Democrats Make Pitch To Expand Pre-K At Nashville Gubernatorial Forum

The two Democrats vying to be Tennessee's next governor made another pitch Tuesday to expand pre-K education.

That's even though recent research from Vanderbilt University has led some communities, including Nashville, to hit pause on expansion plans.

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and West Tennessee Rep. Craig Fitzhugh separately endorsed spreading pre-kindergarten programs during a gubernatorial forum at Vanderbilt sponsored by the Business Roundtable. Both candidates have been longtime supporters of pre-K.

Before he left the mayor's office in 2015, Dean set a goal of making pre-kindergarten available to every 4-year-old in the city. On Tuesday, he didn't commit to offering pre-K to that extent statewide, but he said he would like to see expansion continue.

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