The city of Nashville is located in Tennessee. The president of Michigan's Hillsdale College was riding high earlier this year when he announced plans to launch 50 charter schools in Tennessee.
Six months later, that relationship has cooled after Larry Arnn made derogatory comments about educators, telling an audience including Lee that teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest college.
Lawmakers, teachers and other public school advocates were incensed by the comments. The fate of charter schools connected to the small conservative college is in doubt now that the Republican governor has distanced himself from them.
Three applications for charter schools in Tennessee have been rejected by the school boards. The rejected applications were not commented upon by a spokesman for the college.
It is not known when or if the additional 47 charter schools will come to fruition. The next legislative session doesn't start until January, but there have been no new legislation or steps taken to oust Hillsdale.
Things have changed a lot since Lee mentioned the private college in a speech to the legislature. Lee said that the school has been the standard bearer in quality curriculum and the responsibility of preserving American liberty.
The New York Times' "1619 Project" focused on America's history of slavery as a direct response to the "1776 Curriculum" spearheaded by Arnn. America's role in slavery and the rise of progressive politics are downplayed in the curriculum.
The national debate over the role schools should play in teaching race and sexuality has strengthened the prominence of the school.
Charter schools are public funded but privately run. While it doesn't operate or manage schools, it does offer two types of support by licensing their curriculum for free and providing training and other resources. The program had more than 20 member schools by the end of the year, with major presences in Florida, Colorado and Michigan.
Charter schools can cause political tension. Betsy DeVos championed the idea of an alternative to low-performing schools. Critics argue that they unfairly take funding from traditional public schools.
Republicans have been able to rally behind charter schools and other school choice initiatives because of the parents' frustration with remote learning. The GOP plans to use those themes as a core part of their strategy this year after Glenn Youngkin won election in Virginia.
Public doubts began to take hold after Lee endorsed bringing as many charter schools as possible to Tennessee. Anger at Lee has grown among teachers for not refuting the claims.
Mary Rouse, who was elected to the Sullivan County school board in a heavily Republican region, said at the meeting that she was sad and disappointed that the governor did not defend teachers. Shame on you. It was a shame on you.
The chairman of the House Education Commission was also blunt. He posted on social media that there was no hope for the operation of Hillsdale in Tennessee.
Before the June event where the comments were made, his executive assistant sent 11 questions to the governor. They looked straightforward and asked who his most important teachers were. What would he say about what he and Arnn were going to do in Tennessee? According to an email obtained by The Associated Press, they don't cast doubt on teachers or their training.
Lee was asked if he still had a "whole-hearted embrace" of the town. He said he hadn't spoken to him in two years.
Last week, the editorial defended his commitment to teaching, saying he's made similar comments throughout his career.
I did not mean to say dumb can mean unintelligent. It is a fitting description of many education schools today.
It wasn't clear whether he helped himself. The governor wouldn't say if he would support the state's Public Charter School Commission reversing the local boards' rejection of the applications. All nine members of the commission were selected by Lee.
The commission says all of the affiliates have appealed their rejections.
That's right.
Jonathan Mattise is an Associated Press writer in Nashville, Tennessee.
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