SAY NO TO SCHOOL VOUCHERS
Join me in the fight to keep our tax dollars in our public schools by opposing Governor Lee's proposal for the voucher program. 

Public schools across our state have been underfunded for years. Special interest groups have influenced our leaders to fund charter and private schools in TN by cutting public school budgets. Now this effort is being advanced by our governor. Offering “scholarships” to parents for private school benefits students who live in urban and metropolitan areas and not in rural communities and small towns. Offering vouchers to 20,000 students would cost us $145.1 million dollars, removed from our public school budgets.

When we win this fight we can fully fund public school education benefiting our children by:

• Offering competitive pay for all school staff and teachers

• Wrap-around services to support whole child development

• End state-imposed reliance on high-stakes testing

• Curriculum that offers students a creative, honest, and diverse learning experience

Robbing our public school budget began in 2019 when Mary Littleton voted “yes” to a bill called the “Education Freedom Scholarship Act”. This bill set the stage for the threat of the voucher bill we are fighting now. (See Bill)

LET’S USE OUR TAX DOLLARS to support the whole child with mental and physical health initiatives that will give students the skills they need to perform better on tests.

Adequate school funding allow for:

• “How Music Can Dramatically Affect Your Child’s Development and Life-Time Success” (Click Here)

• Just one session of moderate physical activity instantly boosts kids' brain function, cognition and academic performance. Mastering fundamental movement skills boosts brain power and academic performance. (Click Here)

• SEL learning (Student Life Skills) can have a positive impact on academic achievement. SEL instruction is more likely to engage students in learning and they become more motivated to succeed. They also tend to have better attendance, fewer behavior problems, and improved academic performance.