We need to stop acting like teachers should be willing to sacrifice their financial security because teaching is their calling. These are educated professionals doing one of the most important jobs in our country, and it’s time we started paying and treating them that way.
I support federal incentives to help states raise teacher pay, expanding student loan forgiveness for educators, and making it easier and more affordable for people to enter the profession. We also need to address burnout, excessive paperwork, and the lack of support teachers receive in their classrooms.
My wife works in our local school system, and my kids attend public schools here in Cumberland County. I see how much our teachers and school employees put into their work, often going above and beyond what their jobs require. We should be doing everything we can to support them, not piling more responsibilities onto their already full plates.
6th District congressional candidate Mike Croley said in an interview about education issues that he supports increasing federal spending on education:
Every child deserves a quality public education, regardless of how much money their parents make or where they happen to live. I recommend strengthening Title I funding for schools serving lower-income communities, meeting the federal government’s funding commitments for special education, and investing in school facilities.
Here in rural Tennessee, our public schools are the foundation of our society. They do much more than just teach reading, writing, and math. They feed kids, they provide mental health support, and they give students opportunities they might not otherwise have. We need to recognize how important that is and fund them accordingly.
Mandy Cook is the Democratic candidate for State Representative in House District 45.
She took some time to answer questions about her position on key education issues.
1) What is your connection to education? I have a son who will be 5 years old in December. He is currently in pre-K and fall of 2027 will be his first year in Kindergarten. I attended public schools growing up.
2) What do you feel is great about Sumner County Schools? We moved to Sumner County knowing we wanted to start a family one day. Sumner County has a reputation for fantastic public schools including magnet school options like Merrol Hyde and Union.
3) What are your goals for Tennessee public education? I want to see the voucher program phased out and reinvest those funds into public education throughout the state. In recent years, Tennessee has lost more teachers than any other state in the country. We are failing teachers and students by not investing properly in public education and public educators.
4) Tennessee is last in the nation in investment in schools – nearly $2 billion below Mississippi. What should the state do to improve its support for schools? Properly funding our schools should be one of our state legislature’s top priorities. This past legislative session, we saw millions of our tax dollars poured into wasteful bills that do nothing to improve the lives of Tennesseans- bills renaming parts of foreign countries (HB 1446) and a mid-decade redistricting bill (HB 7001 through HB 7005). State legislators are wasting our hard-earned tax dollars on culture wars and school vouchers. We need to get people in office who understand the value of investing in Tennessee’s future. That means spending legislative time well and spending tax dollars wisely.
5) What new programs or improvements for K-12 education are important to you? As a parent who struggles to pay for pre-K for my own child, I am a strong advocate for publicly-funded pre-K expansion. Our state currently offers Voluntary Pre-K options publicly. The program prioritizes children of lower-income families, but as more and more families struggle with the cost of living, I believe we should be expanding access. Data consistently shows that children who receive education prior to Kindergarten perform better throughout their schooling. Strengthening access to Pre-K not only benefits working parents and their employers, but benefits a child’s long term education.
6) What’s your position on the state’s voucher program? Do you believe the $300 million the state has allocated to vouchers is a wise investment? Vouchers were sold to Tennesseans in a disingenuous way, and they have failed our state since materializing. The data is clear. School vouchers are failing. Most school voucher recipients are kids whose families were able to afford private school prior to them receiving a discount. In addition, they are not performing as well as their public school peers. Tennessee’s education system is truly in the midst of a crisis, and it’s no coincidence that it is happening after school vouchers were introduced.
7) The state has a $1.2 billion surplus – do you believe some or all of that money should go to public education? Financial solvency is great news! However, our state funding for road infrastructure is about to face a sizable deficit. My fear is that roads and schools will be battling it out for proper funding. We need multiple forward-thinking policies to address Tennessee’s fiscal needs, including legalizing and taxing cannabis. Yes, available surplus money would be well-spent on public education, but we also need permanent and annual public schools investment.
And our public schools are still not getting the investment Tennessee’s children deserve. The latest NEA data puts Tennessee’s average teacher salary at about $61,222, ranking 40th nationally, while we are dead last in the nation on dollars spent per pupil in public schools.
Green suggests taking a portion of the state’s surplus and investing it in teacher pay and support and other needs of K-12 schools.
Tennessee’s Governor’s race is set – it will be attorney and Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green on the Democratic side and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn as the GOP nominee.
Blackburn is a staunch supporter of school voucher schemes – she’s voted for Trump’s federal school voucher plan and vows to continue rapid expansion of Tennessee’s school voucher scheme. The current Tennessee private school discount plan costs the state $300 million and diverts millions in taxpayer dollars to a vendor that oversees the program.
The youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton is now on the Marsha Blackburn bandwagon.
The latest campaign financial report indicates that pro-Blackburn Team Tennessee PAC received $100,000 from Walton in the last reporting period.
Walton joins payday predators Advance Financial, Pennsylvania billionaire and privatization advocate Jeff Yass, the CEO of Jimmy John’s, and General Motors in supporting Blackburn and her reverse Robinhood economic and education agenda.
Blackburn has pledged to further expand Tennessee’s $300 million school voucher scheme if the 74-year-old career politician wins the Governor’s race.
Fully fund K-12 public education—not siphon dollars into unaccountable voucher schemes
Raise teacher pay and restore respect to the profession
Expand access to school counselors, nurses, and support staff
Protect honest, inclusive education—not censorship and political theater
Invest in universal pre-K, special education, and rural schools
Launch Public Service Year Program for high school graduates
Waive GED testing fees and take testing to all corners of the state
Start a dedicated childcare and early education fund, to include investments in afterschool and summer care programming for households making less than $75K a year
Ensure every public high school provides mental health screenings any parent can opt their child into
Set up a Special Education Equity Fund to ensure no students fall through the cracks as the Trump Administration cuts critical services for students with disabilities and special needs
Set up a “Teach Every Student” fellowship to encourage more teachers to go into special education
Use all possible medicaid dollars within schools to make sure students have the supports they need
About those more extreme social positions, Firefly notes:
On January 29, 2026, a clip from a Christian nationalist podcast went viral. Fritts called for capital punishment for parents, guardians, and medical professionals connected to gender-affirming care for minors. He stated the position “aligns with scripture.” Widespread national condemnation. Has not retracted.
Leaked audio from the August 2025 Washington County GOP “God, Guns, and Guts” event revealed Fritts calling for capital punishment for individuals who have had or provided abortions.
This guy really likes the idea of the state having the power to kill people who don’t align with his religious views.
Just over 4% of the money Rose has raised and spent for his campaign comes from people not named John Rose.
So, while more than 70% of the funds being spent to elect Marsha Blackburn come from out-of-state, more than 95% of the money being spent to convince voters to choose Rose comes from his own checkbook.
In the Republican primary for Tennessee governor, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has out-fundraised her rival U.S. Rep. John Rose, bringing in $2.8 million in contributions – more than 10 times more than Rose’s $259,227 haul.
But while 97% of Rose’s donations came from inside Tennessee, just 28% of Blackburn’s donors live here.
The youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton is now on the Marsha Blackburn bandwagon.
The latest campaign financial report indicates that pro-Blackburn Team Tennessee PAC received $100,000 from Walton in the last reporting period.
The Walton family has long supported private school discount coupons – otherwise known as school vouchers. These schemes divert funds from working-class families to wealthy families to use as tuition discounts at private schools.
