Ben Wright submitted his resignation yesterday.
My first impressions of him turned out to be off the mark. Over the 7 months of Mr. Wright's tenure, he never lived up to the hopes we had for his job performance. Many found the information on his website questionable, and as he got further into his job at Bransford Avenue, he had difficulty finding his way.
How many more central office personnel will lose their jobs before a new administration is organized?
Showing posts with label Schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schools. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
When Life Hands You Lemons...
Make Lemonade!
OK, so all changes in property tax rates in Davidson County now must pass a county-wide referendum to take effect. Never mind that a tax referendum for public schools has not passed in Davidson County during my lifetime. Leave aside the strange quirk in metro policy that makes a tax increase for school alone virtually impossible. Let's not focus on the negatives in this news. Let's look at the reality we now face as an organizing opportunity.
We cannot wait. The public school system of Nashville needs a minimum of $12 million new dollars this budget cycle, just to keep the programs and teachers it has now. Without any innovation, upgrades, or improvements in a system with 60% dropout rates in some of its high schools, $12 million new dollars will have to be found. This reality posed a daunting challenge even before the tax referendum initiative passed. No one seriously expected the City Council to raise taxes in the next budget cycle anyway. It will be, after all an election year.
So, let's begin to develop a list of innovations and ideas that the school district can consider as it tries to make ends meet while still supporting the educational needs of our city's children. Any serious reform starts with some notion of site-based management by our school principals. Transportation costs ought to be contained by considering radical approaches to public transportation. Let's consider consolidation of the MTA and the School Buses, either in private or governmental control, as a way to capitalize on economies of scale, generate more useful mass transportation, and reduce unused capacity. The time has come to get serious about rezoning and school consolidation. The district should pursue and approve innovative charter schools to distribute the responsibility for education in Nashville to a wider and more sustainable base of support.
Join in the discussion. Twelve million dollars...probably more, just to break even. We must think and organize if we are to expect our elected (school board and city council) and appointed (school administration) leaders to pursue innovation and progress rather than simply reacting to narrow political pressure. Get on board. We need you. The future of Nashville lies in the education of its children. We are failing too many now. Let's use the budget crunch as motivation to act in advance of the problems, develop new ideas, and organize political support.
We have a responsibility to justify tax increases. That has always been true, but before the referendum passed, too many of the citizens of Davidson County were willing to pass responsibility for that justification to the school board and the city council. From now on, the burden falls squarely n us. Decisions about the future of schools was made less republican and more democratic last night. A democratic opportunity was opened. A democratic response is required.
OK, so all changes in property tax rates in Davidson County now must pass a county-wide referendum to take effect. Never mind that a tax referendum for public schools has not passed in Davidson County during my lifetime. Leave aside the strange quirk in metro policy that makes a tax increase for school alone virtually impossible. Let's not focus on the negatives in this news. Let's look at the reality we now face as an organizing opportunity.
We cannot wait. The public school system of Nashville needs a minimum of $12 million new dollars this budget cycle, just to keep the programs and teachers it has now. Without any innovation, upgrades, or improvements in a system with 60% dropout rates in some of its high schools, $12 million new dollars will have to be found. This reality posed a daunting challenge even before the tax referendum initiative passed. No one seriously expected the City Council to raise taxes in the next budget cycle anyway. It will be, after all an election year.
So, let's begin to develop a list of innovations and ideas that the school district can consider as it tries to make ends meet while still supporting the educational needs of our city's children. Any serious reform starts with some notion of site-based management by our school principals. Transportation costs ought to be contained by considering radical approaches to public transportation. Let's consider consolidation of the MTA and the School Buses, either in private or governmental control, as a way to capitalize on economies of scale, generate more useful mass transportation, and reduce unused capacity. The time has come to get serious about rezoning and school consolidation. The district should pursue and approve innovative charter schools to distribute the responsibility for education in Nashville to a wider and more sustainable base of support.
Join in the discussion. Twelve million dollars...probably more, just to break even. We must think and organize if we are to expect our elected (school board and city council) and appointed (school administration) leaders to pursue innovation and progress rather than simply reacting to narrow political pressure. Get on board. We need you. The future of Nashville lies in the education of its children. We are failing too many now. Let's use the budget crunch as motivation to act in advance of the problems, develop new ideas, and organize political support.
We have a responsibility to justify tax increases. That has always been true, but before the referendum passed, too many of the citizens of Davidson County were willing to pass responsibility for that justification to the school board and the city council. From now on, the burden falls squarely n us. Decisions about the future of schools was made less republican and more democratic last night. A democratic opportunity was opened. A democratic response is required.
