KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sen. Becky Duncan Massey (R-Knoxville), who previously voted against school vouchers, signed on as a co-sponsor to the Senate's school voucher bill on Thursday.
The proposal would provide public money for "education savings accounts." That money could be used for private schools.
"I want to be able to be a part of the conversation," Massey said. "There are people that are in my district that are passionately against it, but we've done at least two or three different polls from my district — more of the majority are for."
Massey is one of 17 Senate Republicans who signed on to sponsor the legislation.
"I will continue to fight for public schools," Massey said. "But I also feel like I need to fight for my parents that want to figure out what's the best option for their kids."
Governor Bill Lee proposed universal school vouchers across the state late last year. This legislative session, lawmakers have proposed three different versions of the voucher bill: one from the Senate, one from the House and one from Governor Bill Lee.
The proposal would give families about $7,000 for the education savings accounts. The general assembly's fiscal note said the average private school tuition in Tennessee is $11,344 every year.
"I think most of it would go to people that were not already in a private school," Massey said.
The sides haven't been able to come to an agreement on how the state's voucher proposal should look and how much it should cost.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said the voucher bill will not come to the floor for a vote unless all sides agree on the proposal.
"The Senate version, which is the one I signed on, was much better than the House version, which was just throwing the kitchen sink into it," Massey said. "It would've taken away money from some of our public schools."
Massey said she supported the Senate proposal because it didn't include an automatic growth clause. Around 20,000 students would be eligible for the first year.
"I didn't want to obligate future legislators," Massey said.
The East Tennessee Senator said she also supported the Senate's proposal to allow students to use the savings accounts to attend public schools in other districts.
Massey said she didn't receive anything in return for her support of the school voucher program. The size and freedom of the plan ultimately convinced her, Massey said.
"I think we're at a point where we could accommodate both," Massey said. "The bill that was before the Senate, it's only representing, at its max, 2% of all the kids in schools in Tennessee."
Previously, Massey said she was concerned about the implications on students with disabilities and the funding lost for public schools.
