KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Governor Bill Lee toured the L&N Stem Academy in Knoxville on Thursday.
The school specializes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Lee visited two classrooms, a computer lab and a room with 3D printers operated by students.
“This is a unique model. Someone thought outside the box and decided to include multiple counties. The money from the public education system follows the child to that school so that there is no financial shortfall in the districts. What we have to do first is think about the students,” Lee said Thursday.
Lee’s tour of the public school came after he had already pledged to WVLT and other news outlets that he would reinstate the school voucher program largely unchanged at the 114th General Assembly in 2025.
“I’ve been saying for a long time that students don’t always learn the same way. Every student is different, every classroom should be different, schools should be different and we just have to find innovative ways to give parents the opportunity to choose the right classroom for their child,” the governor said.
The goal of this voucher program would be to send 20,000 students in the state of Tennessee to private schools using public funds.
In the first year of the program, certain prerequisites would be required for admission, but if all goes according to plan, all Tennessee students would be able to participate in the program in the second year.
Lee’s tour lasted almost two hours. He seemed excited about the idea of the school and the way it implemented this unique idea.
In a classroom, the governor spoke to students about the project they were working on.
As he entered the building, he spoke to three students about their plans after graduation.
“Children who are particularly gifted for this school have found a path to success based on this school’s unique model that focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics – all skills we will need even more as our state develops,” Lee said.
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