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Tennessee GOP passes school voucher expansion bill with backing from Trump

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Tennessee GOP passes school voucher expansion bill with backing from Trump


NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation drastically expanding the number of families who can use taxpayer money on private schools regardless of income, a long-sought victory for Republican Gov. Bill Lee with some help from President Donald Trump to win over GOP holdouts.

The bill heads to Lee for his almost-certain signature. Tennessee would join a dozen other states that have eliminated traditional strict income requirements for families seeking to access public dollars to fund alternatives to public education for their children.

Under Tennessee’s proposal, 20,000 education vouchers of around $7,000 each would become available next year. Half of those would go to students who are lower income, disabled or otherwise able to participate in the new voucher program, but any student entitled to attend a public school could access the remaining 10,000.

Thursday’s House and Senate approval occurred within a session specially called by Lee, allowing him to narrowly focus lawmakers’ attention instead of waiting for action during the ongoing, monthslong regular session covering all kinds of topics. The special session began Monday.

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Trump weighed in on social media Tuesday. He praised Tennessee lawmakers for “working hard to pass School Choice this week, which I totally support.” Additionally, the Trump administration told the U.S. Education Department to use discretionary money to prioritize school choice programs and give states new guidance on how they can use federal money to support K-12 voucher programs.

The head of the conservative Club for Growth, which is running TV ads lauding the voucher plan, also warned Republican lawmakers that they would fund primary election challengers to try to defeat anyone who opposes the bill.

Supporters have repeatedly argued expanding school choice is critical to supporting parental rights and giving families the best options for their children. At the Republican National Convention, Lee even called school choice the “civil rights issue of our time.”

Yet Democrats, who hold only a sliver of power in Tennessee but led the charge on publicly questioning the governor’s voucher plan, repeatedly pointed out this week the unexpected costs that have popped up in other states and stressed that the legislation would largely benefit wealthy families who don’t need the financial assistance. Legislative analysts assume about two-thirds of the vouchers will go to students already attending private schools.

“Make no mistake, this is welfare for the wealthy,” said Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons during Thursday’s floor debate.

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Republicans have defended the lax income limits, arguing parents need more choices, regardless of wealth.

“As the sponsor of this legislation, I’ve never once said that this was a program designed for disadvantaged families,” GOP Sen. Jack Johnson said.

The push to expand school vouchers comes as Republicans across the country have increased their criticisms of public schools in recent years. They have said some public schools were too slow to reopen in the COVID-19 pandemic, sought to limit what public schools can teach about race and sexuality, and adopted laws and rules banning transgender athletes in school sports.

Yet when presented directly to voters, school choice expansion efforts have faltered. Last election, Kentucky voters rejected a measure to enable public funding for private school attendance, and Nebraska voters partially repealed a law that uses taxpayer money to subsidize private education. A proposed constitutional amendment in Colorado that would have established schoolchildren’s “right to school choice” also was defeated.

In Tennessee, multiple local school boards passed resolutions stating their opposition to Lee’s voucher plan. Teachers and students flocked to the Capitol this week, holding signs and yelling out as lawmakers walked into floor sessions pleading with them not to gut public education dollars. On Thursday, some protesters handed out fake money labeled “voucher scam bribe.”

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Another sticking point was the large amount of testimony from families of students who have learning disabilities pointing out that private schools can and do reject students with certain impairments. A last-minute amendment that would have prohibited private schools from discriminating against students with disabilities was rejected from the House.

Since taking office in 2019, Lee has narrowly won efforts to create a school voucher program for low-income families in three counties. But last year, Lee failed to win enough support to launch a statewide school voucher program no longer based on income.

For the upcoming budget year, more than $400 million would be set aside for the voucher plan that folds in other education initiatives. One of those add-ons is $172 million for one-time bonuses of $2,000 for teachers.

In order to receive it, however, a local school board would have to pass a resolution opting in to the bonus section of the voucher bill. The requirement was added after a number of school boards passed resolutions broadly opposing vouchers.

Legislative budget analysts project the legislation will cost $190.8 million annually in future years.

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While Republicans touted their focus on adding billions of dollars to K-12 education in recent years, Democrats noted that Tennessee ranks near the bottom of all states in per-pupil funding for K-12 education.



