Walter Blanks Jr. says his experience with public schools growing up in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio was hard.
Blanks says he struggled in school and was bullied to the extent his mother feared for his safety. That changed when his family took advantage of a school choice program that allowed Blanks to attend a private school.
“Because of school choice I was able to leave that environment and found myself in a place where I began to love learning. My educational journey flourished, and it was something that I enjoyed every single day,” said Blanks. “I want every single student in the state to have the same opportunity that I did to be in the best educational environment for them.”
Blanks told his story to members of the Tennessee House Education Administration Committee to support legislation that would give 20 thousand families across Tennessee the ability to send their children to private school with taxpayer dollars. The so-called Education Freedom Scholarship Act is Governor Bill Lee’s signature education proposal this year and it would expand on the concept of the existing Education Savings Account (ESA) pilot program that’s available to families in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties.
The bill advanced out of both the House Education Administration Committee and the Senate Education Committee Wednesday following lengthy debate and testimony from speakers like Blanks.
The legislation will face additional committee votes before it makes it to the floor of both houses and one looming question is how lawmakers will resolve the sizable differences between the House and Senate versions of the act.
Representative Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, is among those who worry that part will be rushed.
“At the end of the day folks we know what’s going to happen to this bill. The House and Senate is never going to agree on this 39 page, master growth of government. They’re never going to agree on it you know it and I know it. Everyone knows it,” said Warner. “What’s going to happen is it’s going to go to a conference committee at the end of session into a backroom deal that we will get one hour, more than likely, on the House floor to discuss.”
The Senate plan is the least complicated of the two versions.
It would create the Education Freedom Scholarship Act and add a change to state education policy to enable all public-school students the ability to enroll in schools located outside of their district.
Senator Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, said the change will empower parents to make the right choice for their child’s education, regardless of if they want to keep them in public school or move them to private school.
“We have great public schools in Tennessee,” said Lundberg. “Why wouldn’t we let the parents decide which great school to send their child to and help them do that.”
The existing ESA pilot program requires participating students to take state tests and the Senate version would continue that. Under the legislation:
- Students in grades third through eleventh would take an annual standardized test.
- Third-graders would take the TCAP English language arts (ELA) test or nationally recognized standardized test.
- Eighth-graders would take the TCAP math test.
- Juniors would take an examination to assess their readiness for postsecondary education, such as the ACT or SAT.
Testing played a role in the lone vote against the Senate plan.
Senator Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, said she couldn’t support the act because students taking part in the existing ESA pilot program aren’t doing better on state testing.
“I support things that work and in my experience with this type of legislation even just in Tennessee the pilot program… those students are doing significantly poorer in their schools than the students who are in the traditional public school. About 19 points lower when we talk about English language arts and math,” said Akbari. “This is not something I can support.”
Testing is also a much talked about component of the House version of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act. That version would reduce state testing requirements for traditional public-school students.
Currently, Tennessee requires public-school students in third through eighth grade to take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment in English language arts, math, and science every spring. Students in grades sixth through eight additionally take an annual social studies TCAP assessment.
High school students take End-of-Course Assessments in English I, English II, Algebra 1, Algebra II, Geometry, Integrated Math1, Integrated Math II, Integrated Math III, Biology, and U.S. History and Geography.
The House plan would change that. Under the plan:
- Students in grades third through ninth would receive a statewide standardized assessment in ELA and math once a year.
- Students would receive a statewide standardized assessment in science once in grades third through fifth, once in grades sixth through ninth, and once in grades tenth through twelfth.
- Students would receive a statewide standardized assessment in social studies once in grades sixth through eighth.
- Students in the ninth-grade would take a math end-of-course assessment.
- High school sophomores would take the ACT test and Juniors would take a nationally recognized assessment.
Supporters argue the decrease in testing will give teachers more hours to focus on teaching students but Maryville City Schools Director Mike Winstead told House members that extra time in the classroom won’t necessarily mean much for improving performance.
“As far as directly impacting those test scores, no,” said Winstead. “I don’t see anything in here that’s a magic pill that’s going to change the test scores in Maryville for instance or anywhere else.”
The House plan also includes dozens of pages of additional educational changes supporters say school leaders have asked for including:
- Increasing the state funding for students who attend small and sparce school districts.
- Increasing the state’s portion of teacher insurance policies.
- Changes to teacher evaluation policies and a reduction in the frequency of evaluations for some teachers.
- More flexibility for how school districts serve students who are deemed academically behind.
- The removal of a section of the state’s Third-Grade Reading Law that could hold thousands of fourth-graders back. Under the change, fourth graders who fail to test proficient in reading would be required to attend summer school and tutoring in the fifth-grade.
- Changing the frequency of required teacher licensing from every 5 years to every 8 years.
- Giving school districts more scheduling flexibility.
- Dissolving the state’s Achievement School District in 2026.
- Changing the requirements for school district comprehensive support and improvement plans.
- Providing school districts with more flexibility to support students who are chronically absent.
- Extending the Career Readiness Assessment program.
“These are things that we’ve talked to the Tennessee Education Association about, we’ve talked to the School Board Association about, we’ve talked to the Superintendent’s Association about, Professional Educators of Tennessee about. We’ve asked them what things can we do to public education to transform them to unlock the potential that’s in our public schools,” said Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka. “And in one fell swoop we have the ability to transform education, public education in Tennessee.”
Cepicky said the additional education proposals in the House bill would increase the estimated $140 million dollar cost of the basic Education Freedom Scholarship Act to as much as to $424 million a year.
Representative Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, was among those voting for the House plan but he did express reservations about the additional cost.
“My concern is these other sections do add substantially to the cost of the bill,” said Baum.“I understand that we’re adding additional sections to make the bill more enticing, maybe to sweetening the pot but it seems like in order to pass a $140 million Freedom Accounts bill we’re spending an additional almost $350 million.”
