In a surprising turn of events during Thursday night’s Knox County Board of Education meeting, the board decided against including support for school vouchers in its 2025 list of legislative priorities.

Vice Chair Steve Triplett failed to unite the GOP majority around the governor's voucher proposal.

The decision came after board Vice Chair Steve Triplett proposed adding support for vouchers, sparking significant discussion earlier in the week. Only Triplett, Board Chair Betsy Henderson, and board member Travis Wright ultimately supported the proposal.

The board held extensive deliberations during both Monday’s work session and Thursday’s regular meeting. Ultimately, members agreed to vote on the existing legislative priorities document without further changes or additions. 

Every year, the school board presents a list of priorities for the Knox County delegation to consider during the legislative session. A statewide voucher program is shaping up to be one of the most contentious issues for the Legislature this year.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher proposal, the Education Freedom Act of 2025, would provide 20,000 voucher scholarships worth about $7,000 each to families who want to send their children to private schools. The proposal contains a requirement for student testing for voucher recipients and one-time $2,000 bonuses for public school teachers.

The 2024 voucher effort failed when House and Senate Republicans could not reconcile competing versions of the bill. GOP support is more unified this year, and Lee said this week he’s open to holding a special session to consider the bill.

Last year, many school boards around the state passed resolutions opposing Lee’s proposal. The Tennessee School Boards Association, which represents public school boards across the state, also opposes it, saying in its own legislative agenda that “public funds should exclusively support public schools and remain separate from private school funding.”

The Knox County school board ended up not taking a position on the issue in 2024, after a proposal to oppose Lee’s plan died in a 4-4 deadlock. After last night’s vote, it appears the board will continue to stay out of the fight.

Board member Rev. John Butler, one of the board’s four Democrats, moved to approve the school board’s 2025 legislative priorities as presented, excluding any additional suggested changes or amendments, including Triplett's proposed voucher support. 

Despite the GOP’s 5-4 majority on the board, members voted 5-3, with one abstention, in favor of Butler’s motion. Republican Lauren Morgan joined Democrats Butler, Anne Templeton, Katherine Bike and Patricia Fontenot-Ridley in voting in favor of the priorities as presented.

Republicans Wright, Henderson and Triplett opposed the motion, while fellow Republican Kristi Kristy chose to abstain, casting a "pass" vote. 

During the discussion, Bike, Fontenot-Ridley and Templeton voiced their opposition to including support for school vouchers. Morgan explained why she broke ranks with the other GOP members. 

“I believe you can be both for public schools and believe that parents have the right to choose what is the best school option for their children,” she said. “However, I don't believe that it is in this board's realm of duties to make vouchers a legislative priority, as we don't have control over what the Legislature does. I think it's our job here on this board to make Knox County schools the best that they can possibly be.”

Henderson explained her desire for the board to show support for vouchers.

“This debate around school choice seems to put people in two camps,” she said. “You're either for public school or you're against public school, and I completely, firmly reject that.” 

“I believe in our public school system,” Henderson continued. “I send my own children to KCS schools, but I also believe in school choice. I believe parents should be empowered to make decisions that are right for their child's education, and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. I think that these two things are not in conflict. I think these beliefs are centered around the same thing — what is best for the child, not the system.”

Triplett did not address the merits of vouchers on Thursday, but at Monday’s work session, he said: “We are the answer for most of Knox County, but probably not all of Knox County. (Vouchers) provide some opportunities for those that will find a better fit somewhere else, not to the lack of our own effort, but just because it's a better fit somewhere else.”

Other items on the list of legislative priorities passed by the board focus on advocating for local input on challenges facing schools, regaining authority over academic and retention decisions for third- and fourth-graders, and urging lawmakers to allocate Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funds to support preschool students with special needs.

Additional priorities include adjusting teacher evaluations to include feedback from local educators and advocating for financial incentives to attract and retain quality teachers.

The board is also calling for a reduction in excessive administrative requirements related to data collection; seeking to give teachers more time to focus on instruction; and an amendment to the state constitution to allow school districts to host lotteries and similar fundraising events, providing a new avenue to fund educational programs and extracurricular activities.