www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-12 15:55:00
Tennessee lawmakers are scrutinizing why Union and Johnson counties, home to the state’s highest percentage of virtual schools, receive disproportionate state funding, negatively impacting the other 93 counties. Virtual students are counted as residing in these counties regardless of actual residence, skewing funding formulas. Sen. Heidi Campbell criticized the residency-based funding disparity, while Sen. Jeff Yarbro warned of perverse incentives given virtual schools’ poor performance, with two Johnson County virtual schools graded “D” in 2024. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations is investigating, with Chairman Ken Yager requesting a detailed report for the next meeting.
(The Center Square) – Tennessee lawmakers are questioning why two counties with virtual schools are reaping thousands in state funding at the expense of the state’s other 93.
Union and Johnson counties have the most significant percentage of the state’s 59 virtual schools, according to information presented at Thursday’s meeting of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
The virtual students were counted as attending school in Union and Johnson counties, even though they could live elsewhere.
“The effect of including their virtual school students in the fiscal capacity calculations, keeping all else the same, was an increase in state funding for Union and Johnson counties and decrease in state funding for the other 93 counties,” research director Michael Mount said in his presentation.
Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, said the state should have a way of knowing where the virtual students reside.
“It’s strange to me that we’re calculating it this way when every other student is calculated based on where they reside,” Campbell said.
The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement that took effect in the 2023-24 school year is calculated using base funding, weighted funding, direct funding, and outcomes funding. The base funding is $7,205 per student for the 2025-26 school year.
Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said he didn’t think virtual schools should be a “money maker.”
“I think we’re creating a dangerous incentive system on the virtual education side that we should be very careful about doing especially based on their current low performance in the state,” he said.
Two virtual schools in Johnson County received “D” grades according to 2024 performance metrics published on the Tennessee Department of Education website. The county’s population is 17,982, according to the 2024 County Data Package from the Department of Health.
The virtual Tennessee Connections Academy for grades 9-12 has 1,496 students and received one of the “D” grades. Johnson County High School has 599 students, according to the Education Department.
The Tennessee Connections Academy for grades 4-8 also received a “D” and has 1,315 students. The county’s four elementary schools and its middle school have a combined enrollment of 1,238 students, according to the education department.
Commission Chairman Ken Yager, R-Kingston, said the questions raised are important. He asked the executive director to prepare a separate report on the issue for the commission’s next meeting.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on a specific issue regarding the funding of virtual schools in Tennessee without adopting a partisan tone or advocating for a particular political viewpoint. It presents statements from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as factual data on school performance and enrollment. The language remains neutral and focuses on the policy implications and financial concerns, maintaining a balanced presentation of the issue. This suggests the article is centered on informative, fact-based reporting rather than promoting an ideological stance.
SUMMARY: Tennessee’s recent anti-LGBTQ legislation has led many lifelong residents to leave the state for more accepting places. Despite efforts by the Biden administration to challenge these laws, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care, affecting half of U.S. states. Some, like native William Gwynn, fear losing the Tennessee they once knew, while others, including transgender students and local artists, choose to stay and fight for change. They find hope in supportive communities, schools, and a determination to build a more inclusive future, even amid the state’s challenging political climate.
SUMMARY: In April, Memphis siblings Jasmine Ellington, 26, and Michael Ellington, 25, were killed in a shooting where over 70 rounds were fired. Their mother survived multiple gunshot wounds and is speaking out for the first time. The shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute involving Jasmine’s child’s father, Lorenzo Cross, who, along with Malik Merryweather, remains at large. Two brothers, Martavius and La Cameron Jenkins, are charged and facing a preliminary hearing. The family seeks justice for the deaths and trauma caused, urging the public to help locate the remaining suspects to ease their ongoing fear.
Jasmine and Michael Ellington were shot and killed in Frayser in April. Their mother was also shot that night and is now speaking out for the first time about what happened.
Gov. Bill Lee defended Tennessee’s private school voucher program, saying the state doesn’t need to know if students were previously enrolled in private schools before receiving vouchers. The program, funded with $146 million for 20,000 vouchers, allows “universal” scholarships without income restrictions or prior enrollment checks. Critics, including Rep. Caleb Hemmer, warn this lack of data risks fraud and diverts funds from public schools. Rep. Jody Barrett urges a state study to assess the program’s impact. Despite opposition, Lee argues the initiative reflects broad support for school choice among diverse Tennesseans.
Responding to criticism about Tennessee’s applications for private-school vouchers, Gov. Bill Lee said this week the state doesn’t need to know whether students were enrolled in private schools before seeking the funds.
Lee told reporters this week the Department of Education created the rules and application based on the bill lawmakers passed this year. The governor’s administration is coming under fire for subsidizing private schools with the $146 million program.
The applications for 20,000 vouchers don’t ask where students previously attended school or were enrolled in a private school. Nor do they request financial information from parents applying for “universal” scholarships, those without income restrictions.
The governor said in a press conference last week the data is not required by the legislation and noted “it’s not necessary to have, particularly because what we hope for is universal school choice, where every family regardless of their child’s past educational history has access to a scholarship.”
The Department of Education and the governor’s refusal to ask for critical data on private and previously participating schools is deeply troubling – especially when other states with similar voucher schemes have faced significant fraud and abuse.
– Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville
Families of more than 38,000 students applied for the funds this spring, nearly $7,300 each, to pay for tuition and other private-school costs after lawmakers narrowly passed the voucher program. Those were divided almost evenly between families without income limits and those at 300% of the poverty level with an estimated income of $175,000 for a family of four.
Another 5,000 slots could be offered next year.
Republican Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson, a vocal critic of the program, told the Lookout the legislature should require a state study to determine whether students are using the money to continue attending private schools and where they live so lawmakers can decide if the program should be changed.
Democratic Rep. Caleb Hemmer of Nashville, who is trying to obtain information about the program’s applicants, called it the “educational equivalent of Cash for Clunkers,” a 2009 federal rebate program designed to boost the economy and encourage people to buy fuel-efficient cars.
In light of Lee’s comments, Hemmer said Tennessee residents “deserve full transparency” when funds are being “diverted” from public schools.
“The Department of Education and the governor’s refusal to ask for critical data on private and previously participating schools is deeply troubling – especially when other states with similar voucher schemes have faced significant fraud and abuse. We can’t afford to blindly walk into a system that lacks oversight and accountability,” Hemmer said in a statement.
Republican Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson is calling for
Reports on Arizona’s private-school vouchers show the state’s budget ran into problems because funds had to be diverted from other programs to pay for the education program.
The legislature passed Lee’s main initiative even though the state’s own financial impact analysis showed 65% of the students who receive the vouchers would be enrolled in private schools already. Students from private schools surrounded the governor when he signed the bill into law at the State Capitol.
The governor further defended his initiative by saying, “Tennesseans broadly of multiple backgrounds and economic diversity want to have this for their kids.”
Data such as previous enrollment and income level for “universal” scholarships is “not helpful,” Lee said.
The state’s Education Savings Account program for low-income students in Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga requires applicants to report their household income.
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Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This content primarily presents the perspective of Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, defending a private school voucher program, which is typically supported by conservative and center-right political actors advocating for school choice and reduced government regulation in education. The article also includes criticisms from Democratic and Republican legislators who express concerns about lack of oversight and transparency. While the criticisms provide balance, the tone and framing largely focus on defending free market principles in education, aligning more with center-right views.
