A voucher proposal called “opportunity scholarship”, would give Tennessee parents the opportunity to remove their children from a failing public school, and move them to a private school with funding completely from the state, is about to go to a key committee, with only a few days left in this current year’s legislative system.

Last year, when the same proposal was up for review it did not pass. However, the voucher proposal has been given a second chance because “Tennesseans continue to register their support for school choice and have impressed upon their elected representatives the importance of extending quality school options to parents and families who need them most,” according to Tennessee chapter of StudentsFirst, Brent Easley.

While it is the understanding of local family movers All My Sons, that the version of the proposal that was up for review last year only planned to extend the offer to low-income students that were in districts that have a school in the bottom 5 percent of failing schools, this new proposal does not limit who is eligible.

According to House Sponsor Bill Dunn, “Some of these children are in schools where over 90 percent of the children are not proficient. We’ve got to give them an opportunity. And I just hope the Legislature steps up and puts the students before the system.” However, those that oppose the voucher make the argument that the money could be better used to improve public schools instead.

Craig Fitzhugh, House Democratic Leader, explains that his standpoint against the proposal is because he feels that if we open that door for vouchers, all it’s going to do is take money out of an already small pot of money for public education, and stretch it very thin.”