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Tennessee

Titans Could Have Trade Partner for First Pick

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Titans Could Have Trade Partner for First Pick


The Tennessee Titans are expected to receive some calls in regards to acquiring the No. 1 overall pick, and the team should certainly listen to what some suitors have to say.

One of the strongest candidates for a deal is the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport.

“A trade with the Titans would all but certainly require Vegas including their first pick in 2026—an expensive proposition for a franchise with multiple needs on both sides of the ball,” Davenport writes.

“But playing in a division where three teams made the postseason last year, the Raiders aren’t going anywhere until they secure some stability at football’s most important position.”

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The Raiders would be willing to part ways with next year’s first-round pick if it means getting their preferred franchise quarterback, and there is reason to believe that could be Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic point out why the Raiders would be interested in making Sanders their franchise quarterback.

“Sanders has a strong relationship (and had an NIL deal in college) with minority owner Tom Brady, has already met owner Mark Davis and should be comfortable in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s system, which blends NFL and college concepts,” Reed and Tafur wrote.

“He doesn’t have dynamic physical traits, but he’s mobile, accurate, has a good arm and displayed important intangibles such as leadership, poise and the ability to navigate adversity during his time at Jackson State and Colorado. In drafting him, Las Vegas hopes to end the revolving door it has had at QB since releasing Derek Carr in 2023.”

It would take a lot for the Titans to move down five spots in the draft, but if the Raiders are willing to pay up, it should pique Tennessee’s interest.

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Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Titans Given Opportunity to Pursued Matthew Stafford

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Titans Given Opportunity to Pursued Matthew Stafford


The Tennessee Titans have found themselves among the mix of teams with lingering quarterback questions entering this offseason, and seem primed to address their need at the position one way or another in the coming months.

Following a turbulent campaign led by Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, the Titans will likely search far and wide for an improvement under center for 2025. Whether that be done through free agency, the draft, or a blockbuster trade, Tennessee will be digging for answers.

Could that answer for the Titans be Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford? Well, the idea just became a few inches more likely over the weekend.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Rams have permitted Stafford to speak with other teams around the league about his value –– leading to some believing the former Super Bowl champion could be in for a new team in 2025.

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The move is not a trade request from Stafford, nor a firm declaration from the Rams that they want to move off of him. If anything, the reported goal is for LA and their star quarterback to find a new contract agreement to keep the pairing in-house.

Yet, the door is at least cracked for the two-time Pro Bowler to find a new home, which snowballs into to some questions revolving around the Titans and their potential fit.

The idea of Stafford connecting with the Titans does look a bit outlandish on paper. For a quarterback to go from a team one win away from an NFC Championship appearance to being on the worst team in the NFL, that’d be a major 180-degree turn, especially heading into his age-37 season.

In the eyes of head coach Brian Callahan and the Titans offense, the hypothetical addition of Stafford does have an appeal. An experienced signal caller leading the way would be a much different approach than what Tennessee saw last year, and would likely lead to a bit more success in the standings.

However, for the two to potentially have a mutual fit with one another, the logistics have to work both ways. For Stafford, it’s hard to see that coming to fruition with Tennesssee when there’s a complimentary fit like the Rams in your back pocket.

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Can the Titans be ruled out of the running 100%? Anything can happen in the NFL, so maybe not. Yet, the odds of seeing Stafford calling Tennessee his next home might look a bit slim, to say the least.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Tennessee Starting Offensive Lineman Denied Medical Waiver by NCAA

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Tennessee Starting Offensive Lineman Denied Medical Waiver by NCAA


Tennessee offensive lineman Andrej Karic has been denied a medical waiver by the NCAA.

Tennessee offensive lineman Andrej Karic was seeking a medical waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play in 2025, but that request has been denied. Karic has signed with Capital Sports Advisors, according to an Instagram post by the sports agency, and he preparing for the NFL Draft.

Karic’s request stems from the 2023 season. He had transferred in from Texas and after starting in the first four games, he suffered a season ending injury. However, Karic appeared in five games that season which forfeited his ability to use a redshirt that season.

Karic spent three seasons at Texas before electing to transfer to Tennessee. In 2024, he started in all thirteen games for the Volunteers and allowed just two sacks this past season.

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The Volunteers were already losing a good bit of experience upfront on the offensive line and now Karic has joined that list. That means spring football will be crucial for the Volunteers as they search for some new names to fill the voids that have been left after the 2024 college football season.

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