Tennessee Supreme Court denies Nashville’s request to reconsider school voucher program

(The Center Square) – Tennessee’s Supreme Court will not reconsider its prior ruling on an educational savings plan in Nashville and Memphis.

On June 1, Nashville had filed a request for the…

(The Center Square) – Tennessee’s Supreme Court will not reconsider its prior ruling on an educational savings plan in Nashville and Memphis.

On June 1, Nashville had filed a request for the court to re-consider the opinion on the grounds that it had not considered Metro Nashville Public Schools to be a part of Metro Nashville Government.

But the court stated Monday that it had already considered the matter fully.

“The Court has thoroughly reviewed the petition,” the response read. “The Court previously considered the issues raised in the petition in the course of its resolution of the appeal. The petition, therefore, is respectfully denied.”

After the filing to reconsider, Nashville Mayor John Cooper said he believed it could succeed because he believed the court incorrectly ruled that Metro Nashville Public Schools are not part of Metro Nashville government. He also said that Nashville’s government believes that the ESA program was unconstitutional because it applies to just two of 95 counties in the state, Davidson and Shelby counties.

The ESA/voucher program is aimed at allowing low-income students in low-performing schools in Davidson and Shelby counties to use vouchers to attend a school of their choice. Those students were set to receive approximately $7,000 to choose their school even though, at that point, schools in Shelby County spent $13,000 per student each year and Nashville schools spent $16,000 per student.