Image Credit: The Beacon Center of Tennessee
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
According to a recent poll from the Beacon Center of Tennessee, over 68% of Tennesseans support Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal to expand the state’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program.
The governor announced his proposal, the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, in November 2023.
Under this Act, 20,000 students would receive up to $7,075 each for private school or homeschool during the first year of the program. The number of students would increase in subsequent years.
The January 2024 Beacon Poll shows widespread support for this proposal amongst Tennesseans.
However, Gov. Lee’s proposal has received criticism from proponents of the public education system who believe the program takes too much funding away from public schools and from homeschoolers and homeschool advocates who have voiced concerns about the strings attached to government money.
The sample size used for this Beacon Poll was 1,302 Tennessee residents, with 950 of the participants identifying as “likely voters” and 352 identifying as “other.”
Participants were given the following prompt:
“Under Tennessee’s existing Education Savings Account (ESA) program, families of eligible K-12 students can use a portion of their per-pupil funding on certain educational expenses such as private school tuition, tutoring, educational therapy, or other educational purposes. These ESAs are available to families in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga. Gov. Bill Lee has proposed an Education Freedom Scholarship Act to give the same options to all Tennessee families. Would you support or oppose expanding educational choice statewide?”
Poll results show that 68% of participants were in “total support” of expanding school choice and 19% were in “total opposition.”
The remaining participants selected the following responses: 35% “strongly support,” 34% “somewhat support,” 12% “somewhat oppose,” 7% “strongly oppose,” and 13% were “not sure” if they supported or opposed school choice expansion.
Additional breakdown of respondents shows that 71% of likely voters were in “total support” and 29% of likely voters were in “total opposition.”
Gov. Lee’s proposal to expand school choice had 85% support from Republicans, 56% support from Democrats, and 56% support from independents.
Participants were also asked if they would be more or less likely to vote for their legislators if they supported expanding school choice.
51% of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for legislators who support the program.
Further breakdown shows that 19% said they would be “much more likely to vote for them,” 32% said “somewhat more likely to vote for them,” 27% said there would be “no change” in likelihood of voting for them, 5% said “somewhat less likely to vote for them,” 6% said “much less likely to vote for them,” and 11% said they were “not sure.”
When asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Tennessee’s K-12 public education system currently functions, 48% of participants said they were “totally satisfied” with public education in Tennessee and 39% said they were “totally dissatisfied.”
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee.
You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
