New Year, New School Updates!
TL;DR
Study has begun for a potential Normal Park high school
School Vouchers are back on the legislative agenda and likely to cost the state $400 million
Possible High School on the Horizon
The common refrain among Normal Park parents that starts even in early elementary school is, “if only there was a Normal Park high school…” And finally, an option seems to be on the horizon! At December’s Hamilton County School Board meeting, it was announced that the Board has formally initiated a study of the feasibility and cost of creating a grades 9-12 magnet school option for Normal Park (NP) students. This could be the first step that would allow students to continue to progress with their school community and magnet school education through the high school years.
The NP Upper School and Lower School buildings are neighborhood landmarks and architectural treasures. However, both buildings are over 100 years old, and like most hundred year old buildings, they have a host of major maintenance and ADA-compliance issues. NP Principal Dr. Jamelie Johns has said that rarely does a day go by that there is not a maintenance issue for her and the staff to contend with.
The board has approved $100,000 for architects to conduct technical audits of multiple HCS properties, including US & LS buildings. This technical architectural study will build on the 2020 MGT Facilities Study to ascertain the structural integrity of the buildings. For example, if the MGT study noted multiple cracks in a wall at the US, structural architects will investigate those cracks to determine if they are just a superficial aging issue or a structural concern. They will then estimate the repair process & costs. Chattanooga-based Franklin Architects (FA) will conduct the audit. In addition to analyzing both buildings, FA will also study the viability of building a new state of the art high school in the location of the current NP football field.
District 6 School Board Member Ben Connor hopes the study will be completed within six months, which will allow the school board to make recommendations on next steps or look into alternative locations. Feel free to reach out to Ben with any questions at connor_ben@hcde.org.
School Voucher Bill Returns
Gov. Lee has called a special legislative session to begin on January 27 to focus on his proposed school voucher bill. This year the school voucher Bill (the Education Freedom Act of 2025) has been combined into an omnibus bill. The omnibus bill includes allotting state resources to support federal immigration policies as well as Hurricane Helene relief funds for East Tennessee. Gov. Lee has lumped the unpopular voucher program, which our state legislature did not approve in 2024, in with immigration and storm relief funds, other bills that may be more popular statewide.
The Hamilton County School Board recently voted 7-2 against supporting the voucher bill. In a December 2024 Board Meeting, District 6 board member (and NCNA resident) Ben Connor said, “We [the School Board] are categorically against vouchers. We have seen throughout the country ways that it has absolutely failed… In every state that has these, between 70%-80% of the kids that were using the vouchers were already in private schools.”
The Tennesseean has a great article that outlines the $400 million voucher bill costs that have been estimated to date.
Here are some questions to ask about the voucher bill:
Is this the same thing as School Choice? No. School choice is a program that is already active in our current public school system.
How much will it cost the state? Initial estimates of almost $400 million with 5 year costs estimated at $861 million.
How much is each voucher worth? $7,025 for the coming year, may change as the public school funding model, TISA, changes.
Who is eligible for the vouchers? 20,000 vouchers would be available across Tennessee. 10,000 are reserved for students of families who earn up to 300% the federal limit to qualify for free & reduced lunch. This means a family of four could earn up to $173,160 and qualify to receive a voucher. The remaining 10,000 are available for anyone regardless of income.
Who is likely to use the voucher? In other states with similar voucher programs, 70-80% of voucher recipients were already attending private schools. In Arkansas that number was 95%.
Where will the funding come from and where will ongoing funding for the program come from? The first round of funding will come from the state’s Rainy Day fund. It is unclear where ongoing funding will come from. Arizona enacted a similar bill and ongoing costs have been 1300% over estimates, leading to a budget shortfall. Florida, Indiana and Ohio have all faced similar fiscal overruns since creating similar voucher programs.
What kind of testing requirements will be required to monitor voucher-recipient progress? How do those requirements compare with what is required of public schools? What are the consequences if private schools fail to perform at acceptable standards?
What type of schools will be eligible? Will homeschool families be eligible? If so, what is considered acceptable use of funds for homeschoolers? Will funds be limited to curriculum or co-op costs or could funds be used for home improvements, purchase of vehicles, travel expenses? Is there a cap to the number of vouchers per homeschool family?
Lots more questions are out there, and the bill will shift as it goes through the process with additional amendments. The Tennessean.com is a great resource for updates, check their politics page for the latest.
The special session begins Monday, January 27. Our state house and senate representatives are open to hearing your perspective so be sure to write to your legislator to share your thoughts, questions. If you are contacting them, please be sure to reference HB1 and SB1, the bill names for the house and senate.
State Representative Greg Martin rep.greg.martin@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Bo Watson sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov
