Todd Gardenhire, left, and Andraé McGary are seeking the 10th District Senate seat.In the second debate between state Senate Democratic nominee Andraé McGary and his Republican opponent Todd Gardenhire, the men highlighted their differences in fixing failing schools and creating more local jobs.
To a small group of locals at the Cleveland State Community College, Gardenhire argued in favor of school vouchers Monday night, saying parents need to be empowered to pull their kids out of a failing school and move them somewhere else.
“We have basically a voucher system with [higher education] grants, students get and they can chose any college they want to go to,” he said. “If it works for higher education, why can’t it work for lower education?”
But McGary, who is a Chattanooga city councilman for District 8, said while he pulled his own daughter out of a failing school and put her in a private school, he is against school vouchers and wants to see more money put into the current system.
“We recognize choice is very important here,” he said. “But ultimately I’m not for a voucher system because I believe it short-skirts the issue, and the issue is we have to fund education.”