“Only the strong, the rich, and the dying think truth is a necessity; the rest of us know it for a luxury.”
― Christopher Buehlman, The Blacktongue Thief
Daily, I spend about 2 hours taking my freshman daughter to high school. Metro Nashville Public Schools allow students to attend a specialized school outside their zoned school. She attends Nashville's School of the Arts for literacy.
It's been a good fit for her socially and academically. She would have been fine at her zoned school, but would have not had the same opportunities she's been afforded at NSA. I'm not getting into specifics, but suffice it to say, that the year would have been significantly more challenging had she attended her zoned school.
Her enrollment does not come without a significant cost. In addition to the time spent, it costs roughly $100 a week in gasoline to make the daily trek. Luckily we have been able to absorb the cost with little hardship.
Not everyone can afford that cost, and I'm grateful that we've been able to make it work. We need to remember that when bragging about the choice options for MNPS.
Despite the challenges, there are also irreplaceable benefits, for which I'm grateful.
Two hours a day leaves a lot of time for talking, time that might not be afforded otherwise. Over the year we established a trust that allows comfortable conversation, or comfortable silence. You can't earn the trust for conversation until you earn the trust of silence.
The ability to sit quietly with someone sans the need to fill the silence is one of the biggest compliments you can pay someone.
There are days when the car is filled with idle chit-chat. Some days begin in silence, only to give way to deeper concerns. And, there are days when the conversation is much heavier than usual. Today was one of those days.
"Did you hear about the legislation that passed yesterday?", she asks as we pull from the driveway.
"The one allowing teachers to be armed?" I respond, "I saw that."
"It's scary", she says.
"It's not the best piece of legislation." I reply, "But remember, it's never going to happen in your school. MNPS is never going to allow a teacher to carry. Nor are most districts. For it to be allowed..."
"I know Dada." she interrupted, "The police chief, head of district, and principal all have to sign off, and there has to be training. I get that."
I nod and say, "The only districts that will be really impacted are the small rural ones. People forget how many districts Tennessee has that are less than 1500 students."
"I get that. But just because it won't happen this year doesn't mean that things won't change in 11 years. One door opening. leads to other doors opening."
'You are not wrong", I say.
"Also it normalizes guns. People become more used to them and it feels normal to have lots of guns around, forgetting how dangerous they are." She adds, "It's like what you always say about drugs, we normalize them which leads to us minimizing the danger. So many accidents can happen. It is scary."
We ride in silence for a while.
She breaks the silence by asking, "You know what else I hate?"
"What?"
"When people refer to those that hold different opinions than them as stupid." She adds, "They are not stupid, they just hold a different opinion. Calling them stupid, is stupid."
"We tend to forget that people have different ideas, different life experiences, that draw them to different conclusions." I say, "The trick is to figure out what it is that drew them to that conclusion and work from there. But, that takes time and energy, neither of which most people are willing to expend."
We talk for a while about people's differences and the way the world views them. Some things we agree on, while others we have differing opinions. The important thing is we continue to talk.
That's a postulate that holds true for all of us.
The law allowing a teacher to carry once they meet the specifications is concerning. I'm proud that my daughter can look past today, and consider future ramifications when making her evaluations. It's a skill that is disappearing from our culture.
We also have to look closer at how our response in one area, influences actions in another.
In the wake of voucher legislation failing, many took the opportunity to take an exaggerated victory lap - though I still remain confused by what was won.
Republican legislators came under fire from members of their party for not being able to pass legislation considered part of the party's platform despite holding a super-majority. There was pressure to confirm that they were true Republicans.
The same thing is currently happening on the Democrat side of the aisle, where moderate members are continually called on the carpet for not acting like their more extreme counterparts.
During yesterday's vote, State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) lost himself the right to speak on the floor for two days by repeatedly recording on the House floor. While the recording rule is infrequently enforced, it has been underreported that Jones was asked three times to stop recording and refused to do so.
