Amount of school vouchers proposed, could be scaled back in TN

Some TN House Republicans are considering scaling back the number of proposed new school vouchers from 40,000 total to 35,000, saving the state an estimated $37 million per year. Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship created 20,000 taxpayer-funded school vouchers worth around $7,300 each to pay for students to attend private school if their parents choose. After more than 50,000 applications were submitted, Republican leadership proposed a bill to nearly double the number of available vouchers to 40,000 total, which would cost the state around $310 million per year. An amendment to the bill, filed by the chair of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, would reduce the number of proposed new vouchers from 40,000 to 35,000.  If the House adopts the amendment, the Senate would need to amend its version of the bill, or risk its failure.