Elizabethton BOE joins list of school systems opposing school vouchers

The Elizabethton Board of Education joins a growing list of school systems to formally oppose Governor Bill Lee’s proposed expansion of the state’s school voucher program. The board unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday night opposing the Education Freedom Scholarship Act. The proposal would expand the state’s school voucher program to all 95 counties. It failed to pass in the General Assembly last year, but lawmakers will consider it again during a special session that begins later this month. Elizabethton City Schools Superintendent Richard Van Huss argued that the legislation asks taxpayers to fund two different education systems instead of one. He wants lawmakers to focus on making public education stronger. Seven Northeast Tennessee county mayors recently signed a letter expressing support for the bill.