JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – With a special legislative session coming up, Northeast Tennessee’s state representatives will soon have to make decisions on several key issues. One of the more polarizing is Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Act.
The bill, more commonly known as the school voucher bill, would provide tax-funded scholarships to families that could be applied to tuition at private schools. It’s become a controversial issue in Tennessee, with many local school districts making it clear they oppose the bill.
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State Representative David Hawk from Greeneville told News Channel 11 that he opposes the bill because there is no direct benefit for students in Greene County.
“The school voucher plan that I’ve been discussing and been hearing for the last decade has been revolving around students that are in failing schools and failing school systems,” Hawk said. “And fortunately, here in Northeast Tennessee, although we may occasionally have a school building that has some challenges, our schools are doing fine. So my opposition largely comes from the concept that we’re doing fine. Let’s address, in Tennessee, the school systems that are generationally failing as opposed to creating a universal voucher plan that’s going to potentially harm our school districts in Northeast Tennessee.”…