Educational Freedom is the Volunteer Way!
The Education Freedom Act will establish a statewide school choice program - available to all Tennessee families - and make additional significant investments in public education, bringing the Lee administration’s anticipated total investment in public education to at least $2.5 billion in 2025.
2025-26 School Year
- 20,000 scholarships will be available to Tennessee students, including:
- 10,000 scholarships for students at or below 300% of income qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, have a disability, or are eligible for the existing ESA program.
- 10,000 additional scholarships available to a universal pool of students entitled to attend a public school
2026-27 School Year & Beyond
- Universal eligibility for all Tennessee students entitled to attend a public school, prioritizing currently enrolled students, low-income and public school students if demand exceeds available funding
- 5,000 additional scholarships for each year after applications for 75% of total scholarships are submitted in the prior year
- New Public Education Investments
- Ensures state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment.
- Provides a $2,000 bonus for every teacher in Tennessee to recognize their unwavering commitment to student success
- Dedicates 80% of sports wagering revenues to building and maintaining K-12 public school facilities, prioritizing emergency needs as well as at-risk and distressed counties.
Governor Lee and the General Assembly will maintain their commitment to public schools by investing hundreds of millions of state dollars in TISA next year as well as raising starting teacher pay to $47,000 in FY2025-26—an increase from $35,000 in 2019.