Leaders of multiple East Tennessee public school districts are sharing reactions to the decision of state lawmakers to approve Governor Bill Lee’s statewide expansion of school vouchers.

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

The Tennessee legislature approved Gov. Bill Lee's signature education initiative during a special legislative session.

The bill passed with 54 yays and 44 nays with one minor amendment to the bill. It now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

In one of the most hotly-contested questions in modern Tennessee political history, the legislature narrowly approved a $430 million private-school voucher program that critics say will grow quickly to $1 billion and endanger the state’s budget.

The new Education Freedom Scholarship program will offer 20,000 scholarships of about $7,300 to Tennessee students to attend a school of their choice.