The American Federation for Children (AFC) has expressed support for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s recent call to expand the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship Program. In his State of the State address, Governor Lee highlighted the need to increase access to school choice in response to high demand from families across Tennessee.
Currently, more than 34,000 students in Tennessee are waiting for an opportunity to participate in the program. Last year, the Education Freedom Scholarship Program received 40,000 applications for only 20,000 available seats. This year, over 54,000 applications have been submitted for the same number of seats.
Ryan Cantrell, Chief State Strategy Officer at AFC, stated: “Education freedom has arrived in Tennessee thanks in large part to Governor Lee’s leadership and the legislature’s courageous tenacity. More work remains to be done, however. Opening the next great frontier of opportunity begins with trusting parents – all parents – to decide what school best suits their children’s interests, abilities, and aspirations.
Tennessee has forged an exciting new path toward school choice for all, and now it is time to extend that path even further. Families are demanding the school choice their children deserve. We look forward to working with the Governor and legislature to serve as many children as possible.”
The AFC describes itself as the largest advocacy group in the United States focused on expanding school choice options. The organization reports that it has contributed to passing more than 200 school choice laws nationwide and works through its affiliated Super PAC—AFC Victory Fund—to elect education reform supporters at both state and federal levels.
