The Republican super-majority in the Tennessee legislature introduced legislation to strip away the the power of the school boards in Memphis (Shelby County) and Nashville to authorize charter schools.
The power would be moved to a state authority.
This move is retaliation against the Metro Nashville school board, which rejected an application from the Great Hearts charter school academy of Arizona. The school board rejected Great Hearts four times! The problem was that Great Hearts wanted to open in a mostly white, affluent neighborhood and had inadequate plans for student diversity.
In an exposé in the Arizona Republic a few months ago, Great Hearts was singled out for dubious financial self-dealing. See here and here. Arizona blogger David Safier reported last fall that Great Hearts expects each family to make a contribution of at least $1500 to defray costs.
Metro Nashville decided it didn’t want Great Hearts to open in its district.
Nashville’s insistence on turning down this particular application infuriated State Commissioner Kevin Huffman (whose prior experience is limited solely to TFA). Huffman withheld $3.4 million that the state owed to Nashville. The governor and legislators were angry too that Nashville acted to exercise local control. They are now talking about vouchers.
Huffman and the state’s far-right Governor and legislature are determined to privatize as many schools as possible as quickly as possible in Memphis and Nashville.
Local control be damned!
Question: why are the Republicans in Tennessee so determined to destroy public education in their state? Has anyone in the state read the research on charters and vouchers? Or are they taking marching orders from ALEC?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Ironic that the party of small and limited governement seeks to abolish local democracy and control. Puzzling to say the least. How much are they willing to pony up to repair the damge that will be done when this goes through? Probably none.
LikeLike
Nationally, this is a bipartisan issue. Both Democrats and Repubs want to gain local control. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Dems are looking out for what is in the best interest here. As long as we are divided, and thinking that way, both parties will steamroll over our local education.
LikeLike
I’ve asked this question so many times, it really pisses me off no one answers it: why do citizens continue to vote for ignoramus leaders?
Supermajorities don’t create themselves. It is virtually impossible, and currently illegal, for them to maintain their supermajorityness on their own either.
If you don’t like your governor, your congressperson, hell, even your president — vote for someone else who represents you!
If you elect them, and they make decisions you don’t like — don’t reelect them!
Citizens have the solution in their hand every time they push a button or pull a lever. If only they could get past their own ignorance and bias to make thoughtful choices.
Being stupid and voting is as irresponsible as drinking and driving.
As such, I have an equal disdain for most politicians as I do for the people who continue to elect them.
Question Authority | Start a Movement
LikeLike
I’ve asked this question so many times, it really pisses me off no one answers it: why do citizens continue to vote for ignoramus leaders?
Possible answers include: apathy, indifference, ignorance, laziness, etc. You name and you’re probably correct. It is grating, this lack of civic participation, but that’s the price for democracy or what’s left of it.
Bring back the Civics class. I loved teaching it. Fun and practical.
LikeLike
Mayor Bloomberg just gave $1 million to determine the Los Angeles school board race next month. Eli Broad has already put up $250,000 and raised another $1 million from his friends. These are races where candidates typically have $15,000-50,000 to spend. Let’s see if the citizens of L.A. are smart enough to vote against the power of big money.
LikeLike
I live in Nashville and have been watching this unfold since the Great Hearts issue. This bill was intended, at first, to be for the entire state. However, many legislators knew that their constituents would have major issues with it and they (the legislators) decided to make it just for Nashville and Memphis. One poster mentioned that it is both Republicans and Democrats that is pushing this “reform” agenda. He is absolutely right! Our own mayor in Nashville (Liberal Democrat) backed this bill and threw his weight behind it. We are being set up here in Nashville for mayoral control. It’s only going to get worse before it gets better here in TN.
LikeLike
Let’s not forget that Karl Dean (our mayor) is related by marriage to one of the Great Hearts board members. So we also have cronyism to thank for this, which is probably the case everywhere this is happening.
LikeLike
Joel and Katherine, you’re both spot on. This is why I won’t vote for Dean. But the other options may not be good either, and that’s always troublesome. If the candidates support the same poor education policies, it seems like there is nobody to vote for; fortunately, however, I live in Amy Frogge’s district, and I did get to vote for her. We need more level-headed people like her.
LikeLike
I’m a little jealous you’re in Amy Frogge’s district! I’m in Elissa Kim’s, which has been very disappointing, to say the least.
LikeLike
It is past time for this to all be taken to the courts.
LikeLike
Huffman was married to Rhee and both are former TFA. Both are ideologically right wing and anti public education. ALEC and other organizations like theirs are controlled by the big guys, you know the 1/10 of 1/10 of 1% or the real power not the 1% as that goes down to $350,00/yr. and that is not a player. Just think about the equation.
LikeLike
Kind of off topic but germane to TN and its oversight.
Oh Tennessee. Look at the Tennessee Virtual Academy. They make bad grades virtually disappear.
Email Directs Teachers to Delete Bad Grades
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/21129693/email-directs-teachers-to-delete-bad-grades
LikeLike