NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — While Gov. Bill Haslam is keeping the door open to an expansion of the public pre-kindergarten program in Tennessee, any such move would remain a tough sell among some fellow Republicans in the Legislature.

Haslam stressed this week that a federal notice that Tennessee intends to apply for a share of federal money available for pre-K expansion doesn’t mean the state will necessarily follow through. The governor said he is still awaiting the results of a multi-year Vanderbilt study on the effectiveness of pre-K before making up his mind.

Should Haslam ultimately decide to pursue more money for pre-K, he will have to persuade Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, a long-time critic of the program for 4-year olds. Ramsey called pre-K “a liberal, feel-good program that’s not working.”