Rep. Mark White, a Republican from Memphis and chairman of the House Education Administration Committee, has served as an architect for legislation seeking to expand school voucher programs in Tennessee. White has expressed his intention to propose a statewide expansion of Tennessee's school voucher program, aiming to extend it from the current three counties to all 95 counties in the state. White argues that it's time for broader school choice, stating, "It just baffles me that we are pro-choice on so many things, but we still struggle with freedom of choice when it comes to schools". He believes that using taxpayer funds for K-12 education through vouchers is justified, drawing a parallel to the use of federal Pell grants for private colleges. The current Education Savings Accounts (ESA) program in Tennessee provides nearly $9,000 in state funds to qualifying low- and mid-income families in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties for private school education. White was a prime co-sponsor of the original legislation in 2019, which faced significant opposition and narrowly passed. In support of Governor Bill Lee's "Freedom Scholarships" plan, White has offered to sponsor the bill for statewide voucher expansion. He believes that choice leads to competition and innovation in education. However, White's stance on vouchers has drawn criticism and opposition. Democrats and public education advocates argue that voucher programs divert funds from public schools and may exacerbate educational inequalities. Noah Nordstrom, White's Democratic challenger in the upcoming election, presents a contrasting position on school vouchers. Nordstrom is a Spanish teacher at Overton High School in Memphis, who sees the consequences of disinvestment in classrooms every single day among his students. Between inadequate desks and textbooks, roach infestations, mold, and crumbling building infrastructure, Noah believes that the state should give public schools a fighting chance before starving them even more of crucial resources through the voucher program. The upcoming election will be a crucial battleground for the future of school vouchers in Tennessee, with pro-voucher groups and public education advocates vying to influence the composition of the legislature. The outcome of races like White vs. Nordstrom could significantly impact the future of education policy in the state.