The governor hopes to launch the program for 20,000 students by the next school year, a tight deadline for the state to meet.

Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday signed legislation designed to drastically expand school voucher access throughout the Volunteer State that will allow families to use taxpayer dollars on private school expenses regardless of income.

Tennessee lawmakers have approved legislation drastically expanding the number of families who can use taxpayer money on private schools regardless of income

Gov. Bill Lee used his state of the state speech on Monday to take a victory lap. He touted legislative wins from last month's special session, especially the statewide expansion of school vouchers to allow more families to use taxpayer money to attend private schools.