NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee said Wednesday that he may support President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle the federal Department of Education, claiming that the state would be equipped to decide how supposed federal funding is spent in the future, according to NBC affiliate WSMV.
Opponents of Trump's proposal to dismantle the federal Department of Education said that by abolishing an oversight agency like it, students with disabilities would be at more of a risk of losing educational opportunities. Lee said he was confident Tennessee could manage funding for children with disabilities, children learning English as a second language and children in rural areas.
He also touted his renewed effort to establish a universal school voucher program, which would effectively take public money and give it to families across the state to help pay for private education.
Critics of the plan said it would effectively defund public schools, and leave children with fewer options if they don't live near an eligible private school. They also said it could be used to effectively subsidize education for wealthy families, without covering the full cost for lower-income families.
Lee argued that the plan would increase the choices parents have when deciding on their children's education. He also said it would give students with disabilities the chance to choose to go to a school that better meets their needs.
“We know Tennessee, we know our children. We know the needs here much better than a bureaucracy in Washington D.C. does. So, I would welcome that opportunity,” said Lee.
