Gov. Bill Lee's $57.9 billion budget doubles down on school vouchers
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Gov. Bill Lee used his final State of the State speech Monday to double down on his signature issue, pressing lawmakers to dramatically expand Tennessee's school voucher program.
Why it matters: "School choice" has been a continuous focus during Lee's time in office. His $57.9 billion budget proposal, which was released along with his speech, would allow the families of thousands of additional students to use public money to pay private school tuition.
Zoom in: Tennessee's Education Freedom Scholarship program currently provides vouchers for 20,000 students. Lee said some 54,000 applications have already come in for the upcoming academic year.
- "That means, right now, 34,000 students are still waiting for a shot," Lee said. "We owe it to them."
- His budget proposal includes $155 million to double the voucher program by adding 20,000 additional slots.
The other side: Democrats and school boards have pushed back against Lee's voucher plan, saying it pulls needed funding away from public schools.
Lee's budget also proposes $339 million in new public school funding, including a boost to starting pay for teachers.
- Other big-ticket investments in Lee's budget include $425 million for road and bridge infrastructure and $81 million to expand the state park system.
State of play: The governor also encouraged lawmakers to roll back health care regulations, which he said could unlock more than $1 billion in federal grants for rural health programs.
- "Right now, government overregulation stands in the way," he said.
Between the lines: Lee called on lawmakers to overhaul state rules to make it easier for new health care facilities to open. He also asked them to ease restrictions governing what services different health care workers can provide.
- Such changes would allow pharmacists, nurse practitioners and others to perform services that state law currently forbids.
Zoom out: The governor's speech also focused on crime in Memphis. Lee proposed $80 million to fund crime prevention programs there.
- He also plans to expand the Tennessee Highway Patrol's local presence by permanently placing 100 troopers in Shelby County.
🤖 The intrigue: Lee's final budget proposal included an eye toward tech.
- Lee's plan would add $25 million to an economic development fund to attract nuclear technology companies and would put $20 million toward building out the state's quantum computing industry.
"They've called Tennessee the original frontier," Lee said. "It's time that we are the future frontier as well."