NASHVILLE – Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told irate Republican members of the House Education Committee this week that she would work more closely with them going forward following a series of blow-ups that incensed hard-right GOP lawmakers.
“I am committed to that. I know the committee is committed to that,” Schwinn told Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, who raised issues including the uproar among conservatives over a proposed state child welfare wellness-check program during the pandemic that GOP members charged smacked of government intrusion into the home.
“I appreciate the feedback and the ongoing conversations, especially within the last several weeks,” Schwinn said. “I know we’ve come up with a number of really strong ideas about how to continue to strengthen that over the coming months.”
The exchange came amid a revolt by a number of conservative lawmakers, primarily in the House, with threats to hold a no-confidence vote on Schwinn. But the hopes of some House GOP lawmakers and conservative groups of pressuring Republican Gov. Bill Lee to fire Schwinn collapsed after Lee publicly voiced confidence earlier this month in his education commissioner.
“I am very pleased with the work that our commissioner has done so far,” the governor said. During Schwinn’s committee appearance, Cepicky, who had initially supported a no-confidence vote but later dropped it after Lee’s comment, walked the commissioner through several controversies, allowing her to respond and say things would be different going forward.