Second Amendment rights are considered a core plank of the Republican platform. This week's vote was framed by party leadership as confirmation that Second Amendment rights don't end at the schoolhouse door. The rhetoric in the aftermath of Governor Lee's voucher bill, and during the discussion of this bill, left little wiggle room for Republicans who didn't view it as such.
How you win is very bit as important as winning. Celebrating one win shouldn't prevent you from earning a second win. In this case, I would argue that it did.
Despite the challenge of breaking with the party, four Republicans ultimately crossed the aisle to join Democrats in voting against the bill, with another three abstaining from the vote. The measure easily passed through the House on a 68-28 vote and is all but guaranteed to become law within weeks, as it now goes to Governor Bill Lee's desk.
He has the option to either sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature. While Lee has the veto option but has never vetoed a bill.
Those opposed to the bill should remember, that creating isn't implementation. Lots of bills become law and then bear little resemblance to lawmakers' intent.
It took seven years after passage before Tennessee's A-F grading system was implemented.
And I'm sure that Tennessee teachers are quite familiar with all the laws that have been passed increasing their salaries that have never shown up in their paychecks.
In this case, it's important to remember that before being allowed to carry a teacher must secure permission from the school district's director of schools, the school principal, and the chief of the "appropriate" law enforcement agency, in addition to undergoing mental and criminal checks.
Therefore, school administrators could theoretically block any teacher from going armed on campus.
Parents who don't wish any teachers to carry should make their desires known to district officials.
MNPS wasted no time in issuing the following statement:
"We have a strong relationship with the Metro Nashville Police Department and agree that it is safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement officers to carry weapons on campus," MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted said in an email. "This has been our consistent practice at MNPS, and we have no intention of changing it."
There is also the example of the fourth-grade retention portion of Tennessee's retention policy. Even though it was passed into law, it will be modified this year and still may be repealed in the coming years.
So a lot could happen in the coming years. Much of it though is contingent on this year's state elections.
These elections will define the course of policy over the next several years. A record number of challengers, from both sides of the aisle, have filed to run against incumbents. How they fare will help determine who is considered the front-runner for Tennessee's next Governor in two years.
That could mean a change in course, or more of the same. Which it is, depends on you.
You can choose to rend your garments, or you can choose to get out and vote.
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The failure of Governor Lee's voucher bill has several pundits from the far right calling for the Governor to convene a Special Session to reconsider the policy.
The Governor does have the right to call a Special Session on any subject of his choosing, but calling one during the summer of an election year would not be one of his better moves.
While in session, lawmakers are not allowed to solicit campaign contributions, their opponents aren't held to the same requirement.
Some would argue, that this gives legislators the impetus to get in and quickly pass the bill. That's a calculated risk, but unlikely to be successful and more likely to create resentments.
Some of the same pundits calling for a Special Session, are also vowing to find and support candidates who support school choice and oust sitting members who don't.
Unfortunately for them, the filing deadline has come and gone. They'll have to settle for the candidates that have already filed.
Until the results from the upcoming election are known, there is no real next step that voucher proponents can take. Unless there is a major turnover in the General Assembly, I'm not sure that any viable next step is available.
That doesn't mean that people won't try, but I doubt they'll be successful
And who knows, by this time next year, we could be reading about indictments from the last time voucher legislation passed in Tennessee.
- - -
It's kind of a problem when you lead a party that bills itself as the "party of law and order" yet as Governor you employ an Attorney General who regularly puts the party above the law.
In an opinion published on Tuesday, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti laid out his legal opinion for why the law stating commissioners be "qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority" does not mean the Tennessee education commissioner has to be certified to teach with a teaching license.
In his 10-page opinion, Skrmetti cites laws established in 1919 and 1925. He argues that the requirement imposes a "general standing" that establishes the "education, experience, and strength of character necessary to teach" rather than a specific legal certification.
That's nice, but in this case, I would argue that "education" equates to certification. How else do you measure the level of education?
