Where the Candidates Stand on School Vouchers
Does the Education Freedom Scholarship grow, hold at 20,000 students, or end?
What the policy is
The Education Freedom Scholarship is Tennessee’s statewide private school voucher. A family that qualifies receives a state-funded account they can spend on tuition and fees at a participating private school, and the award is tied to the same per-student base amount the public school funding formula uses.
The program launched for the 2025-26 school year with a fixed number of scholarships, split evenly between an income-qualified track and a universal track open to any eligible student regardless of household income. Applications ran more than twice the number of available seats in year one.
The governor sets the administration’s position on whether to seek more scholarships from the General Assembly, holds the appointment of the education commissioner who runs the program, and signs or vetoes any bill that changes it.
What it costs
- Award per student
- $7,530 for 2026-27
The scholarship was $7,295 for the 2025-26 school year and rises to $7,530 for 2026-27, tracking the state funding formula’s base per-student amount.
- Scholarships available
- 20,000
All 20,000 were reserved in the first year: 10,000 for students in households meeting the income test and 10,000 universal scholarships open regardless of income.
- Applications in year one
- 42,827
Families in 94 of 95 counties applied. The 20,000 awards went to students in 86 counties, enrolled at 220 of 241 participating schools. Applications were processed in the order received.
No figure is given here for the program’s total FY2026-27 appropriation. The state budget line item was not retrievable from an authoritative published source while this page was written, and an estimate assembled from the award amount and seat count would be our arithmetic, not the state’s number.
What Tennesseans told the survey
What Tennesseans said about school vouchers
- 71%
- support public school choice
- 82%
- support open enrollment
- 61%
- would send their child to a different school if cost and location were not barriers
Remove the barriers and a clear majority would leave their zoned school.
500 registered voters surveyed February 5-8, 2026, ±4.38% margin of error, 95% confidence. Tennessee Firefly is a product of Tennesseans for Student Success, which conducted this survey. We publish the findings in full and name them as the yardstick wherever we use them so readers can weigh the source along with the number.
Where the nominees stand
Marsha Blackburn
SupportsHer campaign lists school choice under parental rights and commits to fully implementing the state law. She writes that she stood with President Trump, Vice President Vance and Governor Lee in support of school choice, and that as governor she would keep working with the legislature so every child has access to an education that fits their needs regardless of family income or zip code. Her stated frame is parental authority: parents, not government bureaucrats, know what is best for each child. She has also backed federal education savings account bills in the Senate.
“Parents shouldn’t have to win the lottery to have a say in their child’s education.”Tennessee Lookout, Tennessee GOP gubernatorial hopefuls split on private school vouchers (July 15, 2026)
Source: Marsha Blackburn for Governor, Strengthening parental rights · read 2026-08-08
Jerri Green
OpposesHer platform opens the education section by committing to fully fund K-12 public education rather than, in her words, siphon dollars into unaccountable voucher schemes. A separate budget plank argues the state is diverting $1.1 billion over five years to private vouchers that largely go to wealthy families, money she says could instead raise teacher pay and cut the school repair backlog.
“Fully fund K-12 public education”
Source: Jerri Green for Governor, Policy · read 2026-08-08
The 13 independents on the ballot
Independent candidates qualify by petition and never appear in a primary, so they arrive on the November ballot with no primary record behind them. Each is listed here whether or not a position exists.
Misam Abidi
Has not stated a positionMisam Abidi has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Misam Abidi: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Dean Brewer
Has not stated a positionDean Brewer has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Dean Brewer: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Ray Brown
Has not stated a positionRay Brown has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Ray Brown: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
David Hatley
Has not stated a positionHis campaign site and his announcement coverage set out an education priority built on reading instruction and trade training. Neither addresses the Education Freedom Scholarship.
