Sullivan County Schools oppose proposed voucher plan

On Wednesday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced a special legislative session to try to pass a school voucher proposal called The Education Freedom Scholarship Act. School leaders in Sullivan County voted unanimously to oppose it. The proposal creates scholarships of up to $20,000 for eligible students to attend private schools of their choice. The Tennessee Department of Education would award these scholarships for the 2025-26 school year. Sullivan County Director of Schools Chuck Carter says that the voucher system does not serve all students and that school systems that use a voucher program have less accountability than public schools. Sullivan County schools opposition comes on the heels of a similar vote by Kingsport Schools.