Where Are You Going to Go? Home?

“It is curious to observe how customs and ceremonies degenerate.”
― Maria Edgeworth, Complete Novels of Maria Edgeworth

We have lost the ability to listen to each other.

We claim to be fans of critical thinking, but that would require listening, reading, analysing, sorting out the salient points from the questionable points, separating opinion from facts, and forming a position based on the information received. That's a lot of work.

That's not how we do it anymore.

We all seem to have retreated into our individual information silos. These silos serve to establish our belief system. You got a pick a silo, else be labeled "one of them", you know people with no principles.

Before receiving information, we immediately check to make sure the source is on our silo's recommended reading list and instantly form an opinion. One that embraces all the talking points of our respective silo.

Headlines used to matter. Now it would be just as effective to write them as "Charter school policy from the perspective of silo A." or "How I feel about vouchers as a member of Silo B".

Don't believe me? Try this one day: post an article on social media and say, "This article sheds some light on subject A."

Then sit back and count the number of comments that attack the author/publication versus those who offer actual counterpoints to the article itself.

That's how we play today. If you can throw in a "Trumps an asshole" or "Hilary is a crook", I think you get extra credit.

Here's a new flash: Not every silo approved article is filled with irefutable facts and opinions and not every non-approved article is guaranteed to be free of valid arguments. Furthermore, sometimes, an errant comment will spur a search for more relevant information and deeper knowledge.

Even as we drink from the fire hydrant of information, we must still apply critical thinking skills. Access is not the same as procurement.

I know, who has time for all of that? Our lives have become so consuming that the ability to feel well-informed through the consumption of sound bites from trusted sources is seen as a boon.

We used to mow our own lawns, clean our own houses, and take our own children to school. These days, if you can outsource it, so much the better. Go ahead and throw critical thinking on the barbecue as well. If I can get somebody else to do it, it frees up even more of my time.

I've said this for years, but it always bears repeating: At some point, we have to re-learn how to listen to each other and how to find kernels of truth in supposed barren fields. That is the very reason why critical thinking is so important.

But we are continually missing the point and worse off for it. Being "right" is more important than digging deeper and reaching a greater understanding.

We've created an expert class that is treated as if they are oracles, empowering them with selflessness and infallibility beyond reproach. This is not reflective of reality. We are all human, and as such, we are subject to individual follies and biases.

I've worked for years with a man that, based upon initial interactions, you might thing think he doesn't know shit about shinnola. Spend some time with him, and really listen. You'll discover he knows more about our business than 100 self-proclaimed experts.

That is not an infrequent experience.

Whenever I took a management job, I would immediately look for the person, be it a secretary or janitor, who had been there a while and always did the grunt work—often overlooked by everyone. I would then befriend them and listen. Invariably, they knew more about how the business actually ran, as opposed to how it ran in theory, than the CEO. They were usually all too willing to share, as long as I was willing to listen. Listen to all of it, not just what I bestowed value on.

Their information made me more knowledgeable and, ultimately, more successful.

This information could have provided the organization with more success long before I arrived.

We gotta learn to listen.

- - -

The Tennessee General Assembly has dropped the muscle car into fifth year in a mad dash to exit the building before the start of former State House Speaker Glen Casada's upcoming April 22nd trial.

Casada, if you'll remember, is accused, along with his former Chief of Staff, Cade Cothren, of running a kickback scheme to help the former chief of staff after he was fired in 2019 for his part in racist and sexist text messages. Casada resigned following the indictment, after a no-confidence vote by the House Republican Caucus.

According to federal documents, Cothren secretly ran the scheme so his identity wouldn’t be known, and Casada and former Rep Robin Smith (R-Hixson) directed business to him from Republican House members. Cothren was paid nearly $52,000 to do constituent mailers for House members.

The company at the center of the scheme, Phoenix Solutions, was purportedly run by the bogus “Matthew Phoenix”. The House Republican Caucus contracted the company and paid Matty roughly $140,000 to do caucus work.

That's the short story. The only thing to add is that for Democrats, the April 22nd trial is like a long-awaited Christmas morning. One that looks to compensate for all the years your mom didn't have money to buy you great gifts. This might be the year you get the long-desired bike.

That said, contentious bills are still circulating in the General Assembly. One such bill is HB 25.

This bill allows student-athletes to transfer once during their high school careers with no penalty. TSSAA, the long-time governing body of state high school sports, is not a fan.

They sent a letter to Tennessee high school coaches this past Sunday, “strongly” encouraging them to ask their local representatives to vote no on House Bill 25 and Senate Bill 16.

Initially, the TSSAA opposed changing its policy. However, earlier in the year, it adopted a new policy to mitigate lawmakers' desire to grant more freedom to student-athletes. The new policy would allow athletes to make a one-time transfer as long as the school they were leaving signed off on the fact that they were leaving for academic purposes instead of athletic purposes. Previously, an athlete would have to sit out for a year.

