唐纳德·特朗普总统周四签署了一项行政命令缩减教育部的基本职能。该指令告诉我们该机构还剩下什么来优先向全美的学校选择项目提供资金。
这些项目，也被称为教育券和学校自由，允许父母将分配给他们孩子的税款用于公立学校，在大多数情况下，用这笔钱送他们去私立学校。Trump executive order seeks to steer federal funds to private school
支持这一运动的论点是私立学校通常能为孩子们提供更好的教育。
在田纳西州，这些项目的支持者称之为奖学金，州众议院议员托德·华纳是农村公立学校的骄傲。他自称是“铁杆共和党人”，但告诉美国广播公司新闻，他认为一些保守派目前试图对教育做的事情是错误的。
“公立学校是社区的支柱，”华纳说。“星期五晚上，星期五晚上的灯光，足球比赛。这是大家聚在一起的地方。就是比赛前我们去车尾看看对方家人的地方。这是我们为彼此的孩子加油的地方。”
在过去的四年里，华纳代表着他所谓的“乡下人”,他们来自红色的郡，南部联盟的旗帜继续飘扬在一些房屋和纪念碑上。
“我赞成在联邦层面上削减教育部，”华纳说。“我很乐意看到特朗普总统给美国汇回更多的钱。我对此很满意，但我不想看到它流向私营部门。我希望它能帮助我们的公立学校。”
但是在二月，州长比尔·李将田纳西州的全民择校计划签署为法律。它加入了至少29个州允许某种形式的教育券，包括大约15个不考虑父母财富的州。
华纳目前正在努力限制田纳西州的代金券数量。
他可能在办公室里有一个真人大小的特朗普剪影，并将他的红帽子挂在一只死鹿上方的墙上，但华纳告诉美国广播公司新闻，他不介意在纳什维尔被称为叛徒，因为他知道在他代表的城市南部地区的家里，他的选民知道那不是他。
“你知道，这是我一生中最美好的回忆，”华纳说。“他们中的一些人在公立学校，在高中，你知道，和那些老师，和那些教练在一起。在田纳西州的很多农村都是这样。我是说，要么是公立学校，要么什么都不是。”
School choice programs divide Republicans as Trump moves to eliminate Department of Education
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday toreduce the Department of Education to its essential functions. The directive tells what's left of the agency to prioritize sending money to school choice programs across America.
These programs -- which are also referred to as school vouchers and school freedom -- allow parents to take tax dollars allocated for their children to attend public schools and, in most cases, use that money to send them to private schools.
The argument supporting this movement is that private schools often provide a better education for children.
In Tennessee, where supporters of the programs refer to them as scholarships, State House Rep. Todd Warner is a proud product of rural public schools. He's a self-described "die-hard Republican," but told ABC News that he believes what some conservatives are currently trying to do to education is wrong.
"Public schools are the backbone of the community," Warner said. "On Friday nights, Friday night lights, the football game. It's where everybody comes together. It's where we tailgate and see each other's family before the game. It's where we cheer each other's children on."
For the past four years at the Tennessee Statehouse, Warner represented what he refers to as "country folk" from counties so red that Confederate flags continue to fly over a few homes and monuments.
"I'm in favor of reducing the Department of Education on the federal level," Warner said. "I would love to see President Trump send more money back to the states. I'm good with that, but I don't want to see that go to the private sector. I want to see it help our public schools."
But in February, Gov. Bill Leesigned Tennessee’s universal school choice program into law. Itjoined at least 29 statesthat allow some form of school vouchers, including about 15 states that do not consider parental wealth.
Warner is currently working to limit the number of vouchers in Tennessee.
He may have a life size Trump cutout in his office and hang his red hat on the wall above a dead buck, but Warner told ABC News that he doesn't mind being called a sellout in Nashville because he knows that at home in the district he represents south of the city, his constituents know that isn't who he is.
"You know, the best memories in life that I have," Warner said. "Some of them are in the public school, in high school, you know, with those teachers, with those coaches. And it's that way in a lot of rural Tennessee. I mean, it's the public school or it's nothing."
