The most powerful politicians in state government squared off today over whether the state should pay for pre-kindergarten for all Tennessee children.
Governor Phil Bredesen told reporters he wants to continue expanding the pre-K program, moving beyond children from low-income families this year.
Speaking to the Tennessee Press Association meeting in Nashville, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey says offering pre-K to every kid in the state goes too far.
“ I say that… at a certain ‘at-risk’ population, then there’s no doubt about the fact that the studies show that it helps. But when you get into universal pre-K, I think you get into definitely diminishing returns.”
Ramsey says the state has only so much money to dedicate to education and Pre-K shouldn’t siphon money out of K-through-12 classrooms.
Governor Bredesen, however, says pre-K offers long term benefits that last through high school graduation and could help more than just needy children.
“These are America’s schools, America’s children, funded by Americans. I just can’t imagine why you start dividing schools and dividing children into these pots of the wealthier and the poor. I just think it’s a terrible mistake to start doing that.”
These arguments will be fought out first by the Republican-led Senate Education Committee, then the House Education Committee, ruled by Democrats.
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