NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If the walls of the Tennessee Capitol could talk, they might have something to say about a special session for school vouchers.
NewsChannel 5 first reported the rumors about a call from Gov. Bill Lee months ago, and the rumors don't seem to be going away.
The official word from Rep. William Lamberth, the Republican House Majority Leader, is an official decision hasn't been made yet on whether to utilize a special session or tackle school choice in the regularly scheduled session.
"Well I’m assuming, if there’s a special session, it’s a strong indication that the Governor and his supporters for the voucher program believe they have the votes to do it," said Pat Nolan, NewsChannel 5's longtime political analyst.
Nolan says there are certainly benefits to calling a special session, including creating custom committees to make it easier to pass. But he also thinks there are real drawbacks if they call a session but then don't have enough votes.
"If it’s not [Gov. Lee's] last chance, it’s his next to last chance — either this year or next year, to get something passed about this. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen on his watch," said Nolan.
Full court press
There is one thing we can say for certain. Between dozens of videos on the Governor's social media accounts, interviews with local and national reporters and big budget ads on Nashville TV stations — Gov. Lee is pulling out all the stops.
The American Federation for Children, an advocacy group for school choice who produced and paid for the school choice ad, has spared no expense helping promote this effort.
"These outside groups, particularly on this particular issue, have not been shy about spending money," said Nolan.
It's a rare tactic considering the Governor needs the votes from lawmakers, not the general public. But Nolan thinks these ads may mobilize the public to reach out to lawmakers on the fence.
"Calls from people saying 'Hey, I saw that ad, I think it’s a good thing. I’d like to see you Mr. Lawmaker vote for that.' But you know, you never know how those kind of things cut and work," explained Nolan.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the walls day or how much money is spent, it matters how many votes they have.
Lawmakers have indicated, if a special session is called, they may tackle East Tennessee Hurricane Helene relief along with school choice.
If and when a decision is made about moving forward with a special session, we will let you know.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com.
This story by Aaron Cantrell reminds me of my first school in Dyersburg, TN. I was a student at Bruce School from Kindergarten to second grade until the school system was integrated. My parents graduated from this K-12 school in 1960 in one of the city's African American communities. After sitting empty for several years, part of the school was demolished while the rest was renovated and now serves as a community center for the Bruce community in Dyersburg. A local pastor is now trying to do something similar in the Cemetery community in Rutherford Co.
-Lelan Statom
