Gov. Lee recognized as charter school champion by national group
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was presented with the 2019 Champion for Charters Award during Friday’s annual Tennessee Charter School Center Conference in Nashville.
The award is a national recognition of local, state, and federal policymakers who are making a difference for students by supporting high-quality public charter schools, according to a news release.
“Tennessee is privileged to have a National Charter School Champion leading our state,” said Maya Bugg, CEO of the Tennessee Charter School Center, in a statement. “We have over 115 charter schools across the state serving almost 40,000 students; these public charter schools are continually meeting or exceeding state academic standards. We are thankful our Governor is committed to our vision of providing all of Tennessee’s students with access to a high-quality education.”
During his first year in office, Lee championed legislation that launched education savings accounts, or school vouchers, for students in two of the state’s largest metropolitan areas: Nashville and Memphis. The governor also established a new Public Charter School Commission for the state in 2019.