Metro Nashville School Board Set To Condemn Voucher Proposal

NASHVILLE, TN — The Metro Nashville Board of Education will vote Tuesday on a sharply worded resolution condemning the latest effort to introduce a school voucher program in Tennessee.

"[M]ore than 50 years have passed since private school vouchers were first proposed, and during that time proponents have spent millions of dollars attempting to convince the public and lawmakers of the concept’s efficacy, and yet, five decades later, vouchers still remain controversial, unproven and unpopular," the resolution reads, in part. For more schools updates and other Nashville news, click here to subscribe to the Nashville Patch, or find your local Middle Tennessee Patch here.

It goes on to emphasize the state's constitution requires the General Assembly "provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools,” with no mention of private schools.

The resolution comes up as Rep. Bill Dunn, a Knoxville Republican, has once again introduced legislation which would provide vouchers to students zoned in the state's lowest performing schools. Dunn's hometown school board has similarly passed a resolution condemning the effort, though he has not been swayed by the effort.

Image via MNPS