School vouchers are a top political issue right now, and undoubtedly, they will be front and center in the upcoming 114th General Assembly. Tennessee Stands has been on the front line opposing the Governor’s Education Freedom plan, which is misrepresented as universal school choice.
You may be on the fence or simply in a place where you need help understanding the arguments being brought to light. That is understandable due to the amount of national money behind this initiative and the propaganda we are being sold. This legislation is known to have been hallmarked for the Governor to pass during his administration. So, when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Tennessee Stands has educated you on this topic for over a year via commentary and video. Recently, we shared a 2-hour debate Gary Humble, Executive Director of Tennessee Stands, had with Trey Cleek from Americans For Prosperity, a pro-voucher nationally funded organization. While that debate is chock-full of great information, we have taken the content from that moderated discussion and have created a playlist of (9) short clips, approximately 1-3 minutes each, to answer the big questions.
- Does school choice create competition?
- Who has authority over public education?
- Is school choice an entitlement program?
- What about funding religious schools?
- Is school choice really freedom?
- What is backpack funding?
- Will taxes increase to pay for vouchers?
- Will illegals have access to vouchers?
- Do private schools have space to absorb 20,000 new students?
In these clips, Gary Humble lays out the opposing points of view regarding this school choice proposal and why we believe it will negatively impact Tennessee. We hope these brief video responses to these questions help you understand, give you a language for discussion, and give you a tool to share with others.
