Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman leads a school voucher task force meeting Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam’s task force on a school voucher program for Tennessee finalized its recommendations today, agreeing any program should be limited to poorer students and that private schools need to be held accountable.
But in a sign of how difficult the issue may prove for both Haslam and state lawmakers, task force members split on many key details, including how much public money should accompany students seeking to attend private or religious schools.
Another area of contention is how broad any program should initially be and whether it should be restricted to low-income students who come from failing schools.
Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, who chaired the group, later sought to minimize differences and said the recommendations provide his boss, Haslam, as well as lawmakers a range of options if they wish to create a voucher program.
“There’s consensus there should be a screen for private schools on the front side,” Haslam said. “There’s consensus that private schools should be accountable for delivering high-quality results and evaluated accordingly. There’s consensus that it should be limited to students who are low income.”