TN Governor's ESA

THEA's White Paper Position on Education Savings Accounts

Tennessee Home Education Association
White Paper: Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act
Created by THEA Task Force
Approved by THEA Board of Directors

The history and culture of Western civilization reflect a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children. This primary role of the parents in the upbringing of their children is now established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition.

- Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972)

The Education Freedom Scholarship Act (yet to be filed as of this writing) claims to enable Tennessee parents to freely choose the best school for their child via a taxpayer-funded voucher system. At present the unofficial proposal covers 20,000 students with an approximate $7,000 credit towards an educational option of their parent’s choosing. The projected cost will amount to over $140,000,000 per year with additional, uncalculated amounts as the number of eligible children extends to all Tennessee children as projected.

Three questions remain until the full legislative draft is released:

What regulations will be attached to this legislation?
Whether homeschooling will be included as an eligible option?
What is the funding source for this initiative and how will that impact public school funding?

Therefore, THEA opposes the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, as promoted on the Governor’s website and described unofficially by legislators, for the primary, bullet-point reasons listed below. Other reasons will be published on the THEA website (TNHEA.org) in the near future as more details are known.

Education Scholarship Accounts (AKA vouchers):

Limit the parent’s educational choices to those the government and its experts approve while proponents falsely claim that parents retain control over their children’s education. . (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Restrict religious freedoms via government oversight particularly for Church Related Schools and the homeschool students using them as an umbrella program. (10, 14, 15, 18)
Increase government bureaucracy, education costs, spending, and eventually taxes without demonstratable, widespread, positive educational outcomes, and thus, fiscally irresponsible. (4,5, 7, List, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16)
Harm rather than encourage free-market educational solutions by tying both public and private school funding to the government and its regulations. (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10)
Create a contractual agreement between parents and the state which requires state approval for spending as well as financial record-keeping by the parents to avoid repercussions for expenses not approved by the state. (1, 2, 3, 17)

In summary, we advocate for retaining or expanding the freedoms we now have, rather than limiting them through contractual obligations inherent in accepting government funds, contractual obligations that dictate the content and methods parents employ to educate their children.

As a protector and promoter of educational freedoms in Tennessee for more than 40 years, THEA has witnessed the growth of home education in our state to a number approaching 100,000 students (19) without the help of government funding.

Our strongly held position is that ESA will damage long-term educational freedom, not expand it, and significantly increase spending without real, proven benefit.

For these reasons, THEA opposes The Education Freedom Scholarship Act.

For more information review the THEA Executive Summary on our website, www.TNHEA.org.

The following References support our positions. The numbers in parenthesis after each bullet point refer to supportive citations.

