Tennessee’s Republican senators are turning their focus on the state’s school board and superintendent associations following a heated battle earlier this year over Governor Bill Lee’s private-school voucher bill. Senator Adam Lowe, a Republican from Calhoun, has introduced Senate Bill 2017, which seeks to stop school districts from joining associations that use public funds or membership dues to pay for lobbyists.
Lowe postponed this bill until 2026 for further discussion. It appears to specifically target Tennessee’s school board and superintendent associations.
In addition to this proposed legislation, Republican members of the Senate Education Committee have called on the Tennessee School Boards Association to voluntarily provide all communications between the association and its members concerning private-school vouchers by April 5.
A letter signed by Senate Education Chairman Dawn White, along with several other Republican members of the committee, was sent to the association on March 19. The letter stated that the conversation around Governor Lee’s voucher plan had led to “misinformation” being spread to local communities, boards, councils, and commissions. The lawmakers said, “While opinions may vary, facts do not,” as they sought clarification about the communications surrounding the bill.
This move comes after the voucher bill narrowly passed the House and Senate during a special session in February, which was called by Governor Lee. The bill establishes a state program that will provide $7,000 scholarships for students to attend private schools, with a projected cost of about $220 million annually. Interestingly, two-thirds of the students expected to receive these scholarships are already enrolled in private schools.
The legislation, which Lee signed into law last month, also includes a provision to grant teachers a $2,000 bonus. However, White claimed that the Tennessee School Boards Association may have misinformed its members, suggesting that local boards had to approve a resolution supporting the voucher program in order to receive the teacher bonus.
“We just want to get to the bottom of this and see what was told and what wasn’t,” White stated in response to the controversy.
Lowe’s bill also includes provisions that would require school board and superintendent associations to secure private funds or find alternative sources of income to lobby the legislature. He explained that taxpayer dollars should not be used by these associations to lobby against the very people funding them.
“They’re using general fund money paid for by taxpayers, and they’d be lobbying against the interests of the very people who gave them the money,” Lowe said.
Lowe’s bill, which is co-sponsored by Republican Representative Mary Littleton of Dickson, passed the House Education Committee on Tuesday, but it is currently on hold.
Despite his bill’s clear aim, Lowe denied that it targets the school boards association, stating that it was “apparent” the group had opposed the governor’s voucher bill. He emphasized, however, that the legislation was not meant to be punitive but instead “revelatory,” seeking transparency on how associations use public funds.
Tennessee is home to many government-affiliated groups that lobby the legislature, from cities that hire their own lobbyists to associations representing mayors and sheriffs. Republicans have long raised concerns about government-affiliated organizations using public funds for lobbying efforts, particularly state departments. However, these groups have argued that without lobbying power, business interests could dominate the discussions with lawmakers.
Under Lowe’s proposed legislation, the school boards and superintendent associations would need to find alternative funding sources to continue their lobbying efforts. This bill could potentially reshape how these organizations operate in Tennessee politics.
Representatives of the Tennessee School Boards Association and the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.
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