Tennessee
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team dropped game two to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon, 8-1. The Rebels clinch the series, the first time Ole Miss has won a series in Knoxville since 2016.
A bright spot for the Vols was Tegan Kuhns who threw 5.2 innings not allowing a run, striking out 10 batters on five hits.
Cam Appenzeller picked up his first loss of the season coming in out of the bullpen for Kuhns. The SEC Freshman of the Week did not have a great outing. Appenzeller went 2.1 innings giving up six earned runs.
Tennessee escaped a shutout as Trent Grindlinger hit a solo home run in the ninth inning. Grindlinger’s home run was one of Tennessee’s two hits on the night.
The Volunteers look to avoid the series sweep as theY round out the series with Ole Miss on Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network+.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.
Tennessee (25-13, 7-9 SEC) will continue a three-game home baseball series on Saturday. The Vols will host No. 23 Ole Miss (28-11, 9-7 SEC) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Ole Miss won Game 1 on Friday, 7-4.
Saturday’s Game 2 was scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. Due to possible inclement weather on Saturday, first pitch for Game 2 will take place at 4 p.m. EDT.
“Due to the chance of inclement weather tomorrow night, tomorrow’s game versus Ole Miss will now start at 4 p.m. EDT,” Tennessee announced on Friday.
Below is how to watch information for Saturday’s Tennessee-Ole Miss Game 2.
What channel is Tennessee versus Ole Miss baseball on?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Livestream: Watch live on SECN+
- Announcers: Myan Patel (play-by-play) and Cody Hawn (analyst)
Watch Tennessee baseball live
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Tennessee
Everything Tennessee HC Josh Elander Said Following Series-Opening Loss At Ole Miss | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee baseball dropped its series opener against Ole Miss, 7-4, on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols bats were quiet and could not find enough to overcome a mid game deficit.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Elander discussed Landon Mack’s start, young bullpen arms impressing and much more. Here’s everything Elander said.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Moves Up First Pitch Time For Saturday Game Against Ole Miss
On what went sideways for Landon Mack
“I just thought some of the big fellas didn’t miss some pitches. Those balls were both really touched. The one that was hit to right center, and I think it was Mr. Utermark after the fact. And had them kind of in between early but they landed on a few right there. Again, competing over the white, we’ll take it. But they were able to scatter some hits around it. You have some free passes here and there that we don’t need to give up. And just credit to Mississippi’s hitters because they landed on those pretty good.”
On what Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott did well
“Just being a crafty vet. I mean, he was throwing some change ups. His slider-cutter was kind of blending tonight. Sometimes it had 11 inches horizontal, sometimes eight. Three almost backing up a little bit. But that’s a guy that knows how to pitch in this league. There’s a reason he throws on Friday night for that club, and we had two chances to get him. We punch out one time and hit into a double play the other. And I’ve always told the offense, these guys know on Friday night, you usually have one chance to get that guy, and if you don’t get him, you’re going to be in trouble (and) playing from behind the whole time. But credit to him. He did a good job of getting all the way through six, but then good job by our crew to kind of punch back and get (Walker) Hooks in the game. It’s a guy they have a lot of confidence in, and they’re going to have to bring him back at some point. So that was the one positive down there late.”
On young bullpen arms throwing well
“It was really good. I mean, I’ve continued to challenge those guys. We want to be able to kind of mix and match and have some options there. I thought Abraham did a really good job against the middle of the meat of the order. And then Chandler Day, just to see him pitch with emotion. And it was really cool. I mean, those three come in and punch out three guys. It was really, really good with the different look that he brings. And then Will Haas, I was really excited about. 93 (mph) and really running that heater. Completely different look from Chandler Day. So he’s a guy that I said on the radio a minute ago— we didn’t ever know if he was going to show up as well as he was thrown down the stretch (of his high school career). Gets hurt and ends up making it to campus, but he seems to continue to get better and better as he gets further away from being cleared. And that is definitely a big positive from the end of tonight, is having those two lefties, how they threw the ball.”
On Tennessee sophomore Jay Abernathy going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored
“Just playing baseball, and then we talked to him, he’s got to keep that ball in front. He knows that. Makes a good play on the backhand early in the game, but does a good job of beating a cutter to the spot and driving it out of the yard. He’s just an easy guy to bet on. Good makeup, and it’s nice to see him having some success, because stuck with him for a while, because we expect him to be able to have success in this league, and I know he believes that, too. So we need him to continue to string some things together because if he can play good defense, keep it in front on the dirt, and then in the outfield, he’s dynamic out there in centerfield, too.”
On where Tennessee third baseman Henry Ford is physically after dealing with an illness for several weeks, if he’s still hampered by it
“I think so. It was a grind. His toughness was really cool to see, how he grinded through that. A lot of guys would have taken some time off, and he continues to work incredibly hard on defense. He’s come a long way, really, with Coach (Ross) Kivett and what those two have done together, but it seems like right now, a little bit of being in between (at the plate). There’s some sliders, he’s running out of bat, but again, he’s a guy that we expect — we’re going to leave him right there and let him do his deal, and he can change the game in one swing. And hey, two for four tonight. Would like to have maybe a little bit better at-bat late, but he’s a guy that, he’s a winner, and I’m glad he’s a Tennessee Vol.”
On if he anticipates using injured Tennessee catcher Stone Lawless (facial fractures) either of the next two days
“We’ll see. You know, the last box I wanted to get checked tonight was to actually catch live pitching. We were able to get him some live ABs yesterday. He got completely cleared by the doctors. Arm feels good, body feels good, so I’ll talk with the staff, and we’ll look at some matchup stuff for tomorrow. But yeah, he’s a guy that just the way he receives the baseball, whether it be framing runs above average or whatnot, he makes an impact on the game just by how he catches the baseball. So we’ll look at that, but we just want to make sure we put him in a good spot to have success. And anytime you have any kind of orbital deal or whatnot, I just want to be careful with it.”
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