Marshall, Alexis. (2023, December 5). Autonomy vs. accountability: Not all Tenn.. Republicans are on board with statewide voucher proposal . WKMS.
https://www.wkms.org/government-politics/2023-12-05/autonomy-vs-accountability-not-all-tenn-republicans-are-on-board-with-statewide-voucher-proposal
Missouri Association of Teaching Christian Homes, Inc. (2022, September 2). Comment from MissouriAssociation of Teaching Christian Homes, Inc. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/MATCH.state/posts/pfbid02o9K7YC11MQoSbYZPTzT81fL5oW3azYuAJmKY6Bu6ofyufYjLZLzcEjw4RQyJX71pl
Dragon, B. (2019, July 30). 6/12/2019 – Legislative update. Nevada Homeschool Network Homeschooling vs Government school choice Why we should care Comments.
https://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/nv-esa-funding-bill-threatens-liberty-of-homeschooling/
Editor. (2023a, March 13). 2/21/2023 Legislative Update. CHEWV.
https://chewv.org/2-21-2023-legislative-update/
Editor. (2023b, April 6). 2023 Legislative Session: Takeaways. CHEWV.
https://chewv.org/2023-legislative-session-takeaways/
Coulson, A. J. (2010, October 4). Do Vouchers and Tax Credits Increase Private School Regulation? –Working Paper. Cato Institute.
https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/workingpaper-8.pdf
https://wholepersonwholelife.com/three-reasons-to-oppose-school-choice-failures-part-3-of-4/
Hess, F. M. (2010). Does school choice “work”? National Affairs.
https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/does-school-choice-work
PewEduReport. (2017, March 21). Philadelphia’s Changing Schools and What Parents Want from Them. The Pew Charitable Trusts.
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2017/03/state-reforms-reverse-decades-of-incarceration-growth
Garnett, N. S. (2023, May 25). Unlocking the potential of private-school choice: Avoiding and overcoming obstacles to successful implementation. Manhattan Institute.
https://manhattan.institute/article/unlocking-the-potential-of-private-school-choice-avoiding-and-overcoming-obstacles-to-successful-implementation
Truesdell, N. (2022, September 8). School vouchers for homeschooling are not conservative. Nicki Truesdell.
https://nickitruesdell.com/school-vouchers-for-homeschooling-are-not-conservative/
McCluskey, N. (2013, June 8). Price Inflation Is a Real School Choice Worry. But Right Now, It’s Moreabout Survival. Cato Institute.
https://www.cato.org/blog/price-inflation-real-school-choice-worry-right-now-its-more-about-survival
McClellan, H. (2023, April 26). Bill expanding N.C. Private School vouchers to all students moves forward in Senate. EducationNC.
https://www.ednc.org/04-26-2023-bill-expanding-n-c-private-school-vouchers-to-all-students-moves-forward-in-senate/
Whole Person Whole Life Blog:
https://wholepersonwholelife.com/judge-a-school-choice-book-by-its-cover-north-carolina-edition-part-1/
“One big debate in North Carolina (Associated Press 2023) centered around whether religious schools could receive government funding without violating separation of church and state. For now, it was ruled constitutional, and no school is restricted based on teaching religious beliefs in their classrooms. Time will tell if this freedom continues. Another debate that is still underway addresses whether participating schools can refuse entry to students who disagree with their worldview regarding issues like gender, marriage, and other cultural dividing points. This will be influenced by whether or not federal money is used as that money clearly contains thick strings regarding discrimination legalities.”
Wayne, I. (2023, January 13). Hasidic schools – a lesson regarding school choice. Illinois Family Institute.
https://illinoisfamily.org/education/hasidic-schools-a-lesson-regarding-school-choice/
Whole Person Whole Life Blog
“So, let’s look at the outcome studies which compare students who received scholarships versus those who remained in the public school assigned to them. To be blunt, we have silence at this point as I can’t find any studies in Tennessee that make that comparison. The only thing that the state reports is that 91% of recipient parents are satisfied.”
State of Tennessee. (2023, November 28). Parents Choose, Students Succeed. TN Education Freedom.
https://tneducationfreedom.com/#section-accodion-7’. Accessed January 17, 2024.
Gryboski, M. (2021, December 13). Maryland can’t Bar Christian School from voucher program over beliefs on sexuality, judge rules. The Christian Post.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/maryland-christian-school-wrongly-denied-voucher-funding-court.html
Estimated from: Ph.D, Brian D. Ray. “How Many Homeschool Students Are There in the United States during the 2021-2022 School Year?” National Home Education Research Institute, 15 Sept. 2022,
https://www.nheri.org/how-many-homeschool-students-are-there-in-the-united-states-during-the-2021-2022-school-year/
https://www.nheri.org/how-many-homeschool-students-are-there-in-the-united-states-during-the-2021-2022-school-year/

General Bibliography regarding school choice but not cited above:

Catt, D., &amp; et, al. (2021, November 4). 25 Years: 25 Most Significant School Choice Research Findings.

EdChoice. https://www.edchoice.org/engage/25-years-25-most-significant-school-choice-research-findings/

DeAngelis, C. A. (2018, Winter). What Leads to Successful School Choice Programs? A Review of the Theories and Evidence. Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/winter-2018/what-leads-successful-school-choice-programs-review-theories-evidence

Dynarski, M., &amp; et, al. (2018, May). Evaluation of the DC opportunity scholarship program. Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20184010/pdf/20184010.pdf

Gleason, P., &amp; et, al. (2010, June). The evaluation of Charter School Impacts – Executive Summary.

Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104029/pdf/20104030.pdf

Mills, Jonathan and Wolf, Patrick, The Effects of the Louisiana Scholarship Program on Student Achievement after Four Years (May 10, 2019). EDRE Working Paper No. 2019-10, Available at SSRN:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=3376230 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3376230

Raymond, M. E., &amp; et, al. (2023, June 19). As a matter of fact: The National Charter School Study III 2023. CREDO.
https://ncss3.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Credo-NCSS3-Report.pdf

Waddington, R.J. and Berends, M. (2018), Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program: Achievement Effects for Students in Upper Elementary and Middle School. J. Pol. Anal. Manage., 37: 783-808.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22086

BEGINNING OF LONGER CITATION LIST

Bibliography documenting effects of Education Scholarship Accounts (AKA vouchers) in other states:

