Governor Bill Lee was met by more than 150 protesters in Knoxville today.
Protesters from the Tennessee Education Association stood outside the Rothchild's Banquet Center protesting Governor Lee's voucher program that would allow qualified students in failing schools go to a private school with taxpayer dollars.
Opponents of the bill say this doesn't help the struggling schools improve.
"As teachers, we're doing all we can, scrambling to give our kids all that we can. And the idea that we want to remove funding to improve public schools is nuts," said Knox County teacher Dave Gorman.
But Governor Lee says every student deserves a quality education.
"Every child in Tennessee, regardless of their economic status and regardless of the zip code they live in, ought to have the same opportunity for a quality education that every other kid in Tennessee has," Governor Lee said.
Lawmakers have tweaked the proposal so that children living in the country illegally do not get access to program.