Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools leaders take ‘neutral stance’ on school vouchers

CMCSS Board of Education member Carol Berry speaks out against a resolution to take a “neutral stance” on school vouchers at Tuesday’s school board meeting. (Screenshot)

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) Board of Education voted Tuesday to take a “neutral stance” on Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed Education Freedom Scholarship Act of 2025 that would allow more families across the state to use public funds for private school enrollment. The proposed program is frequently referred to as school vouchers.

According to board documents, the 4-2 vote was a reversal of a resolution approved last year that expressed opposition to school vouchers. Tuesday’s resolution comes less than a week before lawmakers are returning to Nashville for a special session on the Education Freedom Scholarship Act of 2025.

The new legislation plans to fund 20,000 scholarships for Tennessee students starting in the 2025-26 school year. The bill will also devote half of those scholarships to students from families who meet income requirements and other special populations and ensure that school funding doesn’t decrease from one year to the next due to enrollment declines. Critics believe the legislation would divert much-needed funding away from traditional public schools - a common criticism among many Democratic Party lawmakers and others traditionally opposed to vouchers.

The resolution to take a neutral stance was pushed by board member Kacie Bryant, who said she believed the previous resolution didn’t reflect the opinions of the board and district community at large.

“I believe the resolution that was passed last year stating that the Clarksville-Montgomery County Board of Education opposes education vouchers no longer represents the majority of our board,” she said. “Nor does it represent the majority of our citizens.”

CMCSS Board of Education member Aron Maberry (Photo from CMCSS)

CMCSS board member Carol Berry, who proposed the previous resolution opposing vouchers, pushed back against Tuesday’s decision. She said she was “appalled” to see the board reverse its previous stance, adding that she believes “vouchers are another way to segregate our schools.”

“I’m a product of a segregated school in Alabama, and I get very emotional [about this] because you don’t understand the magnitude of what you’re trying to do,” she told board members who voted in favor of the reversal.

Berry pushed board members to table their vote due to the fact that board member Jimmie Garland was not present.

However, board member Aron Maberry said during the contentious discussion that lawmakers would be in a special legislative session next time board members meet, which would make the tabled resolution less “timely.” Maberry also serves as State Representative for House District 68 and won his race last year running in support of vouchers.

“Now would be the time to do this if we’re going to do it,” Maberry said, adding that he was “disappointed” to see that the discussion turned “racial.”