Written by: Hayden Kobza
Tennessee’s growing school voucher program allows parents who meet certain income requirements to place their children in private schools with some costs offset by public tax dollars. Brent Baldwin, principal at the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Collegedale Academy High School and head of the K-12 program, expressed concerns about the voucher program, which is already available in Hamilton County.
According to Baldwin, “CA is a school for all SDA families [and non-SDA families], regardless of demographics, provided the student goes through the appropriate registration process.” He said, “CA welcomes any prospective student pending a successful completion of the application process and agreement with the expectations of conduct as outlined in the CA Student Handbook.” However, CA has not participated in the state’s voucher program due to concerns about the separation of church and state, and he stated that “our current students are all ineligible for the voucher program.” When asked what Adventist principles might be compromised if the school accepted vouchers, Baldwin referred to the church’s teachings regarding Sabbath observance and sexual conduct.
“CA will NOT accept vouchers (nor any governmental help) if, in doing so, our Seventh-day Adventist Christian beliefs are restricted or mandated,” Baldwin wrote in the email to the Accent.
At the same time, Brigett Pangkey, the principal at Beacon Academy, an Ooltewah school run by Seventh-day Adventists but not officially affiliated with the denomination or its conferences, stated in an email to the Accent that the academy is currently partnering with the Education Saving Account Program (ESA) and is open to accepting the vouchers based on biblical principles that encourage cooperation with government.
“We desire to be a center of influence in the Greater Collegedale area spreading love, support and encouragement to those in our community,” she said. “Biblically speaking, Joseph, Daniel, Esther and many others were called to work alongside their governments and communities.”
Pangkey cited multiple verses from the Bible, including Esther 4:14, Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 25:35, 2 Corinthians 3:6, and 1 Peter 4:7-11.
Tennessee’s growing school voucher program continues to be a heavily debated topic, both in the religious and political arenas. In his Feb. 5, 2024, State of the State address, Gov. Bill Lee proposed expanding vouchers statewide to allow parents to choose private schools for their children.
“2024 is the year to make school choice a reality for every Tennessee family,” he stated in a room where the audience was divided. Some audience members began clapping, while others shouted in disagreement from the balcony above.
The Ongoing Debate
According to AP News, Lee’s plan includes creating a new tier of vouchers called “education freedom” scholarships. During the program’s first year, the state would offer 20,000 scholarships, costing $144 million. Half of those scholarships would go to families with a specific income threshold.
Supporters of vouchers argue that they offer families more educational choices, especially for students in struggling schools, while critics believe they drain vital funds from public education. Historically, Adventist institutions have been reluctant to accept government funding due to concerns about the separation of church and state.
In 2020, the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists released a statement recommending that “church entities abstain from participation” in federal funding disbursed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“North American Division leadership, in consultation with the leaders of its nine union conferences, has recommended that church entities abstain from participation in portions of these programs providing direct financial assistance to the church,” the statement read. “They are asking church leaders across the division to prayerfully consider both biblical prophecy and principles as well as the church’s long-standing warnings on the intermingling of church and state prior to obtaining government assistance.”
Though many Adventist schools, conferences and other entities opted to apply for and accept the funding, some declined to participate.
In a 2020 article published by Spectrum magazine, an independent publication that covers church issues, Jenesta Walker, superintendent of Schools for the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, explained why the conference opted not to tap into the government funding. In the story written by Alva James-Johnson, Accent adviser and a professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Southern Adventist University, Walker said the conference had received funds from the state of Maryland for low-income students over a two-year period through the state’s Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) voucher program.
“However, in 2019, the state launched an investigation into the written policies of private schools that received the allocations, eventually concluding that Adventist schools in the Chesapeake Conference were in violation of state guidelines prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation,” according to the article. “Based on that investigation, the state of Maryland not only rescinded scholarships that had already been granted for the 2019–2020 school year, it also demanded that the conference refund money allocated for scholarships the previous two years.”
That same year, Tennessee approved the ESA. School districts currently eligible for state vouchers through that program include Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Hamilton County Schools.
Government Requirements
According to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) website, the money from these vouchers is given from the ESA to the parent or “account holder.” While the schools do not receive money directly from the government, participating schools must meet a list of requirements.
According to an ESA webinar, the requirements include being a category I, II, or III private school based on the State Board of Education Rule 0520-07-02. The school must agree to “not to discriminate against participating students or applicants based on race, color, or national origin.” In addition, each school must agree to conduct a background check on all employees and “exclude any employee not permitted by state law to work in a non-public school.”
Regarding Lee’s goal of allowing all parents to decide where their child goes to school, Baldwin said, “If the TN legislature passes a bill giving vouchers to all students (like Florida, Ohio, etc.), CA’s School Board, in conjunction with the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, will have to examine all ramifications before making a final decision.”
The Accent tried contacting other private schools for comment. Ooltewah Adventist School sent an email stating, “Georgia Cumberland Conference has not approved the use of the vouchers for the elementary schools in TN.” The other private schools the Accent contacted did not respond.
The Accent tried contacting local public schools, including Ooltewah High School and Ooltewah Elementary School. However, school representatives said all statements regarding the voucher program must come from Hamilton County Schools.
When the Accent contacted Hamilton County Schools, Communications Officer Steve Doremus responded via email. He wrote, “At the present time, there are several versions of this legislation under consideration. We are following the various bills as they work their way through the General Assembly, and we are in contact with our legislative delegation. However, until final legislation is passed and signed by the governor, it would be premature for Hamilton County Schools to comment on any potential impact for our district.”
History of school vouchers in Tennessee
Written by: Matthew Orquia
2006 – Voucher bills first introduced in Tennessee
In 2006, the earliest voucher bills were introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly, but the bills did not pass. The first bills focused on students who were or would be attending low-performing public schools, as well as students from low-income families, according to a Chalkbeat article.
March 2019 – Governor Bill Lee calls for voucher program
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, elected in 2018, promoted the creation of a voucher program in Tennessee in his first state address. According to a Chalkbeat article, he also set aside money for the project in his proposed budget.
April 2019 – Voucher bill passes despite controversy
After an initial 49-49 tie in the Tennessee House of Representatives, Rep. Jason Zachary, Knoxville, who at first voted against the bill, changed his vote after being told that Knox County would no longer be included in the bill, according to a Tennessean article.
2020 – Voucher bill faces legal challenges from Tennessee counties and parents
Tennessee parents and two Tennessee counties began legal action against the voucher bill. Metro Nashville and Shelby County sued the state and asked for a judge to stop the voucher program from going into effect, according to a Chalkbeat article. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of 11 public school parents claiming that the voucher bill would violate their children’s constitutional right to an adequate education.
May 2022 – Voucher law declared constitutional
The Tennessee Supreme Court declared the voucher law constitutional in a 3-2 decision, overruling the decisions of two lower Tennessee courts, according to the Tennessee Courts website. The state launched the program soon after the court’s decision.
April 21, 2023 – Hamilton County added to voucher program
The Tennessee government approved the addition of Hamilton County to the voucher program but voted against adding a proposal that would have added Knox County to the program as well, according to the Tennessee General Assembly website.
Jan. 11, 2024 – Voucher bill continues to face legal challenges
Although the voucher program is in effect in Tennessee, it still faces legal challenges after the Tennessee Court of Appeals sent a case challenging the program back to trial, citing a premature judgment in the lower court.
Feb. 5, 2024 – Governor Bill Lee promotes expanded voucher program
In his State of the State address, Gov. Bill Lee proposed the expansion of the voucher program throughout all of Tennessee. Lee argued that Tennessee could expand the voucher program and also support public schools at the same time.
