(The Center Square) – A bill to increase Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarships is still on the table, but at a lower amount than Gov. Bill Lee proposed.
An amendment recommends increasing the scholarships for the 2026-27 school year to 35,000. The governor budgeted an increase to 40,000 from the current 20,000.
More than 56,000 students applied for the 2026-27 school year, while more than 38,000 applied for the 2025-26 school year, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
The original bill, passed during a January 2025 special session, allowed for 20,000 in the initial year and 5,000 in subsequent years. Lee’s proposal adds 15,000 more; the amendment adds 10,000 more.
The amended bill reduces state expenditures in fiscal year 2027 from just over $150 million to nearly $113 million, according to the bill’s fiscal note.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Lee.
On Wednesday, the governor shared on social media a letter from the America First Policy Institute supporting the increase.
“Together, we can double Education Freedom Scholarships to meet soaring demand & deliver on President Donald Trump’s school choice agenda, creating greater opportunity for Tennessee students,” Lee said in the post.
The bill advanced through both chambers in its original form amid questions about data.
A bill by Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, that would have required the Department of Education to provide more information about scholarship recipients failed in a K-12 Education subcommittee. The data reported shows that 54% of the scholarships went to the state’s four most populous counties, and the state’s top 12 counties accounted for 81% of the scholarships, Barrett said. Nine of the 12 wealthiest counties in Tennessee are among the top 12 recipients, he said.
“We’re not just giving people back their taxpayer money,” Barrett said. “We’re taking everybody’s taxpayer money, and we’re giving it to a select few.”
House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, said previously he doesn’t care about the specific data on the recipients.
“These are all Tennessee children that need education and their parents feel like the schools they’re sending them to are the best for them to receive that education,” Lamberth said.
The bill is before the Senate Finance and Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday and before the same committee in the House on Wednesday.
