Public schools advocates tell Kingsport board voucher expansion would divert taxpayer dollars
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Summary
At the April 14 Kingsport City Schools board meeting, advocates warned that a proposed statewide voucher expansion would funnel public funds to private schools, cited research on fiscal impacts, and were met by board memberswho voiced firm opposition; no board action was taken.
At the April 14 Kingsport City Schools Board of Education meeting, Jenna Wingo of the nonprofit Public Schools Strong told trustees the Education Freedom Act voucher expansion before the state legislature would send large sums of taxpayer money to private school programs without adequate accountability.
"These vouchers funnel over $155,000,000 of taxpayer funds into private school programs," Wingo said, adding that the proposal could expand to about $310,000,000 under recent amendments and citing analysis from Ed Trust Tennessee that warned of larger multi-year fiscal impacts.
Wingo also said private schools accepting vouchers would not be required to use the TCAP assessment used in Kingsport schools and noted that families of students with disabilities may need to waive rights guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to participate.
The board did not vote on the matter; public comment rules prevented board members from engaging during the public input period. After public comment, the board president spoke directly: "I just like to take a minute to, just personally express my vehement opposition to the voucher expansion program," the board president said, thanking local legislators who had voted against similar measures.
Theresa Haywood, speaking on behalf of the KEA, said neighboring counties (Hawkins and Washington) had already passed resolutions related to voucher proposals, and she expressed support for the advocates addressing the board.
Board members reiterated concerns about transparency and accountability cited by the public speakers and urged community members to engage ahead of local elections. No formal board action on vouchers was taken during the meeting; the item was raised in public comment and in members' remarks only.
The board adjourned after a series of other business items and noted upcoming meeting dates.
