Today, the Tennessee Senate and House passed HB 6004/SB 6001 – The Education Freedom Act. This new legislation, when signed by Gov. Bill Lee – who has championed the bill and called a special session to advance it – will establish the state’s first universal Education Savings Account for families.

The Education Freedom Act includes more than $350 million in new education funding to support Tennessee students, including $150 million to fund more than 20,000 ESAs and $198 million to pay public-school teachers one-time bonuses of $2,000.

“Education is not one size fits all and every student deserves a great education – Tennessee’s Education Freedom Act expands that opportunity for more of our children,” said Cheslea Crawford, Executive Director of TennesseeCAN. “Thanks to incredible leadership spearheaded by Gov. Bill Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Speaker Cameron Sexton, bill sponsors Senator Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, and the majority of our state legislators, our state now has a thriving environment for school choice. I am proud that families, regardless of their background or income, can choose to send their child to the public school, charter school or private school that will best support their individual learning needs.”

“Legislators who supported this bill today stood up for Tennessee kids. Now we will turn to supporting the important work of implementation to ensure a strong program that helps Volunteer State families get the education that’s right for them,” said Jordan Long, Advocacy Director for TennesseeCAN.