by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project
Tennessee’s next governor will inherit an expanding private-school scholarship program, rising teacher salaries and unresolved questions about testing and school funding. Marsha Blackburn, Jerri Green and Lauren Pinkston offer three different ideas about what should happen next.
The easiest way to compare education plans in Tennessee’s governor’s race would be to ask one question:
Do you support school vouchers?
That would also miss much of the story.
Tennessee’s next governor will inherit an Education Freedom Scholarship program that is already operating statewide and expanding. The state increased the program to as many as 35,000 scholarships for the 2026-27 school year, with each scholarship worth $7,530. The money can be used toward expenses at participating private schools.
But the next governor will also face decisions about teacher pay, testing, public-school funding, early childhood education, workforce preparation and how much influence parents, educators and state government should have over classrooms.
That gives voters a better question:
What kind of education system does each candidate want Tennessee to build?
With the August primaries complete, this comparison focuses on Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn, Democratic nominee Jerri Green and independent Lauren Pinkston.
The evidence is not identical.
