Did the Tennessee midterms complicate Marsha Blackburn’s voucher expansion plans?
Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. In April, 95 Tennessee lawmakers voted in the House of Representatives on a bill to expand the state’s fledgling private school voucher program. It was an unusually tight vote in the legislature , where the Republican supermajority often votes along party lines. The measure passed by nine votes — with 52 Republicans in support and a coalition of 43 Democrats and Republicans opposed. This week, six of those 52 Republicans were voted out of office, defeated by Democrats. While the blue tsunami didn’t crash into Tennessee Tuesday night as it swept statewide midterm races elsewhere , Democratic gains could make it harder for Republicans to pass controversial policies like expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship program , which has historically split the party’s legislative caucus. If lawmakers voted along the same lines under the new party totals, the April voucher vote would have failed, 46 to 49. When the General Assembly returns to the state Capitol in January, Republicans will still hold a supermajority with
