Tennessee Senate Bill SB1643

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to reporting for the education freedom scholarship program.

Summary

SB1643 requires the Tennessee Department of Education to produce an annual report to the General Assembly on the education freedom scholarship program. The report must include information about scholarship recipients’ counties of residence, the school and local education agency they attended when they applied, the private school they attend, grade level, annual household income, and the total state expenditures for the program. The bill also specifies that the report must cover administrative and program costs, including third-party contracts, departmental administrative expenses, advertising and marketing costs, and the number of scholarships awarded. The first report would be due June 1, 2026, for the 2025-2026 school year, with subsequent reports due each October 1. The measure expressly prohibits inclusion of personally identifiable student information.

Impact

This bill adds a new reporting requirement to Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 35 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, increasing legislative oversight of the education freedom scholarship program. It does not change scholarship eligibility or funding formulas directly, but it does require the Department of Education to collect and disclose more detailed program data, including recipient demographics, prior school placement, and state spending categories. The affected parties are the Department of Education, the General Assembly, scholarship recipients, and private schools participating in the program.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears administrative and oversight-focused rather than controversial on its face, suggesting a generally neutral or procedural posture. The absence of voting history or discussion prevents a more specific assessment of support or resistance.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the scope of reporting and data collection, especially the requirement to report household income, prior school enrollment information, and detailed spending categories. Supporters would likely view these disclosures as necessary for transparency and accountability in a publicly funded scholarship program, while critics could raise concerns about privacy, administrative burden, or whether the reporting requirements could be used to scrutinize the program more broadly. The bill addresses privacy by barring personally identifiable student information, which may mitigate some concerns.