Tennessee

Opinion: Tennessee families cannot afford Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher scam; clean relief is what’s needed now | Chattanooga Times Free Press

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2025

Opinion: Tennessee families cannot afford Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher scam; clean relief is what’s needed now | Chattanooga Times Free Press

Tennessee families are in crisis. Our East Tennessee communities are reeling from storm-damaged homes, closed businesses and displaced families struggling to get back on their feet. At this very moment, families across the state are in desperate need of clean, direct relief. And yet, in the face of this urgent crisis, Gov. Bill Lee is pushing a voucher program that won’t help a single storm victim or improve the lives of struggling families.

This isn’t a time for political games or distractions. Tennessee families can’t afford a voucher scam that takes taxpayer dollars away from the schools our children rely on. They need real solutions now.

The real crisis

In counties across Tennessee, public schools are the backbone of our communities. They provide more than just education – they are aid distribution centers, community gathering spaces and local economic engines. These schools are a lifeline, especially in rural areas where private school options are non-existent. In places like Johnson County, where there are no private schools, public schools are the largest employer in more than half the counties in the state, the heart of local economies, and the places where families come together for school events and activities.

The voucher scam Gov. Lee is championing threatens these vital community resources. It diverts much-needed funds away from our public schools and funnels them into private institutions that don’t have to serve every child, don’t have to accept students with disabilities, and don’t have to be held accountable to taxpayers. That’s not school choice; it’s the school’s choice!

The math doesn’t work

Let’s talk numbers. The average private school tuition in Tennessee is around $12,000, but the voucher program offers only $7,075. This means that families would have to come up with the remaining $4,925 out of their own pockets – not to mention the additional costs for transportation, supplies and uniforms. Real families simply can’t afford this scam.

Not only will this harm K-12 spending, but it will also divert money from our state’s lottery scholarship and put college funding at risk. The math doesn’t lie: The voucher program could send Tennessee’s budget into a negative balance, ultimately harming every student, regardless of where they go to school.

Failed programs; proven results

We’ve seen voucher programs fail in other states. In places where they’ve been tried, the results are clear: lower test scores, less accountability and further damage to public schools. Tennessee can’t afford to follow this same misguided path.

Our public schools are already underfunded and overburdened. They’re stretched thin trying to recover from recent storms and other challenges, yet they continue to serve every student who walks through their doors. They should be receiving more support, not less. Instead of pushing vouchers, the governor should be focused on providing the clean, direct relief that Tennessee families need.

Protect schools, protect kids

We need to protect our public schools and make sure every child, no matter their Zip code, gets the education they deserve. Private school vouchers do nothing but threaten to dismantle the very institutions that hold our communities together. These aren’t just political issues – these are real emergencies facing Tennessee families right now.

Any serious elected official should agree: “Clean relief now, no voucher scams, no hidden agendas. Every dollar should help Tennessee families.”

The time for political games is over. It’s time for real solutions. Gov. Lee, help Tennessee families rebuild, support our schools and stop this harmful voucher scam policy today!

Clean relief can’t wait.

Yusuf Hakeem, a Democrat, represents District 28 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

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Tennessee

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

Published

4 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three Memphis voters, through the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee leaders, claiming the state’s new congressional maps are discriminating against Black voters.

The ACLU announced the lawsuit on Monday, saying that three organizations — the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance, are also part of the lawsuit that was filed against Sec. of State Tre Hargett, Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and several others.

“In May 2026, over the course of mere days, a White-dominated supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly redrew Tennessee’s congressional map to crack the predominantly Black city of Memphis into three pieces and destroy the only district in which Black voters are able to elect representatives of their choice, shutting Black voters completely out of power in federal elections in Tennessee,” the filing states.

The ACLU and the other plaintiffs echo arguments made by Democrats while the maps were being debated during last week’s special session: “The cracking of Memphis unlawfully targeted Black voters.”

“The new plan carves through the center of Tennessee’s second largest city, dividing neighborhoods that have voted together for decades, splitting numerous counties and precincts, and cutting the Black population into thirds with suspect precision,” the lawsuit says. “The districts then run hundreds of miles east towards the Nashville suburbs, snaking through predominantly White and rural counties to dilute the voting power of now-divided Black Memphians.”

Gov. Bill Lee signed the new congressional map into law last week. The new map splits Shelby County, home of Memphis, into three districts.

Republicans have said the map modernizes the districting process and removes “racial data from the mapmaking process entirely.” Democrats, on the other hand, say that the move is meant to dismantle the Black-majority district.

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) told WSMV that Republicans “have been very clear” on their intention to secure a ninth Republican seat in the state. He has said the map would help “ensure the state’s representation in Washington reflects its conservative values.”

The lawsuit draws significant attention to the racial makeup of Tennessee lawmakers, describing, “White control over Tennessee politics.” Plaintiffs allege that a white majority “faction” of state leaders “gave bizarre, robotic answers to the most basic questions about the map they were sponsoring.”

“None of the sponsors of the plan would admit who actually drew it, and the lead Senate sponsor—a White legislator with over a decade of service in the Tennessee General Assembly who had attended law school in Memphis — would not say whether Memphis was predominantly Black and claimed not to know that Congressional District 9 was a majority- Black district,” the filing says.

They seem to be referencing Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), who was asked during the special session if he was aware that the majority of the residents in the ninth district are Black.

“I’m not aware,” he responded. “I know how the map is divided, but I don’t know the racial makeup of the map.”

Stevens got his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The three Memphis residents who took part in the lawsuit are Amber Sherman, a lifelong resident of Memphis and the lead Tennessee regional organizer for Black Voters Matter Fund, Rachael Spriggs, a Memphis resident for more than 20 years who is the director of Power Building for the Equity Alliance, and Kermit Moore, a nearly lifelong resident of Memphis who is the president of the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The lawsuit claims intentional discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as retaliation for protected expression and association in violation of the First Amendment.

Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the newly drawn map is unconstitutional and restore district lines before primary elections proceed.

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Tennessee

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Published

16 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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Tennessee

What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.