CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After speaking on their hesitancy to support a resolution that would oppose Tennessee school vouchers, the Montgomery County Commission voted to table the discussion during their formal meeting on Monday.
Under Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, families would receive taxpayer money to help pay for tuition at private schools, including religious institutions.
Commissioner Lisa Prichard sponsored the resolution to oppose the legislation, and said she wants everyone to understand there are opinions on this issue from the fifth largest city in the state. Prichard noted that both the Clarksville City Council and the CMCSS School Board voted to oppose the vouchers.
Uffelman: You can make a difference
At Monday’s meeting, Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Charles Uffelman asked commissioners to oppose the voucher program. He said the expectation is the program could and will defund public schools across the state of Tennessee by the millions.
“I don’t have to tell you we have wonderful public schools in this county; we have wonderful teachers, wonderful students, they do a great job,” Uffelman said. “But do you also know that we are struggling everyday to keep up with demand as people move to Clarksville.”
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Uffelman said if the county doesn’t stand up and oppose the voucher program, tougher issues will arise in the fight to preserve public education. He also said this is a bipartisan issue, and the County Commission can make a huge impact on what happens at the state level.
“You’re the funders of Montgomery County schools. Your voice matters, and Montgomery County wants to hear it.”
Gannon: Little to no impact
Commissioner John Gannon said he appreciated Uffelman sharing his views on the resolution, but he still believes that however the commission votes will have little to no impact on the matter.
“It is a partisan issue. We have no jurisdiction over this at all,” Gannon said. “It will be the Tennessee State legislators, and this (the resolution) is nothing more than a political wrangling … as you can see what happened at the School Board and the City Council. I don’t like to see that happen here.”
Gannon brought up that he spoke with a number of state legislators who told him the voucher program may not even be proposed during 2024. “So we’re voting on something that probably won’t even happen,” Gannon said.
Gannon made a motion to table the resolution, and it passed 14-6.
According to Uffelman, since the resolution was tabled, it can be brought up within the upcoming months for further dialogue.