According to the Tennessee state code, the education commissioner "shall" have experience in school administration and be qualified to teach at a high school level. Reynolds is a career bureaucrat who has worked for the Texas Department of Education and ExcelinED, but never taught at any level.
The Department of Education pointed to state law and State Board of Education rules aimed at helping address teacher shortages as evidence that Reynolds is qualified for the position. rules allow the commissioner to issue temporary permits to people — based upon work experience, degrees held, subject expertise, and progress toward obtaining a Tennessee license — to enable them to teach.
Per The Tennessean, a TDOE spokesperson has said Reynolds is qualified under these rules but has not issued herself a temporary permit.
Nothing instills confidence like a State Education Commissioner with a temporary license.
Skrmetti has often provided cover for Lee's schemes, even if just as often that cover doesn't hold up in court. In this case, it is his opinion that in reviewing precedent, Governor Lee has "unchecked authority" to name a state education commissioner who doesn't have to be certified to teach.
Governor Lee with "unchecked authority" is akin to a 15-year with a driver's license and no driver's education.
But. like all good things, it's coming to an end.
- - -
In case you were wondering, and I don't know why you would be, the MNPS School Board heard last night from 5 charter operators looking to establish or grow charter operations. All were quickly denied, and likely will now appeal.
As it stands, I don't why any operator would put any effort into a Nashville charter application. Might as well wait, and put the effort into the state appeal.
The one that made me shake my head the most was the LEAD expansion application.
LEAD oversees the Brick church school that is transferring back from the State Achievement School District to MNPS. During the review of the process, a chart was showing reading and math proficiency scores since the state takeover.
Under ASD leadership, Brick Church's results fell far short of those achieved during the MNPS years.
What wasn't discussed in looking at the provided chart was the drop-off during the years preceding the state takeover.
During the school year of 2013/2014, the school scored 41.2% in math and 37.2% in ELA. In 2016/2017, those rates had fallen to 11.8% and 10% respectively. That might bear some further investigation. I also don't think I would tout the fact that your 7.1% never beat my 11% achievement rate. Neither is worth bragging about.
One further note on Brick Church Middle School. Last night MNPS announced that their new Principal would be the current principal of Alex Green Elementary, Robyn Beard.
First off. Middle School is a whole different beast than Elementary. That said, Beard is a 25-plus years veteran, so I'm sure she's aware of that. This year she led Alex Green ES to Blue Ribbon status. Previously the school had been identified as a state priority school.
That's where the rub comes. Is Alex Green now considered a "turnaround" success because of one year of recognition?
Is it in danger of slipping back on the list, once the current leadership leaves?
I've always been skeptical of the "turnaround" designation.
The lack of academic progress by LEAD, who previously led Brick Church MS, was cited in denying their expansion application.
- - -
Per usual, I need to rattle the cup a little bit before I head out the door.
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Regarding your question as to what was won in the voucher legislation not passing, I refer to your daughter’s answer about looking toward the future. She sounds very mature. Those of us who oppose vouchers are doing just that. If vouchers become part of private education, eventually, those in charge of public education will want to regulate those receiving the vouchers. In fact, we’ve already seen this desire in Rep Powell's amendment to HB390, which was withdrawn, but still shows intent. The amendment was to make voucher recipients have to take TCAPs, make teachers and admin of voucher recipients be evaluated on the same schedules/standards as public school teachers, and make schools receiving vouchers follow all the rules that public schools do. Essentially, private schools will be turned in to public schools. And since homeschoolers are considered private schoolers because most operate under Cat IV religious umbrella schools, that means even our homeschools would be subject to this. We know that what the government funds it runs. The only way to have true educational freedom is to have an option that the government doesn’t control. That’s what we believe was won. Even if those regulations didn’t come for a few years, we know they are coming, so we will oppose vouchers every time they come up. Because we want future generations to have the freedom in education that we have now and more.
I’d also like to add that I enjoy reading your blog and hearing your perspective. You present an intelligent point of view, and I appreciate the ability to have civil discourse, even when we don’t agree :)