Tennessee House District 45 includes part of the Sumner County communities of Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, and Millersville. Representative Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, has held the seat for three terms but opted to leave it open this year when he decided to run for Congress.¶
Three Republican challengers qualified to run for the seat, and as part of an ongoing series, the Tennessee Firefly reached out to each with questions about key education issues the General Assembly will grapple with next year. Businessman Brian Stewart and former Sumner County Commissioner Chris Hughes both responded to the Firefly’s questions, while accountant John Gentry did not.¶
Expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship and Education Savings Account
The topic of private school choice is perhaps the area where Stewart and Hughes most disagreed, with Stewart expressing strong support for expanding programs like the Education Freedom Scholarship and Education Savings Account that allow families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses. Hughes said the performance of both programs and their impact on funding need to be studied before expansion.¶
“Yes. I support the Education Freedom Scholarship Program because parents have a better idea about their children than government. I am absolutely in favor of expanding educational opportunities and helping produce positive results for our children,” said Stewart about expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship program.¶
“I support empowering parents, but I have also consistently said we cannot lose sight of our responsibility to our public schools. As someone who attended Sumner County public schools and whose children graduated from them, I believe we must ensure our public schools remain strong and adequately supported before considering additional expansion. We should carefully evaluate the results of the current program, including its impact on public school funding and student outcomes, before expanding it further,” said Hughes about expanding the Education Freedom Scholarship program.¶
Expanding Public Charter Schools
Stewart and Hughes also expressed a different view on expanding public charter schools into new areas.¶
Charters are free public schools run by a non-profit under a “charter” with a school district or the state. Sumner County does not currently have a charter school, but there have been proposals in the past to establish one in the county. Much like private school choice, Stewart expressed noticeably stronger support for growing the number of charter school options in Tennessee than Hughes did.¶
“Yes. I support public charter schools. Again, it is about what might be best for different students and their learning ability. It is about helping children succeed in the classroom and beyond,” said Stewart.¶
“I support giving parents quality educational options, but I also believe we have a responsibility to protect and strengthen our public schools. Charter schools should be approved only when they clearly meet a community's needs and demonstrate they can improve educational opportunities without unnecessarily harming existing public schools. Decisions should involve significant local input rather than a one-size-fits-all approach from Nashville,” said Hughes.¶
Reducing Barriers to Open Enrollment
This year, lawmakers came close to passing legislation that would make it easier for families to enroll their children in school districts outside of the one they’re zoned for, sometimes called open enrollment. Both candidates said they support open enrollment, though Hughes expressed some reservations that reducing barriers for parents might impact local school districts. A Tennessee Firefly investigation found that similar concerns contributed to the legislation’s defeat this year.¶
“Yes. I support open enrollment. It allows for competition, excellence in education and hope for leaders of tomorrow. I would be honored to sign onto any legislation that allows this pro-active action to succeed,” said Stewart.¶
“Yes. I generally support giving families greater flexibility to attend another public school when capacity exists and when it benefits the student. However, any open enrollment policy should be implemented in a way that is fair to local school districts, respects enrollment capacity, and does not create unintended financial burdens. Parents deserve options within the public education system while maintaining strong local decision-making,” said Hughes.¶
Preserving Accountability for Students and Teachers
Recent years have seen proposals in the General Assembly to weaken both the state assessment and teacher evaluation systems, despite research showing both have contributed to improved student performance. Both candidates said they support these accountability measures, though Hughes expressed a desire to review the existing systems.¶
“Accountability is important, so is the number one goal of improving student learning. Assessments provide information for parents and teachers. Do these assessments provide meaningful data for the overall goal, the answer is yes,” said Stewart¶
“Accountability is important, but it should help teachers improve, not simply create additional paperwork. I support reviewing both teacher evaluations and student test data to identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary duplication. We should maintain meaningful accountability while reducing administrative burdens that take teachers away from what they do best, teaching. Likewise, state assessments should provide useful information to parents, teachers, and school districts without consuming excessive instructional time. We should always ask whether a requirement improves student achievement or simply adds another layer of bureaucracy. The results of this test should also be provided to teachers, students, and their parents in a timely manner, so the best path forward each year can be tailored to each student and their specific needs,” said Hughes.¶
How Would You Improve Education Outcomes?
Firefly staff also asked each candidate how they would improve student outcomes in Tennessee. Stewart focused on fundamentals while Hughes proposed a teacher retention incentive.¶
“First, we must listen to all parties involved. We must always keep in mind what is best for our children first and not let political gamesmanship destroy what is important. Every child deserves a quality education, and it all begins with the basic fundamentals of reading, math, and science. We need to make sure we empower parents to be able to support our children, hire teachers that care, and allow local districts to decide what is best for their community. We are approaching a real crossroads with education in Tennessee, and we need leaders who will not hide under the table and make tough decisions,” said Stewart.¶
“Education has always been one of my highest priorities because I am a product of Sumner County public schools, and my wife and I chose to raise both of our children in those same schools. I believe our focus should be on getting more resources directly into classrooms, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, supporting our teachers, and giving parents a stronger voice in their children’s education. We must make sure classrooms have enough teachers, support staff, and resources so that more students are reading proficiently by the third grade. If a child is struggling to read by that point, it affects every subject that follows. Early intervention, strong literacy instruction, and adequate classroom support are essential. One proposal I have championed is a teacher retention incentive that would provide up to $5,000 toward student loan repayment for every five years a teacher remains in a Tennessee classroom. We must do a better job of keeping great teachers here in Tennessee. We also need to recognize that not every student will follow the same path after graduation. For students interested in skilled labor, trades, technical careers, or workforce training, we should begin identifying and encouraging those opportunities as early as the beginning of junior year. Tennessee needs strong college pathways and strong career pathways. Every student deserves a quality education, whether they live in Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, or anywhere else in our state. That starts with strong teachers, engaged parents, safe schools, early literacy, workforce readiness, and local communities having a meaningful voice in education,” said Hughes.¶
Early voting begins tomorrow in this primary and others across the state. Only one Democrat, Mandy Cook, qualified to run in House District 45, and the winner of the GOP primary will face her in November’s General Election.¶
