School voucher proponent to join Board of Regents

On Friday, Gov. Bill Lee announced he had appointed nearly 200 people to serve on 72 boards and commissions ranging from panels related to education and alcohol to the judicial system.

While many of the governor’s appointments are relatively mundane — he tapped several members already in his administration — there is at least one that is raising some eyebrows.

Lee appointed Mark Gill, a longtime advocate for school vouchers who made headlines after treating five lawmakers to a stay at his Alabama seaside condo and a deep-sea fishing trip, to the Tennessee Board of Regents.

In 2014, Gill hosted five lawmakers, Reps. Andy Holt, Mike Carter, Billy Spivey, Jeremy Durham and Jimmy Matlock, at his Gulf Shores condominium where the group watched a movie and went on a fully paid deep-sea fishing expedition.

The trip, first disclosed by The Tennessean in 2016, exemplified a loophole in state law that gave those seeking to influence lawmakers the ability to pay for their travel without the public ever knowing.

Gill showed the lawmakers “A Man for All Seasons” — a 1966 Academy Award-winning film about the final years of Sir Thomas More — and the group ate seafood, discussed integrity and legislative policy, the latter of which they say was not talked about when their host was present.

Carter slept on a couch. Matlock avoided the fishing because he gets seasick. Durham — who in 2016 was expelled from the legislature after an attorney general’s report found he had inappropriate sexual contact with at least 22 women — was apparently disrespectful to Gill on the trip, according to Holt.

The trip was allowed because Gill was not a registered lobbyist. State law bans anyone who is paid to lobby lawmakers from giving them gifts. But after the trip, lawmakers approved a law that required disclosure of such travel at the expense of others.

Gill previously served on the board of directors of the Tennessee Federation for Children, an arm of the American Federation for Children, which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to advance school voucher legislation in the Volunteer State in recent years.

This year the federation was one of many groups that advocated for lawmakers to pass Lee’s education savings account proposal, which gives public money to parents to use for private school and a variety of educational services and supplies.

Jim Wrye, lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association, said Gill was “front and center” in the effort to pass the governor’s controversial voucher measure.

Wrye recalled seeing Gill wearing pro-ESA stickers, being present at committee meetings and talking with lawmakers. He said Gill also was meeting with lawmakers on a bill, sponsored by Holt, to make significant changes to the Tennessee School Boards Association.

Discussing Gill’s appointment, Wrye said, “It sounds like a reward to me.”

When asked about Gill’s appointment, Laine Arnold, a spokeswoman for the governor, said, “Gov. Lee will continue to appoint individuals who aren’t afraid to shake things up and reject the status quo. Mark is a fierce advocate for improving education at all levels, and we believe he will be an effective addition to the TBR.”

Arnold did not respond to a question about whether Gill’s support for school vouchers played a role in his appointment.

Gill did not respond to a request for comment. Rick Locker, a spokesman for the Tennessee Board of Regents, said while he could not reach Gill his service on the board is appreciated.

“Members’ voluntary, unpaid service on the board requires considerable time and work, including trips to our meetings in both Nashville and on our college campuses, but they are dedicated and proud to serve the students of Tennessee.”