Recovering journalist and Nashville-area public policy expert Clint Brewer said the Tennessee General Assembly’s passage of the Education Freedom Act of 2025 will go down as Governor Bill Lee’s “legacy issue” throughout his two terms of leading the Volunteer State.
Last Thursday, the Education Freedom Act (SB6001/HB 6004) passed the Tennessee House by a 54-44 vote and the Tennessee Senate by a 20-13 vote. The bill makes 20,000 Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) worth around $7,300 available for Tennessee students beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
The passage of the Education Freedom Act during a special legislative session called by the governor comes after state lawmakers failed last year to reach a consensus on how to approach implementing the governor’s vision of a universal school choice plan.
On Tuesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Brewer said the passage of the universal school choice program will go down as the governor’s “legacy issue.”
“This is the legacy issue that I think they’ve been looking for,” Brewer said.
“As a public policy issue, it’s a huge win for the governor,” Brewer added.
Looking ahead, Brewer said it will be “interesting” to see the results of the school choice program implemented in the coming school years.
“It’s going to be interesting to see it implemented. I know some people who are very excited about it. I also know some people who are very worried about it,” Brewer said.
“Are there unintended consequences? I think there’s certainly going to be some benefits to some families. Then, what is the back end of this with how the legislature or the administration or even the next administration holds the feet to the fire of school systems that are not performing,” Brewer added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
