SB638 broadens the eligibility for education savings accounts (ESAs) to include students who were not enrolled in a Tennessee public school for the full year before receiving an ESA but were enrolled in and attended a Tennessee public school.
The Tennessee State Senate passed SB638 on February 27, 2023 by a vote of 27 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because, while the idea of allowing money to any school of the students and parents choice may initially sound appealing, it raises concerns. This policy essentially directs government funds toward supporting private schools, inevitably attaching certain conditions and implications to this financial support. Private schools should not accept government money.