Tennessee’s Profiles in Courage: These Republicans put public schools before party
Parents, superintendents and even lawmakers on the other side of the aisle have hailed Rep. Todd Warner and Eric Welch as heroes on this issue
Tennessee’s Republican ruled legislature is attempting to railroad an almost half a billion dollar school voucher bill through its General Assembly, despite fierce opposition from parents, teachers and school boards all across the state.

State House Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) and Williamson County School Board member Eric Welch — both Republicans — have spoken out against the assault on public education.
Their opposition has made them unpopular within their own party and punching bags for out of state PACs like Americans for Prosperity, better known as AFP. Their opposition has also made them modern day Profiles in Courage.
Like the eight senators highlighted in JFK’s Pulitzer prize winning novel, Warner and Welch put public good — in this case public schools — before party. Parents, superintendents and even lawmakers on the other side of the aisle have hailed the elected officials as heroes on this issue.
Rep. Todd Warner (R- Chapel Hill)
Warner is as Republican as they come. The MAGA supporter has a life-size cutout of Donald Trump in his office, where Fox News plays softly in the background like elevator music.

“I was born and raised a Republican,” Warner tells tennbeat. “This piece of legislation isn’t conservative. It’s an entitlement program. It lacks any sort of transparency or accountability.”
“Public tax dollars should stay in public schools — plain and simple.”
Warner first shared these feelings during a K-12 subcommittee hearing last month. He questioned chairman Mark White (R-Memphis) and Education Commissioner Lizette Reynolds on a number of issues including whether or not schools who received vouchers would have to adhere to certain curriculum standards and whether or not they would have to accept any student with a voucher.
“The short answer to her long response was no,” says Warner.
He also raised concerns about testing requirements. Public schools must follow state and federal testing to receive funding. private schools who participate in the voucher program will not be held to the same standard.
Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville) sits with Warner on the K-12 subcommittee. He is the only Democrat on the nine person panel.
“I don’t see eye to eye with Warner on everything…actually I’d say I don’t see eye to eye with him on most things,” says McKenzie. “But on this we are aligned. I really respect him for representing and voting in the interest of his constituents.”
Warner hasn’t shied away from his opinion. He continues to speak out in committee and online about the issue.
“I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for him. I can’t imagine the amount of hate mail he’s received,” says McKenzie.
Warner has received hate mail. He’s received hate snail mail, hate emails, and hate voicemails.
“People tell me they’re going to get me…that they’re going to end my career. They say all kinds of craziness.”
Not a single one of those threats has come from a constituent, Warner says. All are from the mouths of “money grubbing” lobbyists and special interest groups.
Those same groups have even started sending mailers and texting people outside of Warner’s district.
“They’re telling people all across the state to call me and try and convince me to vote for this scam,” says Warner. “One of them even started a website saying I side with Biden. It’s bullsh**.”
Jennifer Bowyer is one of Warner’s constituents. She doesn’t “buy the lies AFP or Cameron Sexton are selling.” Her eighth grade daughter attends Forest School — the same 7-12 high school Warner attended.
She says private school is out of the question. There isn’t a single private school in District 92. The closest one is almost an hour away.
Even if there was one in the area, she doubts she would send her daughter. Bowyer believes in the public school system. Her eldest son is what Warner calls “one of many successes of our public schools”. He graduated “top 10 in his class” and received an academic scholarship to the prestigious Pepperdine University.
“Todd stands up for our schools,” says Bowyer. “He isn’t a sell out. We’ve had a sellout.”
Bowyer is referring to Warner’s predecessor, Rep. Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg) who served the district from 2016 to 2020. The former Republican Whip first fell into hot water after admitting to trashing his conservative colleagues from an anonymous Twitter account — aptly named the Cordell Hull Building Mole (@chbmole).
Before he came clean, someone who suspected Tillis as the Twitter troll, peed in his office chair. Tillis survived the intraparty scandal and sitting in a piss-soaked chair. However, he died on voucher hill.
“He told us he would not support school vouchers,” says Marshall County School Superintendent Jacob Sorrels who has served the district since 2013. “What he said and what he did were two different things.”
Tillis caved under the pressure of then House Speaker Glenn Casada (R-Franklin). In 2018, he voted in favor of vouchers. The Republicans remembered Tillis’s loyalty. Now-House Speaker Cameron Sexton pumped $7,000 into his 2020 re-election campaign through a PAC. Voters didn’t forget the flip flop either.