Limit the parent’s educational choices to those which the government and its experts approve while proponents falsely claim that parents retain control over their children’s education. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Restrict religious freedoms via government oversight particularly for Church Related Schools and the homeschool students using them as an umbrella program. (10, 14, 15, 18)
Increase Government bureaucracy, education costs, spending, and eventually taxes without having demonstrated successful educational outcomes, and are thus fiscally irresponsible. (4,5, 7, List, 8, 11,
12, 13, 16)
Harm rather than encourage free-market educational solutions by tying both public and private school funding to the government and its regulations. (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10)
Create a contractual agreement between parents and the state which requires state approval for spending as well as financial record-keeping by the parents to avoid repercussions for expenses not approved by the
state.. (1, 2, 3, 17)

General Bibliography regarding school choice:

Catt, D., &amp; et, al. (2021, November 4). 25 Years: 25 Most Significant School Choice Research Findings.EdChoice. https://www.edchoice.org/engage/25-years-25-most-significant-school-choice-research-findings/

Dynarski, M., &amp; et, al. (2018, May). Evaluation of the DC opportunity scholarship program. Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20184010/pdf/20184010.pdf

Figlio, D., &amp; Karbownik, K. (2016, July). Evaluation of Ohio’s Edchoice Scholarship Program. Fordham Institute.
https://edex.s3-us-west-
2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORDHAM%20Ed%20Choice%20Evaluation%20Report_online%20edition
.pdf

Gleason, P., &amp; et, al. (2010, June). The evaluation of Charter School Impacts – Executive Summary. Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104029/pdf/20104030.pdf

Raymond, M. E., &amp; et, al. (2023, June 19). As a matter of fact: The National Charter School Study III 2023. CREDO.
https://ncss3.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Credo-NCSS3-Report.pdf

“To argue for vouchers is to imply that the government has a valid, compelling interest in the education of children. I disagree with this premise on several levels, but you will have to see my previous essay, “A Christian Education Manifesto” for a bit more of the rationale behind that. God has given children to parents, not to the government, to feed, clothe, shelter and educate.” — Israel Wayne

Bibliographies from Whole Person Whole Health Website

Three Reason to Oppose School Choice
Parts 1 through 4

Admin. (2015, May 29). Why homeschoolers don’t want school vouchers. Home School Facts.
https://www.homeschoolfacts.com/why-homeschoolers-dont-want-school-vouchers/

Campbell, D., & et, al. (2022, March 10). How charter schools and vouchers harm Tennessee students: Opinion. The Tennessean. https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2022/03/10/tennessee-educaiton-
charter-schools-tennessee-public-education-
coalition/9422346002/#:~:text=Here%20are%20just%20a%20few,NBA%20tickets%2C%20and%20auto%20repair.

Catt, D., & et, al. (2021, November 4). 25 Years: 25 Most Significant School Choice Research Findings.EdChoice.
https://www.edchoice.org/engage/25-years-25-most-significant-school-choice-research-findings/

Coulson, A. J. (2010, October 4). Do Vouchers and Tax Credits Increase Private School Regulation? – Working Paper. Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/workingpaper-8.pdf

Dragon, B. (2019, July 30). 6/12/2019 – Legislative update. Nevada Homeschool Network Homeschooling vs Government school choice Why we should care Comments.
https://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/nv-esa-funding-bill-threatens-liberty-of-homeschooling/

Dynarski, M., & et, al. (2018, May). Evaluation of the DC opportunity scholarship program. Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20184010/pdf/20184010.pdf

Editor. (2023a, March 13). 2/21/2023 Legislative Update. CHEWV. https://chewv.org/2-21-2023-legislative-update/

Editor. (2023b, April 6). 2023 Legislative Session: Takeaways. CHEWV. https://chewv.org/2023-legislative-session-takeaways/

Figlio, D., & Karbownik, K. (2016, July). Evaluation of Ohio’s Edchoice Scholarship Program. Fordham Institute.
https://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORDHAM%20Ed%20Choice%20Evaluation%20Report_online%20edition.pdf

Garnett, N. S. (2023, May 25). Unlocking the potential of private-school choice: Avoiding and overcoming obstacles to successful implementation. Manhattan Institute.
https://manhattan.institute/article/unlocking-the-potential-of-private-school-choice-avoiding-and-overcoming-obstacles-to-successful-implementation

3 References in above article: Blythe Bernhard, “Archbishop: Declining Enrollment, Income Spurred Closing of 2 St. Louis Catholic High Schools,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 29, 2022; Nate Tinner-Williams, “2 Black Catholic Schools Closing Permanently in New Orleans and Mobile,” Black Catholic Messenger, Jan. 12, 2022; Greg Dolan, “The Role of Catholic Schools in Education Choice Programs,” Education Next, Dec. 11, 2018.

