Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is traveling to Washington D.C. on Friday to meet with President Donald Trump and other school choice advocates at the White House for a roundtable discussion on school choice.
Friday’s roundtable discussion will close out the 15th annual National School Choice Week.
Universal School Choice is finally a reality for TN families.
Today, I’ll join Pres. @realDonaldTrump & fellow @GOPGovs at the White House to share how TN’s Education Freedom Act victory will empower parents & guarantee opportunity for students.
TUNE IN: https://t.co/wxdqQV0dp9 https://t.co/YVNzeAZNog
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) January 31, 2025
“Universal School Choice is finally a reality for TN families. Today, I’ll join Pres. [Donald Trump] and fellow [Republican governors] at the White House to share how TN’s Education Freedom Act victory will empower parents and guarantee opportunity for students,” Lee said.
Trump will welcome Lee, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Florida U.S. Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), and other school choice advocates at Friday’s roundtable discussion.
Lee’s participation at Friday’s White House event comes one day after he celebrated the Tennessee General Assembly’s passage of his full agenda during a special legislative session, which included the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
The Education Freedom Act (SB6001/HB 6004), which passed the Tennessee House by a 54-44 vote and the Tennessee Senate by a 20-13 vote on Thursday, will make 20,000 Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) worth over $7,000 available for Tennessee students in the 2025-2026 school year.
Earlier this week, Trump applauded Tennessee legislators for working to pass the bill, which he added he “totally supports.”
Given that creating a universal school choice program in every U.S. State was included in the 2024 Republican Party Platform, Trump took action on Wednesday to deliver his promise to expand educational freedom and opportunity for families.
Trump’s executive order titled “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” directs the Department of Education to “prioritize” school choice programs through its discretionary grants and issue guidance on how the States can use federal funding formulas to support their K-12 scholarship programs.
The order also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on how states receiving block grants for children and families can use those funds to support educational alternatives, including private and faith-based options.
In addition, the Department of Defense and Department of the Interior are ordered to submit plans to the president on how federal funds can be appropriated to ensure military families and students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools take advantage of school choice programs.
“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code,” a White House fact sheet reads.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
