TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Gov. Lee Proposes $57.9B Budget, Expanded School Vouchers

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 3, 2026
News Type: Legal News

Gov. Bill Lee used his final State of the State address Monday to urge lawmakers to significantly expand Tennessee’s school voucher program, while unveiling a $57.9 billion budget proposal that would double the number of available vouchers, Axios reports. The Education Freedom Scholarship program currently serves 20,000 students, but Lee said 54,000 applications already have been submitted for the upcoming academic year, prompting his proposal to spend $155 million to add more slots. The budget also includes $339 million in new public school funding, including higher starting pay for teachers, and funding for road and bridge projects, the state park system and crime prevention efforts in Memphis. Lee also proposed permanently assigning 100 Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to Shelby County, rolling back health care regulations to unlock more than $1 billion in potential federal rural health grants, and investing in emerging technologies, including nuclear technology companies and the quantum computing industry. Read more in the press release from the governor's office.

Ahead of the address, Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari of Memphis released a video prebuttal criticizing the administration and arguing that the governor's priorities fail to address rising costs for working families. Akbari called for ending the grocery tax, expanding health coverage and increasing investment in public schools according to the Tennessee Tribune.

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