Gleason, P., & et, al. (2010, June). The evaluation of Charter School Impacts – Executive Summary. Institute of Education Sciences. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104029/pdf/20104030.pdf

Greene, J. P. (2023, March 21). School choice primarily benefits students who weren’t already in private schools. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/school-choice-primarily-
benefits-students-who-werent-already-private-schools

Gryboski, M. (2021, December 13). Maryland can’t Bar Christian School from voucher program over beliefs on sexuality, judge rules. The Christian Post. https://www.christianpost.com/news/maryland-christian-school-
wrongly-denied-voucher-funding-court.html

Hess, F. M. (2010). Does school choice “work”? National Affairs.
https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/does-school-choice-work

Homeschooling Backgrounder. (2023, March 7). The Great School Choice Double-Cross.
https://homeschoolingbackgrounder.com/the-great-school-choice-double-cross/

Jesse, D. (2019, May 6). Betsy Devos: It’s not about me, It’s about students. Detroit Free Press.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/05/06/betsy-devos-education-secretary-schools/1118730001/

Kookogey, C. (2019, August 9). Stand on marriage costs Christian school its place in voucher program. The Daily Signal. https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/08/05/students-brushed-aside-as-christian-school-cut-from-voucher-program/

Marshall, Alexis. (2023, December 5). Autonomy vs. accountability: Not all Tenn.. Republicans are on board with statewide voucher proposal . WKMS. https://www.wkms.org/government-politics/2023-12-05/autonomy-vs-
accountability-not-all-tenn-republicans-are-on-board-with-statewide-voucher-proposal

McCluskey, N. (2013, June 8). Price Inflation Is a Real School Choice Worry. But Right Now, It’s More about Survival. Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/blog/price-inflation-real-school-choice-worry-right-now-its-more-about-survival

Missouri Association of Teaching Christian Homes, Inc. (2022, September 2). Comment from Missouri Association of Teaching Christian Homes, Inc. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/MATCH.state/posts/pfbid02o9K7YC11MQoSbYZPTzT81fL5oW3azYuAJmKY6Bu6ofyufYjLZLzcEjw4RQyJX71pl

Perkins, T. (2019, June 27). Christian School kicked out of voucher program for biblical views on sexuality. The Daily Signal. https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/06/27/christian-charter-school-kicked-out-of-voucher-program-for-biblical-views-on-sexuality/

PewEduReport. (2017, March 21). Philadelphia’s Changing Schools and What Parents Want from Them. The Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2017/03/state-reforms-reverse-decades-of-incarceration-growth

Raymond, M. E., & et, al. (2023, June 19). As a matter of fact: The National Charter School Study III 2023.CREDO. https://ncss3.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Credo-NCSS3-Report.pdf

Slatter, A. (2020, January 17). SB 428: Sen Leising Targets Homeschool Families. IAHE Action.
https://www.iaheaction.net/sb-428-sen-leising-targets-homeschool-families/

Truesdell, N. (2022, September 8). School vouchers for homeschooling are not conservative. Nicki Truesdell.
https://nickitruesdell.com/school-vouchers-for-homeschooling-are-not-conservative/

Wayne, I. (2019, July 20). Why School Vouchers are Bad for Conservatives. Christian Worldview.
https://christianworldview.net/2015/12/08/why-school-vouchers-are-bad-for-conservatives/

Wayne, I. (2023, January 13). Hasidic schools – a lesson regarding school choice. Illinois Family Institute.
https://illinoisfamily.org/education/hasidic-schools-a-lesson-regarding-school-choice/

North Carolina

Associated Press. (2023, April 20). N.C. Lawsuit Over Private School Scholarship Program dismissed. NC lawsuit over private school scholarship program dismissed.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2023/04/20/n-c–lawsuit-over-private-school-scholarship-program-dismissed

Candidate survey results. North Carolinians for Home Education. (n.d.). https://www.nche.com/candidate-survey-results/

Egalite, A. J., Stallings, D. T., & Porter, S. R. (2020). An Analysis of the Effects of North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program on Student Achievement. AERA Open, 6(1).
https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420912347

Helms, A. D. (2023, June 30). How do North Carolina’s School Vouchers Work? as expansion looms, here are answers. WFAE 90.7 – Charlotte’s NPR News Source.
https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-06-30/how-do-north-carolinas-school-vouchers-work-as-expansion-looms-here-are-answers

