NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Families interested in using the Tennessee voucher program can apply for their children in mid-May.
Gov. Bill Lee announced families can apply on May 15.
Students for participating families will receive $7,295 to attend a school of their choice. The state is dubbing the program the EFS program, Education Freedom Scholarships, which was the name of the bill.
You will be able to register on the Tennessee Department of Education website.
How this should work to get the tuition money
- To participate in the tuition money, families must show their students are enrolled in a private school before accessing the money. It doesn't cover room, board or meals that some private schools provide in their plans.
- For testing, the state Office of Research and Education Accountability will look at the test results from the students using the tuition money. The department will select a pool of students in third through eighth grade, which is the TCAP testing window grades.
- A waitlist number will be given to families so they understand where they fall if the number exceeds 20,000.
- For special needs kids, the scholarships don't increase for additional student needs. They are tied to that figure in the law. So more money is not available beyond the $7,295 for students with different needs.
Schools wanting to participate
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My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
