Tennessee's TFA Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman ordered the Metro Nashville school board to grant a charter to a school run by Arizona-based Great Hearts. The School board voted no. It voted no four times. It said the school wanted to locate in a neighborhood where it would draw mainly from well-to-do white families; the board wanted assurance that the school would serve a diverse enrollment.
ring a bell anyone?
Here are the things you missed.
1. The Metro Nashville Board put in place an independent committee to review charter applications. This committee recommended the charter for approval. According to state law, if the application meets the criteria set by the local board and is recommended for approval, it must be approved. This protects applicants from being discriminated against for reasons other than the quality of their application
2. Great Hearts’ made efforts to increase diversity in the school that exceeded the districts own policy. The school was actually on the border of an economically diverse neighborhood but would provide transportation to students even more broadly. Other schools of choice in Nashville, i.e. magnets do not do this.
3. Charter schools are open enrollment and anyone can attend. Selection is made at random by lottery. The school would have pulled in anyone who wanted a classical curriculum for their children. There is no doubt that this would have pulled in more affluent families, but to say that this is not for poorer families is just bigoted.
If there is a lottery involved then not everyone can attend. Who runs the lottery? Third party? Tennessee DOE?
What does “made efforts” mean? Giving transportation without actively recruiting the same population to apply and see that they are admitted is a sham argument, and I’m guessing you know that.
If the action requires an approval vote, then attempting to mandate said vote is a betrayal of our founding principles of representative democracy. If they are compelled to vote yes, then it should not be before the BOE. Therefore, since it DOES require BOE approval, then each member has three option: yes, no, abstain.
Quite simple.
Your arguments here are punctilious.
but I can see you’re not part of a Gatesian money grab at the expense of kids: http://www.charterexcellence.org.sitemason.com/fellowship/why_tennessee
You need to read Achievement Gap Mania by Hess. Like yesterday.
Tell me, what’s it like to stand on the side of bullies like Huffman? Does it make you feel big?