Sacrificing even the children to maintain government (and union?) control

Better that everybody suffers than allow some the opportunity at a better education

There are a couple of threads to this story:  (1) that the Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) Board has rejected, for the third time, and in defiance of a TN State School Board directive, an application by Great Hearts Academies to establish a charter school in Nashville, (2) that in response the TN State School Board has now withheld $3.4M in administrative support funds from MNPS, and (3) in parallel MNPS Board members are admitting that people all over the district are looking into a state law that allows parents and teachers to take over control of a public school from the School Board by "charter-izing" the school.

What the heck is going on in Nashville??  Well, it's really quite simple. Residents pay lots of money in taxes to support public schools. Lots of parents are dissatisfied with the quality of education being provided in exchange for those tax dollars. These parents are (shockingly!) thinking that breaking the one-size-fits-no-one dictatorial monopoly that the MNPS Board imposes on schooling in Nashville might not be a good thing, and are looking for ways to offer Nashville students (their children) more and better options. The MNPS Board, knowing a threat to their power and personal missions ("not what you think is best for your children, but what we think is best for whoever we think should get the best") when they see one, are stubbornly fighting back...

Bottom line:  Great Hearts Academics, which runs about a dozen very well-respected charter schools in Arizona wants to put a charter school in Nashville. Charters in TN receive public money equivalent to what the public schools receive for each student they enroll. Charters must satisfy all local school requirements but are permitted to set higher standards---wait... what?  You need permission to set higher standards?  Well, in fact, you do.  Even things like offering a longer school day are forbidden to regular public schools!  Amazing, no?  Anyways, I digress. Charters in TN are simply public schools run by organizations other than the School Board.  So the establishment of a charter in TN is simply a taking away of power from a School Board, and an empowerment of... what? A corporation?... Well, no!, as state law requires that parents control the board that oversees a charter school.

You see how evil this all is... right?... right??

In this case, because Great Hearts is known for very high academic performance in Arizona (seemingly a good thing), Nashville school board members (5 out of 9, in fact) have reached the conclusion that such a charter in Nashville will be a de facto segregated school, despite the fact, that, as a public charter in TN, must obey TN state law, which reads (find this text yourself here):

49-13-113.  Enrollment.  

  (a) Participation in a public charter school shall be based on parental choice or the choice of the legal guardian or custodian.

(b)  (1) A charter school shall enroll an eligible pupil who submits a timely application, unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level or building.

   (2)  (A) If applications exceed the planned capacity of the public charter school, the following preferences shall apply:

         (i) Pupils in attendance in the previous school year at any public school that converts to become a public charter school;

         (ii) Pupils attending public schools within the LEA in which the public charter school is located, if those pupils would otherwise be included in the area in which the public charter school will focus;

         (iii) Children residing within the LEA service area in which the public charter school is located, but who are not enrolled in public schools, if those children would otherwise be included in the area in which the public charter school will focus; and

         (iv) Children residing outside the LEA in which the public charter school is located and whose needs would be included in the area in which the public charter school will focus.

      (B) If enrollment within a group of preference set out in subdivision (b)(2)(A) exceeds the planned capacity of the school, enrollment within that group shall be determined on the basis of a lottery.

(c) Subject to the requirements of subsections (a) and (b), preference may be afforded to the children of a teacher, sponsor or member of the governing body of the charter school, not to exceed ten percent (10%) of total enrollment or twenty-five (25) students, whichever is less.

(d) Subject to the requirement of subsections (a) and (b), preference may be afforded to the siblings of a pupil who is already enrolled.

Did you catch that?? In other words, charters have to enroll students the say way the normal publics do!  Anybody who wants it, gets in, so long as there is room!

SO WHAT IS THE MNPS' OBJECTION?

They would rather EVERYONE continue to suffer lower standards and poorer outcomes than give up a bit of power to offer EVERYONE the possibility of something better than the local government schools.  Classic.

Oh, right, it gets even better.  How much better do people expect a charter to be than the MNPS government schools?  So much better that people "all over" Nasvhville are looking into taking over their local MNPS school using a never-before-used state law that allows parents and teachers to wrest control of a school from the local school board.  Amazing.

Good thing the citizens have the MNPS Board looking out for them and their children!

Metro defies state, denies Great Hearts

Lisa Fingeroot, 8:07 PM, Sep 11, 2012

In a surprise move, the Metro Nashville school board defied the state’s education power structure Tuesday and denied a controversial charter school for Nashville’s West Side over concerns that it would cater mainly to wealthy, white families.


Nashville schools to lose $3.4M over rejection of Great Hearts: 
TN Department of Education to withhold funds after Metro school board rejected charter school

Nate Rau, 8:52 AM, Sep 18, 2012

The Tennessee Department of Education is expected to announce as early as today that it will withhold more than $3 million in education funds from Metro Nashville Public Schools in response to the board’s decision last week to reject the Great Hearts Academy charter school application.

Nashville parents explore taking over schools: Never-before-used state triggers law allows public schools to be converted into charters

Nate Rau, 11:42 PM, Sep 19, 2012

Dissatisfied parents and elected officials from West Nashville are exploring a never-before-utilized state law that would allow a public school to be converted into a parent-controlled charter school.