School Vouchers

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

School Vouchers Reporting Act

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Education to provide an annual report on the education freedom scholarship program to the state's general assembly.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the department of education to submit a yearly report about the education freedom scholarship program to the general assembly.
• Includes information such as each recipient’s county of residence, school enrollment details, private school attendance, grade level, and annual household income in the report.
• Reports total state expenditures for the program, including third-party contracts, administrative costs, advertising expenses, and number of scholarships awarded.
• Ensures that personally identifiable student information is not included in the reports.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Tennessee Department of Education
• Recipients of education freedom scholarships
• Private schools participating in the scholarship program

Terms To Know

Education Freedom Scholarship Program

A program that provides scholarships to students planning on attending certain private schools.

LEA

Local Education Agency, which refers to public school districts or charter schools.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass and was last considered in the K-12 Subcommittee of the Education Committee.
• It is unclear how this reporting requirement will impact the program's operations or funding.

Official Summary Text

Present law
authorizes the department of education to administer an education freedom scholarship program whereby scholarships are awarded to a set amount of students planning on attending certain private schools.

B
y June 1, 2026
,
for the 2025-2026 school year
,
and by October 1 for each school year thereafter
,

this bill requires the
department
to
annually report
all of
the following information about the program for the current school year to the general assembly:



The county of residence of each recipient
.


The school and, if applicable, LEA at which each recipient was enrolled at the time of submitting the scholarship application
.


The private school at which each recipient is enrolled
.


Each recipient's grade level
.


The annual household income of each recipient
.


The total state expenditures for the program, including, but not limited to
, t
hird-party contracts
, a
dministrative costs incurred by the department
, a
dvertising and marketing expenses
,
and
n
umber of scholarships awarded.

However, the
report must not include personally identifiable information of students.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 1643
By Walley

HOUSE BILL 1544
By Barrett
HB1544
008811
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to reporting for the education freedom
scholarship program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 35, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) The department shall annually report the following information about the
program for the current school year to the general assembly:
(1) The county of residence of each recipient;
(2) The school and, if applicable, LEA at which each recipient was
enrolled at the time of submitting the scholarship application;
(3) The private school at which each recipient is enrolled;
(4) Each recipient's grade level;
(5) The annual household income of each recipient; and
(6) The total state expenditures for the program, including, but not limited
to:
(A) Third-party contracts;
(B) Administrative costs incurred by the department;
(C) Advertising and marketing expenses; and
(D) Number of scholarships awarded.
(b) The department shall submit the report required in subsection (a) to the
general assembly by June 1, 2026, for the 2025-2026 school year and by October 1 for
each school year thereafter.

- 2 - 008811

(c) The report must not include personally identifiable information of students.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.