Lawmakers split on expansion of governor's education scholarships amid calls for transparency

Lawmakers on the panel summarized the governor's proposal to expand education scholarships and debated the chances it will clear both chambers. The governor proposed roughly an additional $155 million to expand scholarships from about 20,000 toward 40,000 slots; one lawmaker said the proposal will go through committee deliberations and funding work in finance committees.

Lee Reeves (member of the education committee) told the audience parents have largely embraced the scholarship option and said "parents seem to be be very happy with the program." Jake Macauman, a Williamson County parent and proponent of school choice, said the priority should be the student's success whether in public, private or home school.

Todd Warner voiced reservations about transparency and the potential for private schools to increase tuition when they receive voucher dollars. "They want to know who's getting the money. And one complaint I'm having ... is that these private schools that... are taking the voucher money is already started increasing tuition," he said, urging more disclosure so constituents can see geographic distribution and program effects.

An audience member asked whether voucher demand is concentrated in large urban areas; panelists said a transparency bill has been proposed to disclose county-level distributions (not individual recipients) so officials can see which areas account for most voucher use.

What happens next: lawmakers said the scholarship expansion will proceed through committee consideration and that transparency and accountability provisions are likely to be part of further debate.