A new Beacon Poll finds most Tennessee respondents want to expand Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarships, support the recent United States Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban on medical treatments on transgender minors, and want to limit or ban property taxes.
None of those findings is surprising, but we have a few observations:
› A majority, 56%, of respondents believe the scholarships should be expanded ostensibly to allow the 40,000 families who applied to participate in the program, which was open to 20,000 families, assuming they qualify.
While the poll was taken July 27-Aug. 1, before students returned to school, Tennessee students are now back in school. Processing the paperwork and admitting up to 20,000 more students to willing private schools, should the legislature meet to grant such an option, is impractical and unworkable.
And, remember, the program, unless things change, will be open to all students for the 2026-2027 school year.