Like the Rutherford County School Board, the Murfreesboro School Board is asking the public to help oppose a bill coming before the Tennessee state legislature which would allow about 20,000 students statewide to attend private schools at the expense of taxpayers.

This bill would authorize vouchers for students to attend private schools. The money would be deducted from the budget of whichever public school the student is eligible to attend.

According to a flyer published by the state, "All state and local funds for the student would shift from the public school to the private."

Costs not really reduced'

In theory, taking children from the public school would lower the expenses of the public school, but as Murfreesboro Director of Schools Dr. Linda Gilbert told the board Tuesday night, the students would not all come from a single grade or even a single school.

"Shifting one student here and there won't change the number of teachers or classrooms we need," she said.

But it would change the number of dollars available to pay the teachers and provide the classrooms, Gilbert pointed out.

The board voted unanimously to have a resolution written that each member would sign opposing the voucher plan, just like the Rutherford County School Board voted on Jan. 14 to do. The resolutions will be sent to all six members of the legislative delegation from Rutherford County.

Read more about this story in the Murfreesbor Post, by Connie Esh