Governor Lee signs bill allowing Hamilton County families to use taxpayer money to attend private schools

Governor Bill Lee announced Friday that he’s signed legislation to expand the Education Savings Account to Hamilton County.The Tennessee General Assembly passed the Education Saving Account program in 2019 to allow lower income families to use state and local dollars to help cover private school expenses. Until now, the program has only been available to families in Davidson and Shelby County.“Proud to sign legislation to expand TN’s Education Savings Account program to Hamilton County. Now, families across Memphis, Nashville & Chattanooga have the opportunity to pick the best school for their child,” said Governor Lee in a social media post.The program has faced strong criticism from the beginning with opponents arguing it takes needed funds away from public schools and places them into private schools. That opposition prompted legal challenges that delayed the ESA from launching until last year.The proposal to expand the program to Hamilton County was among the most talked about pieces of education legislation this year and it saw universal opposition from Democrats.The Tennessee House initially approved legislation that would have expanded the ESA to Knox County as well but agreed on the final day of the session to pass the Senate version of the bill that only included an expansion to Hamilton County.Families who meet income requirements will be able to apply for the ESA program during the 2023/2024 school year.