Source: Hatley campaign, David Hatley for Governor
Wendell Jackson
Has not stated a positionWendell Jackson has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Wendell Jackson: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Charles Van Morgan
Has not stated a positionCharles Van Morgan has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Charles Van Morgan: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Eddie Lee Murphy
Has not stated a positionEddie Lee Murphy has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Eddie Lee Murphy: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Lauren Pinkston
Opposes expansionHer platform's early childhood section supports moving the Education Freedom Scholarship program's expanded budget into early childhood education funds, which would redirect the money away from vouchers. It does not call for ending the existing program.
“shifting Tennessee increased budget Education Freedom Scholarships to early childhood education funds”
Source: Pinkston campaign, Platform: Lauren Pinkston's Plan for Tennessee's Livability, Accountability, and Civility
Victor L. Scoggin
Has not stated a positionTwo of the 44 points on his platform concern schools, and both are about who teaches and what is permitted in the building rather than how schools are paid for. The platform does not address vouchers.
Source: Scoggin campaign, Capt Vic Scoggin for Tennessee Governor
Dave Seeman
OpposesHis platform would repeal the Education Freedom Scholarship program and, by his figure, redirect $144 million a year into public schools. The dollar amount is his campaign’s, not the state’s.
“repeal the Education Freedom Scholarship program and redirect $144 million a year into public schools”
Source: Seeman campaign, The Platform: Dave Seeman for Governor
Karl Knox Smithson
Has not stated a positionKarl Knox Smithson has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, Karl Knox Smithson: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
L. Webb Taylor
Has not stated a positionL. Webb Taylor has not stated a position on school vouchers.
Source: Tennessee Firefly, L. Webb Taylor: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list · read 2026-08-08
Robert C. Vick
Has not stated a positionHis announcement does not state a position on the Education Freedom Scholarship voucher program.
Source: Claiborne Progress, 40-Year East Tennessee Educator Dr. Vick Announces Independent Run for Governor
15 candidates on the certified November ballot · 4 with a stated position on this issue · 11 with none on the record
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Education, Education Freedom Scholarship Program (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Department of Education, TDOE Announces Successful Implementation of Education Freedom Scholarship Program (September 19, 2025) (read 2026-08-08)
- Marsha Blackburn for Governor, Strengthening parental rights (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Lookout, Tennessee GOP gubernatorial hopefuls split on private school vouchers (July 15, 2026) (read 2026-08-08)
- Jerri Green for Governor, Policy (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, Misam Abidi: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, Dean Brewer: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, Ray Brown: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Hatley campaign, David Hatley for Governor
- Tennessee Firefly, Wendell Jackson: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, Charles Van Morgan: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, Eddie Lee Murphy: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Pinkston campaign, Platform: Lauren Pinkston's Plan for Tennessee's Livability, Accountability, and Civility
- Scoggin campaign, Capt Vic Scoggin for Tennessee Governor
- Seeman campaign, The Platform: Dave Seeman for Governor
- Tennessee Firefly, Karl Knox Smithson: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Tennessee Firefly, L. Webb Taylor: campaign material, filings and public statements, reviewed against the Secretary of State ballot list (read 2026-08-08)
- Claiborne Progress, 40-Year East Tennessee Educator Dr. Vick Announces Independent Run for Governor
- Tennesseans for Student Success, TSS Statewide Survey, February 2026
Positions are stated in each candidate’s own framing. Where a candidate has not addressed an issue, the page says so and names the material that was reviewed to reach that conclusion. We do not score or grade candidates: the survey is the yardstick, and the comparison is the reader’s to make.
The other education issues
Does the next governor raise the TISA formula, change what it weights, or hold it where it is?
Do annual testing and the A-F school grades stay as they are, get reweighted, or get rolled back?
What happens to teacher pay after the statutory minimum reaches $50,000 in 2026-27?
Where does the next governor put the money: four-year degrees, the technical colleges, or both?
Explore the Tracker
About this tracker
This tracker is produced by The Tennessee Firefly, an independent, nonpartisan news outlet covering education and government in Tennessee. We don't endorse candidates. We don't take political ads. We follow the money, the policy, and the people who shape your kids' schools. All data comes from official filings, verified reporting, and on-the-record sources, with freshness timestamps visible on every page that surfaces live data.