EdTrust-Tennessee

Advocacy Alert: The Voucher Expansion “Compromise” — Here’s What They’re Not Telling You.
2026-04-02 16:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago)
Tennessee policymakers are pushing to expand the state's newest voucher program, the Education Freedom Scholarship, a program that uses public tax dollars to pay for certain families' private school tuition. The program has only been in effect for a year, with barely any transparency and no real accountability about whether or not the program works.
Despite bipartisan calls for more information on the voucher program, policymakers have already blocked two bills that would have required basic data collection about the program's impact.
With no accountability measures in place, Rep. Lamberth and Sen. Johnson on behalf of Governor Lee, have set out to double the voucher program from 20,000 to 40,000 seats through HB 2532/SB 2247.
After receiving pushback from constituents and legislators on both sides of the aisle, there are multiple proposed harmful amendments. Lawmakers are messaging the amendments as a compromise that would drop the number of vouchers to 35,000 and reduce the cost to taxpayers.
They're calling this a compromise, but it isn't. Buried in the amendments are even more far-reaching changes, including:

Removing the cap on vouchers, allowing the program to grow year after year based solely on what lawmakers allocate in the budget

Expanding the Education Savings Account (ESA), which also diverts public funds to private schools, from 3 counties to 20 counties

Increasing the income limits for ESAs further opening the program to families who can already afford private schools

Eliminating the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), a statewide testing requirement that assesses what our students know and what we can do to help them succeed, as required testing for students in the ESA program

The result: public dollars diverted from public schools at a massive scale, with almost no transparency and no accountability. That's money that could go directly to the students and schools that need it most.
This legislation is moving fast, and we need you to join us on Thursday, April 2 from 4:00 – 4:30 PM to get the full picture on the impact of the voucher expansion bill and how we can take action together to push for the transparency and accountability Tennessee students deserve.
Register Now

2026 Legislative Recap
2026-05-27 15:00 - 16:00
EdTrust-Tennessee tracked over 300 bills throughout the 2026 legislative session. Some legislation advanced access to education for students, and others didn’t. But through every committee hearing, floor vote, and legislative visit one thing remained consistent: students, educators, and families kept showing up to protect and advance education access and opportunity.
Join EdTrust-Tennessee on May 27 at 3pm CT/ 4pm ET for our 2026 Legislative Recap webinar to hear what happened, what it means for students, and what comes next.
Register Now

Know Your Rights: What You Need to Know About Tennessee’s Censorship and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Bills from the 2026 Legislative Session
2026-06-22 17:00 - 18:15
Join the Tennessee Coalition for Truth in Our Classrooms for a briefing and discussion on the new censorship and laws that passed in the 114th Tennessee General Assembly in 2026.
Roshan Neil (Policy Strategist) of The ACLU of Tennessee, will guide attendees in understanding the content and legal implications of the censorship bills that threaten diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in K-12 and Higher Education. This webinar will also give updates on the implementation of past censorship laws and current litigation efforts.
We will be joined by Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville) and Darren Sadler, a Nashville high school student leader.
Attendees will also learn about current advocacy efforts led by Coalition partners and will leave with actionable resources and ways to advocate on these important issues to make their voices heard.
Register Now
