Appeals Court Hears School Voucher Arguments - Articles

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Appeals Court Hears School Voucher Arguments

Posted by: Kate Prince on Aug 6, 2020

The Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday over Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account program, the Daily Memphian reports. Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin in May deemed the program unconstitutional because it violated the state’s “home rule” amendment since it only applies to Davidson and Shelby counties without their consent. Metro Nashville attorney Robert Cooper contended that the program would shift $37 million away from the local governments during its first year and up to $111 million by the fifth year. Jim Newton, who argued for the Attorney General’s Office, said Metro Nashville and Shelby County had no standing to file the lawsuit because school systems perform separate functions and are an “arm of the state itself.”