Bill > SB0001

This bill establishes the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, which will provide scholarships to eligible Tennessee students to attend private schools. For the 2025-2026 school year, the program will award up to 20,000 scholarships, with 10,000 reserved for students from lower-income households or with specific eligibility criteria, and another 10,000 available to all eligible students. The scholarship amount will be equal to the state's base funding amount and can be used for tuition, fees, textbooks, tutoring, transportation, technology, summer programs, and educational therapy. Recipients in grades 3-11 must take standardized tests annually, and the results will be reported to the state. The bill also includes provisions protecting the autonomy of participating private schools and ensuring they are not required to change their policies to accept scholarship students. Additionally, the bill provides a one-time $2,000 bonus to public school K-12 teachers for the 2024-2025 school year and includes a provision to ensure local education agencies do not lose funding if students disenroll. The program aims to provide more educational choices for Tennessee families while maintaining financial support for public schools.

Education

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0001&ga=114