Open Letter to Tennessee Lawmakers on School Vouchers

Let's talk about School Vouchers. I've written and sent this letter to my representatives as this season of special sessions and legislation has begun. Please feel free to share it with yours.

Our kids deserve so much better.

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January 27, 2025

To all my Representatives,

My name is Paige DeLozier, and I am writing on behalf of the children and families within your constituency who are simply seeking what their government owes them: a free and appropriate public education.

The currently proposed legislation concerning school vouchers does not prioritize the well-being of children or families but rather pads the pockets of the wealthy. This legislation should be adamantly opposed by all elected officials who are committed to serving the public good. As a parent, trained educator, and passionate advocate for children’s rights, I am appalled that vouchers have gained traction in public discourse.

Let me explain. The term “free appropriate public education” originates from the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), a federal law designed to ensure these rights for children with disabilities and learning differences. However, I challenge anyone reading this to argue that children without disabilities are undeserving of the same right to a free and appropriate public education.

In addition to this, the 14th Amendment protects all children’s right to a public education and prohibits the concept of “separate but equal” experiences. Yet, these vouchers are steering us back to a pre-Civil Rights era in Tennessee, where schools were segregated—separate as oil and water, and certainly not equal.

Offering vouchers that incentivize wealthy families to pay less for private schools, while failing to provide meaningful assistance to impoverished families, serves only to deepen inequities. These policies drain resources from public schools, which have already been underfunded for years, and perpetuate segregation in education. Who benefits in this scenario? Only the wealthy. By diverting funds away from public schools, you are complicit in undermining the very institutions you’ve deemed “failures” due to systemic underfunding.

Vouchers are a significant step toward the privatization of our education system. This process reduces children to mere numbers—products to be “sold off” upon turning 18—instead of nurturing them as individuals who grow through experiences and creative development. Such an approach is dehumanizing and profoundly unjust.

I urge you to stand against this legislation. Our children are our most valuable resource, and they deserve better. The government exists to serve the people. I ask you: Who are you serving?

Thank you for your time. I look forward to your response and, more importantly, your actions.

Sincerely, Paige DeLozier