

Panelists also discussed charter schools, which are publicly funded, tuition-free and open to any student in the district. Charter schools often serve special populations—such as at-risk youth or children from low-income families—and offer alternative learning models. Tennessee currently has about 115 charter schools serving more than 44,000 students statewide (roughly 5 percent of the K-12 population).

Despite their growing presence, panelists agreed that misconceptions persist — especially around accountability and enrollment.

“The two most frequent questions I get include accountability and enrollment of students,” said Tess Stovall, executive director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. “Charter schools are held to the same public-school accountability systems as regular public schools.”

Dr. Jeff McCann, school choice coordinator for Rutherford County Schools, said misinformation is common locally.

“In Rutherford County, a lot of misconceptions come from a lack of knowledge and misunderstanding,” McCann said. “It is a public school, publicly funded, and open to every student in the district.”

Accountability in School Choice

The moderator closed the discussion by asking panelists to address accountability across all forms of school choice. While all affirmed that oversight is essential, several questioned whether accountability measures are being enforced evenly across the state.

“All parents want for all our schools is to be able to provide the same type of education at all levels,” Wynn said. “We must be honest that that’s not happening across all areas. While it may be required, it’s not necessarily done.”

As Tennessee policymakers weigh broader expansion of school-choice options, panelists agreed that transparency, enforcement of existing accountability standards and collaboration among districts, private schools and the state will be essential to ensuring equitable access for all Tennessee students.