Being the Democrat He Wants To See
I want to take a minute to salute a man who has been a tremendous inspiration to me both personally and professionally. Ross K. Smith of North Carolina is the debate coach of the national champion Wake Forest University Debate Team.
Recently, he wrote a moving appeal for Democrats to stand up and "Be the Democrats You Want to See." He took this philosophy to the streets campaigning for the Forsythe County School Bord in District 2 (a heavily Republican district in an off-year election). Although he missed election to the board, he put together the strongest showing for a Democrat that the District has ever seen.
Let him inspire us in Tennessee. We need leaders. We need candidates. We need bloggers. We need workers. We need neighbors, and we need to pull together to create the Tennessee we want to see. We need Tennesseans from every walk of life to take time and make sacrifices to support those around them. Tennesseans make this sacrifice every day, but we cannot eschew politics if we are to make a real difference in our state.
Ross Smith (http://www.ross4schools.com/) is an inspiration to us all. What he accomplished by simply deciding to do it and building a strong coalition of supporters is just a hint of what we ought to be able to accomplish in Tennessee. Who's with me?
Recently, he wrote a moving appeal for Democrats to stand up and "Be the Democrats You Want to See." He took this philosophy to the streets campaigning for the Forsythe County School Bord in District 2 (a heavily Republican district in an off-year election). Although he missed election to the board, he put together the strongest showing for a Democrat that the District has ever seen.
Let him inspire us in Tennessee. We need leaders. We need candidates. We need bloggers. We need workers. We need neighbors, and we need to pull together to create the Tennessee we want to see. We need Tennesseans from every walk of life to take time and make sacrifices to support those around them. Tennesseans make this sacrifice every day, but we cannot eschew politics if we are to make a real difference in our state.
Ross Smith (http://www.ross4schools.com/) is an inspiration to us all. What he accomplished by simply deciding to do it and building a strong coalition of supporters is just a hint of what we ought to be able to accomplish in Tennessee. Who's with me?
All Politics is Local
I enter the blogosphere today with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. While I am thrilled by the national outcomes and fully expect both houses of the Congress to be controlled by Democrats in January, I am conscious that the races that mattered most to our daily lives in Tennessee went overwhelmingly against us last night. Leave aside Bob Corker, who is clearly a good man who will doubtless be a strong senator. He should be happy for GOP minority status because it will increase his flexibility to learn the job and follow his good judgment rather than following the national party's marching orders to the detriment of Tennessee voters.
My concern is that the state and local issues that exact the most direct impact on our daily lives, my fellow volunteers voted against their clear interests. In metropolitan Nashville, for instance, ballot initiatives that will seriously undermine the potential for wisdom and deliberation in establishing the county's budget passed overwhelmingly. Each of these will have direct and clear negative impacts on the provision of fire, police, and educational services in the county. Officials in Davidson County will continue to work hard within these new constraints, and public policy will proceed, but there is clear evidence that the people of the county have voted against their own best interests.
So, the question is, WHY? I, for one, do not believe that the people are incapable of evaluating their self-interests accurately. The people of Tennessee are intelligent, capable, and strong. They stand up aggressively to be counted against threats to their neighbors, and they can easily understand clear assessments and political/economic arguments.
So, this blog begins today. In the spirit of the book, What's The Matter With Kansas?, I will explore the causes of this seeming disconnect between election results and the demonstrable self-interests of the people of Tennessee. I invite your comments and ideas. Let's generate a strong discussion of the dynamics of the situation so that Tennessee voters will begin to protect their interests better in future elections.
My concern is that the state and local issues that exact the most direct impact on our daily lives, my fellow volunteers voted against their clear interests. In metropolitan Nashville, for instance, ballot initiatives that will seriously undermine the potential for wisdom and deliberation in establishing the county's budget passed overwhelmingly. Each of these will have direct and clear negative impacts on the provision of fire, police, and educational services in the county. Officials in Davidson County will continue to work hard within these new constraints, and public policy will proceed, but there is clear evidence that the people of the county have voted against their own best interests.
So, the question is, WHY? I, for one, do not believe that the people are incapable of evaluating their self-interests accurately. The people of Tennessee are intelligent, capable, and strong. They stand up aggressively to be counted against threats to their neighbors, and they can easily understand clear assessments and political/economic arguments.
So, this blog begins today. In the spirit of the book, What's The Matter With Kansas?, I will explore the causes of this seeming disconnect between election results and the demonstrable self-interests of the people of Tennessee. I invite your comments and ideas. Let's generate a strong discussion of the dynamics of the situation so that Tennessee voters will begin to protect their interests better in future elections.
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