Beacon Poll notes voters' concerns about public education along with support for former President Trump and Sen. Blackburn

A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found 50 percent of registered voters in Tennessee are dissatisfied with the way things are going in K-12 public education.  

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East Tennessee, Elections Sky Arnold East Tennessee, Elections Sky Arnold

Conservative challenger Rick Scarbrough is outraising Rep. John Ragan. Ragan responded with mailers that stretch the truth.

This year Representative John Ragan’s, R-Oak Ridge, has attracted headlines for proposing multiple bills dealing with hot button social issues that his own party rejected. Now he's facing a strong challenge to keep his House district 33 seat in East Tennessee from a challenger who’s focusing his campaign on local concerns like jobs, safety, and schools.

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Senate GOP challenger Bobby Harshbarger lists former TSU President Glenda Glover as one of his largest contributors

Senate district 4 challenger Bobby Harshbarger prominently lists supporting “anti-woke education” as one of his campaign priorities yet the fifth largest campaign donation he received this quarter came from the recently retired president of one of the country’s largest historically black colleges and universities.

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East Tennessee, Elections, News Sky Arnold East Tennessee, Elections, News Sky Arnold

Tax dollars paid for this mailer during Rep. Jon Ragan’s re-election campaign. Few House members have spent more on mailings.

One of the more closely watched races this summer is East Tennessee’s House District 33 GOP primary between John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, and former Clinton police chief and current University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center Executive Director Rick Scarbrough.

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Elections, Local Education, Memphis, News Brandon Paykamian Elections, Local Education, Memphis, News Brandon Paykamian

Memphis-Shelby County School Board candidates discuss literacy, project funding and need to build public trust

Voters in the Memphis-Shelby County school district got a chance to hear from several school board candidates about their thoughts on student literacy, capital projects, and school funding considerations at a candidate forum hosted last week by the education publication Chalkbeat.

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Williamson County House candidates weigh in on education funding, book bans and DEI

Candidates running for Tennessee House District 65 discussed their views on state education funding, banning inappropriate books in K-12 schools and how they think schools approached the COVID-19 pandemic during last week’s Williamson County Republican Party primary forum.

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Clarksville, Elections, State Education Sky Arnold Clarksville, Elections, State Education Sky Arnold

Governor Lee endorses conservate school board member Aron Maberry in a State House race in Montgomery County

Governor Bill Lee is stepping into a House primary race to help ensure the seat remains supportive of his school choice proposals.On Thursday Lee announced the endorsement of Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board member Aron Maberry in the House District 68 Republican Primary.

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Governor Lee endorses conservative Jason Emert in open East Tennessee House race

In April Tennessee Governor Bill Lee promised to bring his plan to let parents use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school back next year, and this week he’s taking a new step to help it pass.The governor announced his endorsement of Blount County attorney Jason Emert in the House District 20 race.  Emert is facing county commissioners Tom Stinnett and Nick Bright in the August Republican primary.

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House candidate Brian Beathard campaigns on myth that Williamson County is receiving less money for schools from the state

Last Thursday Republican State House District 65 candidate Brian Beathard took to his Facebook page to attack what may be Governor Bill Lee’s biggest education accomplishment.In 2022 lawmakers passed the Governor’s Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that invested a billion dollars into K-12 education and fundamentally changed the formula the state uses to fund schools.  Beathard told his supporters that TISA is reducing the amount of money schools in Williamson County are receiving.

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East Tennessee, Elections Sky Arnold East Tennessee, Elections Sky Arnold

Did Bobby Harshbarger break the law with “false” attacks on Sen. Jon Lundberg? Tennessee AG to investigate.

Allegations State Senate Candidate Bobby Harshbarger broke campaign laws to attack his opponent, Tennessee Senator Jon Lundberg, R-Briston, is going to the State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office for investigation.Senate Caucus Chair Ken Yager, R-Kingston, filed the complaint against the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC questioning whether the group’s connections to Harshbarger violated ethics and registry requirements. The PAC has recently sent misleading text messages attacking Lundberg to voters in East Tennessee.

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