Kotch, A. (2014, August 29). The Big Money For and against school vouchers in North Carolina. Facing South.
https://www.facingsouth.org/2014/08/the-big-money-for-and-against-school-vouchers-in-n.html

Mason, S. (2021, March 17). The ever-present opposition to Home Education. North Carolinians for Home Education. https://www.nche.com/opposition-to-home-education/

McClellan, H. (2023, April 26). Bill expanding N.C. Private School vouchers to all students moves forward in Senate. EducationNC. https://www.ednc.org/04-26-2023-bill-expanding-n-c-private-school-vouchers-to-all-students-moves-forward-in-senate/

Nordstrom, K. (2023, June 16). New analysis shows many private schools in N.C. have more vouchers than students. North Carolina Justice Center. https://www.ncjustice.org/analysis-nc-private-school-voucher-program/

North Carolina Legal Code 115C-562. Chapter 115C – Article 39. (n.d.).
https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/byarticle/chapter_115c/article_39.html

Rhinesmith, Evan (2017) A review of the research on parent satisfaction in private school choice programs, Journal of School Choice, 11:4, 585-603, DOI: 10.1080/15582159.2017.1395639

State Policy Network. North Carolina Passes School Choice. (2023, September 25).
https://spn.org/articles/north-carolina-passes-school-choice/

Tennessee Public Education Coalition. (2022, March 10). How charter schools and vouchers harm Tennessee students: Opinion. The Tennessean. https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2022/03/10/tennessee-
educaiton-charter-schools-tennessee-public-education-
coalition/9422346002/#:~:text=Knowledge%20Academies%20in%20Nashville%20lost,annual%20revenue%20
of%20%247.1%20million%3B

Tennessee

Aldrich, M. W. (2023, July 26). Teachers sue over Tennessee law restricting what they can teach about race, gender, Bias. Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2023/7/26/23808118/tennessee-teachers-lawsuit-tea-prohibited-concepts-crt-bill-lee-race-gender-bias Accessed January 17, 2024.

COVID-19 School Data Hub. (2023). 2023 state test score results: Tennessee. State Brief 2023-01-TN-01. Providence, RI: COVID-19 School Data Hub.
https://www.covidschooldatahub.com/ Accessed January 17, 2024.

Hanson, Melanie. “U.S. Public Education Spending Statistics” EducationData.org, September 8, 2023,
https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics Accessed January 17, 2024.

Kelly, M. (2023, March 3). Parents concerned about bullying at Stewart County Middle School after student’s death. WKRN News 2. https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/parents-concerned-about-bullying-at-stewart-county-middle-school-after-students-death Accessed January 17, 2024.

Ohm, R. (2017, December 15). Keaton Jones bullying case highlights problem in Tennessee schools. Knoxville News Sentinel. https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2017/12/15/keaton-jones-bullying-case-highlights-problem-tennessee-schools/952235001 Accessed January 17, 2024.

State of Tennessee. (2023). Education Freedom. Tennessee Education Freedom One Pager.
https://tneducationfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Education-Freedom-One-Pager-1.pdf Accessed January 17, 2024.

State of Tennessee. (2023, November 28). Parents Choose, Students Succeed. TN Education Freedom.
https://tneducationfreedom.com/#section-accodion-7’ Accessed January 17, 2024.

Tennessee Department of Education Report Card. Tennessee Department of Education. (2024).
https://tdepublicschools.ondemand.sas.com/grades and https://tdepublicschools.ondemand.sas.com/ Accessed January 17, 2024.

Wethington, C. (2024, January 10). Former Lebanon High School teacher behind bars for statutory rape of student. WSMV4. https://www.wsmv.com/2024/01/10/former-lebanon-high-school-teacher-behind-bars-statutory-rape-student Accessed January 17, 2024.

Black hole

Bibliography:

Langley, D. (2015, Autumn). A history of homeschooling in Tennessee.
https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/histories/a-history-of-homeschooling-in-tennessee/#:~:text=The%20legality%20of%20homeschooling%20was,file%20as%20a%20private%20school

Tennessee investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula. (2024a). https://www.tn.gov/education/best-for-all/tnedufunding.html

Tennessee State Government – TN.gov. (2024). Home school . https://www.tn.gov/education/families/school-options/home-schooling-in-tn.html

THEA's White Paper Position on Education Savings Accounts

Tennessee Home Education Association White Paper: Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act Created by THEA Task Force Approved by THEA Board of Directors

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Tennessee Home Education Association
White Paper: Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act
Created by THEA Task Force
Approved by THEA Board of Directors