CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A resolution approved last year that opposes school vouchers was overturned last night during a Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board meeting, allowing the board to take a “neutral stance” on Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed voucher program.
Ten months ago, the CMCSS School Board passed the resolution, created by board member Carol Berry, that opposed school vouchers – a controversial program that would allow public funding for privatized education. On Tuesday night, however, that resolution was overturned in a 4-2 vote.
What are vouchers?
In 2023, Lee proposed the Education Freedom Act, a program that introduced school vouchers. Now, in 2025, the Education Freedom Act has been reintroduced to the legislators under House Bill 1, Senate Bill 1.
The vouchers that Lee proposed are government-funded payments of about $7,000 per student per year that help families pay for tuition at a private school, including religious schools. The idea behind school vouchers is to give parents more choice in their children’s education and to introduce competition into the education system…