Tennessee’s school voucher debate turns to competitive Republican state House and Senate primaries

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct a political action committee affiliation.  

More than 25 Tennesseee state House and Senate Republicans seats have more than one challenger in the primary this year, while about half-a-dozen of those have no incumbent running. 

These seats, which include several pro- and anti-school voucher Republicans, are the next frontier in the debate over whether state lawmakers should adopt a universal plan to provide parents with $7,200 in cash to subsidize private school tuition. 

Two years ago, pro-charter and school voucher groups spent $1.3 million on the Tennessee state elections, campaign finance records show, backing the winning candidate in several open seats and defeating two pro-public school House Republicans.

“After last cycle’s spending, everyone’s antennas are up for sure,” said J.C. Bowman, the executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee. “Most people believe in some version of school choice. But it’s whether the advertisements from these groups will be honest that the plan is a universal, no means-tested, school voucher plan, which isn’t that popular.

The money to back these candidates will come in the form of independent expenditures, which allow political action committees to sidestep campaign finance limits and spend unlimited money in races.

Americans for Prosperity (through the Americans for Prosperity Action Fund), Tennesseans for Student Success (Team Kid PAC), TennesseeCan (Tennesseans for Putting Students First PAC) and Tennessee Federation for Children (PAC with the same name) were some of the largest independent spenders in the 2022 election, and are gearing up to be again. 

Tennesseans for Student Success spent the most money in 2022. The political advocacy organization previously said it was only a pro-charter school group but backed all the same candidates as other pro-voucher groups. 

Most of these groups are formed in a way that kept their donors hidden. 

The Federation for Children is the only group that has released some of its donors. A list of the largest donors to the group’s Tennessee political action committee (PAC) dating back to 2012 are Arkansas-based Walmart heir Jim Walton, Nashville lawyer Lee Barfield, Nashville businesswoman Dorothy Scarlett, Nashville businessman Lee Beaman and former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos, a Michigan Republican.  

The last election cycle boosted pro-voucher voices

The 2022 state election results delivered optimism for voucher advocates that the new makeup of the Republican-controlled state general assembly, which narrowly passed a plan allowing the private school subsidies in the state’s two Democratic-controlled counties home to Nashville and Memphis in 2019, would approve a further expansion of the plan. 

This proved true in 2023 when state Republicans passed legislation with nearly 60% support to add a third county, home to Chattanooga, to the list of places allowing school vouchers. The Chattanooga GOP delegation supported the bill. 

The election results and the relatively easy passage of voucher expansion then gave Gov. Bill Lee enough confidence to introduce a universal statewide school voucher program during the 2024 legislative session.

But that plan never received a final vote, failing because of differences in the House and Senate versions that couldn’t be hammered out, particularly around the plan’s final cost. 

“There weren’t enough votes for it to pass the finance committee,” said Rep. Sam Whitson, a Franklin Republican and committee member. “It would have been close, but several members were concerned about the plan’s price tag.”

Flipping votes

The 2024 elections, in which every House member and half the Senate are up for reelection, provide pro- and anti-school voucher groups with a chance to make a statement about the future of vouchers.

Republicans Reps. Dale Carr of Sevierville, Bryan Richey of Maryville and Whitson all opposed school vouchers and are not running for reelection in their House seats.  

The $27.1 million clash between education reform and public school advocates

Whitson’s retirement provides an opportunity to replace him with a pro-voucher member no matter the outcome of the race to replace him. Whitson said two candidates in the crowded primary for his seat have already praised the concept of vouchers. 

In the upper chamber, Sens. Ken Yager of Kingston, Becky Massey of Knoxville, and Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains face Republican challengers. All three didn’t vote in favor of the 2019 initial voucher bill or the 2023 expansion. But, Massey did sponsor the 2024 statewide voucher legislation. 

For anti-voucher supporters, Republican Rep. Scott Cepicky of Culleoka faces a primary challenge from a local county commissioner. Cepicky was one of the loudest supporters of vouchers. 

Other members who face opposition are Republican Reps. Mark White of Memphis and Johnny Garrett of Goodletteslville, who sponsored the voucher legislation, and Mike Sparks of Murfreesboro who supported the bill. Each has a Democratic challenger. 

White faces Noah Nordstrom, Garrett’s challenger is Alison Beale and Sparks goes up against Luis Mata.