WSJ, Tennessee chambers of commerce in spat over school choice bill

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The Tennessee chambers aren’t nearly as opposed to public money going to private institutions when they receive the checks. A study by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research discovered that over the past several years the Chattanooga Chamber has received $450,000 in state and local funds. The Nashville Chamber has received nearly $3 million in taxpayer subsidies.

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We doubt a single child of officials in these chambers of commerce attends a school in the poor parts of Memphis or other places where dreams die before high school. Yet these captains of industry are willing to deny that choice to others. Business executives who really want to make the U.S. more competitive ought to stop contributing to lobbies that want to preserve the dreadful status quo.

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In the April 27 letter, we clearly stated that a voucher system needs to be debated more thoroughly. Accountability is a critical element in Tennessee’s education reform efforts, and the original bill included no such measures. Spending public dollars at private schools without being able to track student progress and the return on the public’s investment is at issue here. Additionally, the capacity of private schools to accept students has not been examined.

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The column also inaccurately states that the Nashville Chamber receives government subsidies of $3 million. Local governments in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville contract for economic development services with each chamber – services for which the local governments receive regular reports. The Nashville Chamber’s annual contract amount is actually $300,000.

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Finally, but not insignificantly, The *Wall Street Journal *inaccurately reported the status of the Tennessee Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act. The bill was not “killed,” but referred to a Summer Study Committee, which will provide the opportunity to review the bill and its implications more carefully.