This is an excellent and comprehensive explanation of why Governor Bill Lee’s voucher plan has been rejected by two levels of the state judiciary. Lee is closely tied to Betsy DeVos, and he really wants vouchers but they are stalled. The legislature decided to put them only in Memphis and Nashville, against the will of the local governments. It seems there are some constitutional principles that matter more than the Governor’s wishes.
“We hold that the ESA Act is local in effect and applicable to Davidson and Shelby counties in their governmental capacity,” the court wrote in its opinion.
As a result, the court found that the Legislature violated the Constitution by not allowing required referendums or votes of the county commissions when it approved the ESA program in 2019.
The court also found Metro Nashville and Shelby County had standing to file the lawsuit because county commissions are charged with funding local school systems.
The Legislature approved $25 million in this year’s budget for the program even though the governor decided to put it on hold after the Chancery Court found ESAs unconstitutional.
State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, a Memphis Democrat, said the Legislature needs to refund taxpayers for the voucher program and the Achievement School District, which has cost about $1 billion to run mostly charter schools in Memphis.
The state is likely to take the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court, but Parkinson said it is time to stop “wasting” money on the program.
The Attorney General’s Office said it is reviewing the ruling and consulting with the governor on its next steps.
“I think they should put this one to rest, go ahead and bury it and then bury the ASD right beside it and put up on the headstone: ‘We tried,’” Parkinson said.
The attorney for Nashville said the program not only violated home rule but would cost the district $111 million by year five.
Remember when Republicans supported local control?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Gov. Bill Lee says passage of a school voucher law in Tennessee is among his administration’s top accomplishments, while the court rulings that blocked the program’s launch this year are among his biggest disappointments.”
The governor gives an interview to an ed reform lobbying group and public schools and public school students are not even mentioned.
95% of families and students- just completely ignored by the chief executive of the state, and this not only acceptable in ed reform, it’s encouraged.
They simply don’t serve public schools and public school students. 95% of students play no role in their policy decisions or efforts.
Having spent the last year promoting vouchers on the public dime, is it perhaps time in Tennessee for some of these public employees to do some work on behalf of the 95% of students in the state who DON’T attend private schools? Or are we putting that to the bottom of the priority list yet again?
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State Rep. Mark White, an East Memphis Republican who chairs the House Education Committee and helped push the bill to passage, said the court ruling is likely to be an “ongoing issue.”
“Given all of the challenges created by our current pandemic, my primary focus has been and is to support our public school districts, administration and teachers to ensure our children receive a quality education,” White said in a statement.”
Wow. That’s refreshing. You mean someone is finally getting around to doing something for the public schools in the state? If they have any time left over after running voucher campaigns and litigation strategies, that is.
Once again public school students are the dead last priority, addressed only on the condition that ed reform receives all the items on their ideological wish list.
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and when addressed after the ed reform items have been paid for, much gets cut: year after year, for example, testing costs a phenomenal amount of money but it must be a priority over “expendable” school personnel such as tech support, librarians and counselors.
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“That’s refreshing. You mean someone is finally getting around to doing something for the public schools in the state?”
You seem to believe Mark White’s rhetoric.
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