"A group of public school students' parents and taxpayers has filed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's new statewide school voucher program, saying that allocating nearly $150 million in state funding to help parents send their kids to private schools is unconstitutional. In their lawsuit filed Thursday in Davidson County Chancery Court, the plaintiffs requested injunctions to block the Republican-backed law while the case proceeds."
"Similar scholarship and voucher initiatives have proliferated in Republican-led states such as Texas, which passed a $1 billion program. States have increasingly offered vouchers to families beyond only the neediest ones, contributing to budget concerns as expenses rapidly pile up."
"Tennessee's voucher initiative allows 20,000 education vouchers of about $7,300 each for the 2025-26 school year. Half go to specific categories of students, such are those who are lower income or disabled. Any student entitled to attend a public school can apply for one of the remaining 10,000. Students who were already enrolled in private schools, including religious ones, are eligible."
Parents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking injunctions to block Tennessee's statewide voucher law. The lawsuit contends that allocating nearly $150 million for private-school vouchers is unconstitutional under the state requirement to provide and support a system of free public schools. The program offers 20,000 vouchers of about $7,300 for 2025-26, with half reserved for targeted groups and the remainder open to any public-school-eligible student, including those already in private or religious schools. The initiative reflects broader trends in Republican-led states expanding voucher programs and raising budget concerns.
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