Democratic lawmakers hosted an emergency town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to inform and engage the Knoxville community about Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s special legislative session, which begins today in Nashville.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie said Tennessee can't afford to support two school systems.

The meeting, organized by Democratic state Reps. Sam McKenzie and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, and Karen Camper of Memphis, drew a standing room-only crowd eager to learn about the upcoming session and voice their concerns.

The session will focus on passing the Education Freedom Act, which aims to establish Education Freedom Scholarships and increase investments in public schools and teacher compensation. 

Additionally, the governor will introduce a disaster relief package to address recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and prepare for future natural disasters. The session will also tackle public safety measures related to illegal immigration, aligning with anticipated federal policy changes under the Trump Administration. 

“We are going into a very important session next week and I felt it was important to hear from the people. We really want to hear your voice so when we are up there discussing and debating these issues we know what’s relevant to you. Every single one of us is going to be impacted by this Legislature,” Camper told attendees.

The primary topic of discussion at the meeting centered on private-school vouchers and Lee’s proposal of the Education Freedom Act of 2025. McKenzie, who has been vocal about public education in the Legislature, warned attendees about the bill and its repercussions.

“To be clear, this bill is about expanding a voucher system that provides $7,075 in state funds for private education,” he said. “While it's presented as a form of ‘school choice,’ this bill actually gives private schools the power to choose whether or not they’ll accept students, excluding those with disabilities or special needs.”

He told attendees at the meeting that the bill proposes 20,000 scholarships statewide, with $140 million allocated. The first 10,000 awards would be income-based, offering funding to families earning up to 300 percent of the poverty level, which for a family of four is around $174,000 — a threshold that many wouldn’t consider “poor.” The remaining 10,000 scholarships would not be income-based, allowing even wealthy families to benefit.

Additionally, McKenzie explained that the bill includes a construction fund, funded by sports gambling revenue, which was originally intended for higher education. But much of that money is directed to poorer counties rather than Knox County, which won't receive any of it despite being one of the largest generators of lottery funding.

“Ultimately, this bill could lead to two separate school systems — one for those who can afford private schools and one for everyone else,” McKenzie said. “This will create a divide, and we don’t have the resources to support two separate systems. States like Arizona and Wisconsin have struggled with this, and it's a model we should be wary of.”

Johnson said school vouchers lack transparency.

“These schools can teach whatever they want with no transparency or accountability for our public tax dollars,” she said. “They’re not required to teach state standards, hire certified teachers, or even provide factual history. Some are using the 1776 curriculum, which raises serious concerns about accuracy and bias. There’s no mechanism to prevent this. Public schools face scrutiny for every detail, but these private organizations are handed public dollars with zero accountability. It’s remarkable and deeply troubling.”

Immigration reform was also a topic of discussion at Thursday’s town hall. One bill introduced for the special session would establish a centralized immigration enforcement division within the Department of Safety. The division would be responsible for coordinating and overseeing immigration enforcement activities across the state in alignment with President Donald Trump's administration.

Attendees expressed concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, particularly given Knox County's sizable immigrant population and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office’s participation in the 287(g) program. Under this program, selected deputies are trained by ICE to enforce federal immigration laws, leading to concerns from some community members about the potential for increased deportations and racial profiling.

“I’m working with several great local organizations that focus on educating people about their rights,” Johnson said. “I recently spoke with Northwest Middle School, where 45 percent of the students are ESL (English as a Second Language). We need to protect these children. Many of them are scared, and some are afraid that ICE might come for them or their parents.”

She added that it’s important to help people understand their rights as a way to protect vulnerable communities.

Although police reform is not on the agenda during the special legislative session in Nashville, community members expressed concern over the lack of oversight within KCSO, highlighting the recent deaths of Daevon Saint-Germain, who was killed by sheriff's deputies while conducting a search warrant, and David Batts, who died in the hospital after being held in custody at the Knox County Detention Facility.

"What is legal is not always moral,” said police reform advocate Nzinga Bayano Amani. “We talk about defending our neighbors, but we need to ask ourselves: What are we willing to do to protect them? What risks are we willing to take? What calls are we willing to answer? This isn’t just about individuals — it's about our communities, our friends, our churches. How are we organizing to protect our people right now? The responsibility is as much on us as it is on anyone else.”

As the town hall drew to a close, legislators expressed a mix of optimism and determination, noting the passion and engagement displayed by the community, emphasizing how vital  conversations are in shaping their legislative priorities.

“You’ve heard it tonight — people asked really good, thoughtful questions,” Johnson said. “Those questions showed me they already understand a lot because they were digging deeper. I think the community is gaining a much better understanding, and that’s why Gov. Lee wants to push this through in three days. The more people learn and get educated, the less they support these policies.”