Six Republican members of the Tennessee House who voted for a bill to expand the state's private school voucher program lost their seats to Democrats this week. The April vote passed by nine votes, but under the new party totals it would have failed, 46 to 49. All six Democrats who flipped seats ran against vouchers and for public education. Republicans will still hold a supermajority when lawmakers return in January. Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn wants to expand the program, which is capped at 35,000 scholarships. More than 56,000 families applied last year, and she has not said whether she will seek gradual growth or remove the cap.
Marsha Blackburn, who won Tennessee's governor's race, said at a joint press conference with Gov. Bill Lee that children should stay at the center of education policy. She said families should have options that fit how their children learn, and that a single model will not work for every student. Her campaign backed the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, which lawmakers expanded to 35,000 scholarships for the 2026-27 school year, and she says public charter schools and open enrollment will be early priorities. On affordability, her transition team will look at property taxes, workforce housing and child care, including possible relief for seniors and first-time homebuyers. For families across the state, school choice and cost of living are both expected to be early items on her agenda.
Audrey Pack Memorial Library in Spring City received a Project Hometown Help grant from the Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District this month to help create the Beaker Brigade, a science program for homeschool children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The program started in September with two full sessions and a waiting list. Each month it introduces a new scientific concept through library resources and experiments, and the grant will help pay for supplies and additional materials. The grant is funded by employee contributions and customers who round up their gas bill each month. For families who want to take part, the library is at 169 West Rhea Avenue and is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chalkbeat Tennessee reports that more than one-third of the state's 35,000 private school voucher recipients live in just 20 ZIP codes, most of them wealthy and majority white. East Memphis's 38120 has the highest share of students receiving vouchers, nearly 1 in 4, while Jackson's 38305 has the most recipients of any single ZIP code, 947 students. Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson says participation across hundreds of ZIP codes shows families throughout Tennessee want school choice. EdTrust-Tennessee's Alexza Barajas Clark says the data conflicts with the messaging used to justify vouchers, which were first designed to help low-income students in lower-performing urban districts.
Ben Schumacher, a former Teach For America leader and Nashville teacher, is developing Horizon Academies, a tuition-free, in-person public charter school planned to open in Nashville in fall 2028 with sixth grade and eventually serve grades 6-12. He describes it as "AI-native," but says the school would put human connection first and would not replace teachers or offer unlimited chatbot access. A letter of intent is expected in December and a full charter application in February 2027. Families can attend one of two free one-day camps for third and fourth graders at Belmont University on Nov. 3 or Nov. 11, with 20 spots each.
A three-judge panel in Tennessee dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state's Education Freedom Scholarship program on Monday, according to a press release from EdChoice Legal Advocates, and the program can continue. The case, Young et al. v. Lee et al., was brought by parent and taxpayer plaintiffs against Gov. Bill Lee and other state officials, while parents Alicia Denise Fair, Michael Sweeney and Monica Sweeney intervened to oppose the suit. The plaintiffs argued that the state constitution bars funding private education outside the public school system and that the program undermines the state's duty to fund public schools. The court rejected both claims, finding that the constitution does not prohibit funding private education and that concerns about public school funding belong in challenges to the laws governing that funding.
The State Board of Education will hold a public rulemaking hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in Nashville, on proposed changes in three areas. One would restore charter amendment procedures to the State Board's rules, requiring existing charter operators to request approval before major changes. Another would set priority for Education Freedom Scholarships when applications exceed available awards, placing returning recipients and the lowest-income households first. A third would address virtual schools, which under a new state law must close after three consecutive years of low student growth ratings, subject to the law's timing requirements. The board is collecting feedback before the rules move through the state's approval process.
Tennessee's candidates for governor disagree on the future of the state's school voucher programs, according to a Nashville Banner report drawn from reader questions and candidate questionnaires. Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn wants to expand the statewide Education Freedom Scholarship, while Democrat Jerri Green would defund it, and independents David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston offer different paths. More than 56,000 families applied for 35,000 seats in the 2026-27 school year, and the next governor and General Assembly will decide whether the program grows, shrinks or ends. Critics, including the Tennessee Education Association, say the program lacks transparency, while supporters such as Americans for Prosperity Tennessee want a waitlist cleared.
Tennessee's Public Charter School Commission voted last Friday to approve start appeals for two Nashville charter schools, Music City Academy and the Gate School, which Metro Nashville Public Schools had denied earlier this year over concerns about fiscal impact. The commission denied appeals for the Nashville School of Excellence and Empowerment Academy Nashville. Commissioners said the district's reviews did not show significant financial impact, and the commission praised the Gate School's Harkness-style model. Families interested in new charter options in Davidson County should watch for the commission's upcoming cycle, when it will begin receiving start applications from sponsors in the county, and the approvals open a path for applications sent directly to the commission over the next five years.
Tennesseans for Student Success · Fri, Oct 9, 2026
Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) thanked the Memphis-Shelby County School Board for approving two new public charter schools run by the Urban Dove charter network. TSS President and CEO Lana Skelo said the network's relationship-centered approach fits the needs of at-risk teens, including over-aged, under-credited students, and that Urban Dove has a proven history at its existing schools. An independent Quality Charter Review found that both Urban Dove applications met all state standards for approval. The schools are planned to open as early as fall 2027, serving high-school-aged or older students, who will be placed in one of three leagues rather than traditional grade levels. Readers who want to weigh in can visit the TSS Action Network.
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