“It cost him his election,” says Warner, who upset the infamous incumbent. “He went against our school board, our superintendent and the people of District 92.”
Rep. Joe Towns Jr. (D-Memphis), who has served in the legislature since 1994, seconds his assertion.
“When Tillis did his district dirty, they (his constituents) didn’t forgive him for it.”
Towns knows Warner well. The Memphis Democrat’s office is right next door to the rural Republican’s.
“The integrity and courage Warner has shown is admirable. I’d even say it's inspiring. His party will probably primary him for it, but he’ll be alright. His people know who he is.”
Instagram comments echo this sentiment. Countless constituents praised Warner on a Tennessee Holler clip highlighting his questioning during the committee hearing.
Eric Welch, Williamson County School Board Member
While Warner is without a doubt the standout Republican representative on this issue, no school board member has fought longer or harder against vouchers than Eric Welch.
“Welch is one of the good guys,” says McKenzie. “He always shows up for his schools.”
The fourth generation Army veteran has served on the Williamson County School Board since 2010. Both his children, now-grown, graduated from the local school system.
Welch isn’t even opposed to the idea of vouchers altogether. In fact, he says he was the recipient of one, referring to the U.S. GI Bill. He took advantage of the federally funded program to attend George Mason University.
“That voucher program has checks and balances, reporting requirements and does not discriminate,” he tells tennbeat. “Lee and his allies have put together a program that eliminates every protection for protected classes.”
Welch says the program discriminates on income, disability and religion.
Former teacher and District 45 State House Candidate Alison Beale seconds his statement. “Vouchers are a scam that will defund our already underfunded public schools, fuel inequity, and abandon our most vulnerable children,” she says.
Vouchers don’t cover the full cost of tuition. The average private school tuition in Tennessee is $11,341. The proposed scholarships are only $7,075.
“Who’s going to make up that $5,000,” asks Welch. “That’s just tuition. That doesn’t take into account transportation, after school activities and lab fees.”
Vouchers also don’t guarantee admittance. Private schools still have the discretion to accept or not accept a student.
“Public schools accept everyone regardless of race, religion, economic background They are there to protect and serve everyone,” says Welch. “Private schools can deny admittance to any student they don’t feel like is a fit. Do you think they are jumping to accept and make accommodations for kids with disabilities?”
Welch says the current Educational Savings Account (ESA) pilot program is already discriminating on the basis of religion. He cites St. Edwards School as an example. The Nashville parochial school, which is accepting vouchers from the program, has a catholic and non catholic tuition rate.
“When you’re receiving public dollars you shouldn’t have a higher rate based on religious affiliation,” says Welch. “St. Edwards shouldn’t be receiving vouchers at all.”
The son of a State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) — Father Andrew Bulso — presides over the school. Bulso is the same lawmaker who introduced legislation to ban books and then filed a lawsuit against his own school system over the books.
Welch was eager to share these concerns at the House Education Administration Committee two weeks ago. An elected official asked him to testify. However, the evening before the House hearing Welch was informed, “They had too many witnesses.”
Another Williamson County resident was chosen to testify instead. That resident was far right media personality and AFP ambassador Robby Starbuck. The 36-year-old California transplant has two school age children. Neither of them attend Williamson County’s public schools.
Welch says extremists like Starbuck and Bulso are not only hurting local schools but the economy.
“Williamson County's success can be tied directly to the performance of our state-leading public schools. Our local economy will be affected by these vouchers — and not for the better.”
He says out-of-state headquarters often choose to relocate to Williamson County, because of the area's award winning schools.
“Companies know their employees want to live and work where the public school system is strong.”
Jay Shah, a Williamson County resident who has two children in the public school system says he’s “proud to have school board members like Eric Welch standing up for the community.”
“He’s right,” says Shah, a real estate attorney. “It won’t just affect the schools but the economy as well. Property values will take a hit. I’m grateful someone is calling this out.”
Natasha Bell, a third grade teacher at Glenncliff Elementary School in Antioch, is also grateful.
“We’re working hard everyday to educate the next generation,” says Bell, who has taught at the Title 1 school for five years. “Its troubling to know that the elected officials who are supposed to support our public schools are attacking them. I’m grateful for those who are brave enough to stand up and defend us and our students.”
Profiles in Courage was published nearly 70 years ago. The story’s sentiment has stood the test of time.
“Great crises produce great men and great deeds of courage.”
This rings true in Tennessee where, “Today, the challenge of political courage looms larger than ever before.”