Three candidates for Tennessee House District 65 shared their views on education funding, book bans, and how schools handled the COVID-19 pandemic during last week’s Williamson County Republican Party primary forum. Real estate attorney Lee Reeves, County Commissioner Brian Beathard, and former State GOP Executive Committee member Michelle Foreman are vying for the seat currently held by Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, who is retiring.¶
When asked about the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all three candidates expressed support for limiting the state government’s power to enact sweeping emergency measures in the future.¶
“The masking and especially the closing of businesses went against everything I believe in as an American—our freedoms and our liberties,” Beathard said. “I would leave it up to the local citizenry of each county to decide for themselves.”¶
Foreman and Reeves echoed Beathard’s stance, with Reeves emphasizing his involvement in protests against masking in schools during the pandemic. He also supported limiting state powers during similar crises moving forward.¶
“People were dealing with a very difficult period of time, and they went way overboard, and it did infringe on people’s rights,” Reeves said, recalling his participation in protests with his wife holding signs saying, “Don’t mask our kids.”¶
Education Funding Concerns¶
The candidates also discussed Williamson County’s leading role in providing 71% of its annual education funding and addressed a recent resolution by Williamson County Commissioners challenging the state’s local matching funding obligations through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act.¶
Beathard expressed support for ensuring that “no county pays more than double what it gets back,” saying, “There are three counties in our state that provide most of the funding for the state.” He argued that the state is “balancing its budget on the back of Williamson County.”¶
Book Bans and DEI Programs¶
Candidates addressed concerns about “obscene material” in Williamson County schools, referencing the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, which requires schools to review and potentially ban books with sexual or age-inappropriate content. Foreman praised Rep. Gino Bulso for filing a lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education, alleging non-compliance with the legislation.¶
“We need to handle that,” Beathard said, adding that while he supports addressing the issue, he would have approached it differently than suing the schools.¶
In addition, all candidates voiced support for removing state funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education. Reeves went further, calling for the elimination of DEI programs in K-12 education as well.¶
“These are programs that pursue ‘woke’ ideologies and push that into our kids and businesses, and that’s something we’ve struggled with over the last number of years, so yes, it’s got to go,” Reeves said.¶
