Word came from Nashville that Michele Carringer was telling folks she hadn’t heard from anybody in her district that was opposed to vouchers.
So, as a tax-paying resident of District 16, I drafted an email:
Michele: This is a follow-up to a phone message I just left for you. I encourage you to oppose public money for private schools. There is no good reason to start this expensive program and a lot of reasons to oppose it. – Sandra
Carringer responded within the hour. It was a blue-bird-of-happiness form letter:
Sandra: Thank you so much for reaching out! I believe in empowering families with educational options that best fit the unique needs of their children. Programs like Education Savings Accounts are one way to provide families with additional opportunities, especially in circumstances where traditional public schools may not meet the individual needs of every student.
I am committed to working collaboratively to find solutions that support all students, educators and families in our community. While discussions on educational freedom will continue, I will always carefully consider the potential impacts on our public schools and work to ensure they remain strong and well-supported.
Thank you again for your input — it’s an important part of this process. Please don’t hesitate to reach out in the future. – Michele Carringer
I knew Michele was for vouchers. That’s why I voted for Patti Bounds in the 2020 GOP primary. We lost, thanks in part to the organization of outgoing state Rep. Bill Dunn and a great influx of regular contributions and dark money from pro-voucher organizations, many from out-of-state.
So, I’ve said my piece. You can say yours.
Educators have fought a lonely battle to protect public schools for the past 12-plus years. Gov. Bill Lee has made vouchers the keystone of his two terms. Legislative careers have been destroyed (see coach Dennis Roach, Sen. Frank Niceley).
Lee and Republican leaders have consolidated the latest voucher bill into a special session with relief for victims of Hurricane Helene and a bill to support President Trump on his immigration projects. The idea is to wrap them together with a single vote – to give cover for legislators voting yes.
Looks like Lee has the votes to pass this bill in the House and it will be very close in the Senate. The vote could come today.
Does anyone remember TennCare? A well-meaning program that started small and ballooned to almost sinking state government. Fact is, we could not afford it. Then-Gov. Don Sundquist, a conservative Republican, was calling for a state income tax. It took a sales tax hike and Gov. Phil Bredesen to wind it down.
State budgets are cyclical. Inflation (and tariffs) boost a budget based on sales tax. Tennessee has never done a very good job of funding one education system. It’s a mistake of major proportions to try to fund two.
My biggest objection to vouchers(besides understanding the research from other states that vouchers offer no improvement over public schools) is the possibility of an outside group of very conservative ideas being asked to develop some if not all of the schools. I fear indoctrination on a massive scale.
Sounds like fascism to me.
I just did the math for Knox County. My numbers are low, based on statistics right before covid. We have north of 11,382 students enrolled in private schools in Knox County. We will be moving seventy nine million, six hundren seventy four thousand dollars (79,674,000) of public school money to the private sector to cover this. Had we used it for teachers raises instead, they would be getting a 19,918.50 raise per teacher. This is not Republicans governing. These are American Nazis that have stolen the Republican Party and have hijacked the brand to spread facism. Read the numbers. Guess who’s paying? The taxpayers are paying for unregulated schools to advance propaganda campaigns over academics. We’ll get what we pay for. Where is this money supposed to come from? We can’t pay teachers a living wage now.
If Ms. Carringer wants to provide families with additional opportunities that are not available in traditional public schools, maybe she should be working on securing funding for better public school education instead of supporting vouchers. Vouchers will destroy the public educational school system and children whose parents can’t afford vouchers will be left with a dysfunctional education. No, I am not a resident of Knox County anymore, but it is my hometown and I care about all aspects of its future and the future of those that live there, especially those that can’t speak for themselves.
I know there has to be some good republicans but lately they all want to be like the president. Bully people! You don’t need vouchers and take away money that was given to all students. Nowadays it’s if you don’t have the bucks then you don’t have the luck.
Appears that the governor Lee is throwing money at a non problem. We have a well respected educational system. What we need includes safe roads, help for the non housed, medical are for all to name only a few. Apparently the governor has money to fund this endeavor but none for the real pressing needs of Tennessee .
Voters should remember those who ignore your concerns.
Thank you Sandra.You got her standard response. I have written, called legislators, but the pressure they are under is intense even threatening East Tennessee members with withholding cleanup fund if the didn’t vote for vouchers. They intend to destroy public education.
Michele sent the same email to me, but it took her a week to send it. Vouchers are bad for our state, our schools and most importantly, our children. Our legislators are no longer listening to their constituents because we proved to them in this last election that we will vote for them even when they ignore us.
Sandra, you are exactly right!! Listen people!