Unfortunately for TSSAAA, lawmakers saw this policy change for what it was, a means to grant limited freedom while protecting the interests of the governing body and it's members. Their appetite was not sated.

Many may not realize that Tennessee allows athletes to start receiving named, image, and likeness (NIL) payments in their junior year. The lack of an unencumbered transfer rules potentially limits their potential earnings.

Say you have a sophomore quarterback who has the potential to transfer and is being promised $500K in NIL money to play for another school. The current school can't match that money but can block the transfer by claiming it as an athletic transfer. How is that fair to the athlete?

The money may seem extraordinary, and for most, it is, but it is real for others.

Per The Tennessean, HB25 and SB16 allow public schools to belong to the TSSAA as long as the association allows students one free transfer to another school due to a significant academic, social-emotional, environmental, or mental health need. That’s if the sending school’s administration attests the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons. The transfer must also take place before the first day of school.

The current governing body argued that their policy was less restrictive than the proposed law. Under their policy, students can transfer at any time for mental issues.

TSSAA is concerned about the finality of making high school athletic transfer rules into law. It believes state laws on the issue will open the door for litigation that one day could lead to a free-transfer policy in the state, similar to the NCAA. The TSSAA argues it is better poised to deal with unintended consequences than the legislative body.

TSSAA likes to portray itself as protecting the sanctity of high school competition and ensuring that athlete recruitment is discouraged. Not so much; competition is still uneven, with private schools and schools from richer districts often plucking the most skilled athletes from poorer districts or urban districts.

Just look at the number of coaches fired each year, and you'll see the priority placed on winning. It's hard for a coach to retain their job while depending on just the local athletes coming through the pipeline.

The Bill will go to the House floor next week after being passed out of the House education committee with a 10-9 vote. I'm not quite sure why all the Democrats voted "nay."

Several cited "coach opposition" as a reason to be against the bill. Gee, I wonder why coaches are opposed.

Rep Yusef Hakeem (D-Chattanooga) asked representatives of the TSSA legal council what guardrails existed in their current policy and was told that by giving the current school administration a voice in the process, they remained true to their mission. An administration can remain silent for seven days, allowing the student transfer to proceed.

Rep Sam McKenzie (R-Knoxville), himself a high school football referee, argued that he has been around since 1925 and has evolved. This bill would hinder the ability to evolve. He further argues that in their 100 years of existence, they've done a great job. That is debatable.

Similar arguments are expected next week, and with that, the House Education Committee is closed for this session.

- - -

It's school budget time in Nashville. In March, individual schools received their individual funding numbers. For the most part, schools saw an increase in funding (All School Allocations)

Overall, $595,585,858.58 is dedicated to individual school budgets, up from $557,941,920.20 in 2024. These are projected numbers, as the Metro Council has not approved the final MNPS budget. Those conversations will begin in earnest this month.

The budget review process revealed additional information about the district:

District (includes MNPS and Charter) enrollment for 2024‐25 grew by 0.20% or 159 students, from 80,434 to 80,593 students in grades PS -12.

Elementary school enrollment grew by 0.42% or 156 students, but Kindergarten enrollment slightly declined.

Middle school enrollment grew by 2.59% or 418 students.

High school enrollment declined by ‐.44% or (101) students, and this trend will continue for the next few years as smaller cohorts of 9th and 10th grade students roll forward.

MNPS School’s enrollment grew by 752 students, and district authorized charter school’s enrollment declined by (593) students (Rocketship NE moved to TPCSC).

During the budgeting process, district officials identified the following trends:

The number of live births for 2020 is relatively unchanged from 2019; therefore, the kindergarten projection will be similar to this year’s kindergarten enrollment.

Middle school enrollment saw a slight increase in 2023‐24 and is expected to continue to grow.

District leaders are still projecting declining high school enrollment in the coming years as the smaller middle school classes roll forward and the high enrollments in the upper

grade levels roll out.

Overall, they are projecting a slight increase in district enrollment as growth in the elementary and middle school tiers is offset by a projected decline in high school

enrollment.

Stakeholders can weigh in on the budget in the upcoming weeks.

- - -

Before slipping out the door, I need to acknowledge the passing of a Nashville icon this week. Goldrush Buster was known to a large swath of the Nashville from 1990 to the present.

A long-time bartender and cook at the Goldrush, a mainstay of what was once known as Nashville's rock block.

Buster was a gregarious fellow with a hearty laugh and a heart too big for his body. Despite a gruff exterior, he was always quick with a joke, a sympathetic ear, or a hand. Another one of those folks that made Nashville a special place to live, separating it from all the other mid-size cities in the country.

Buster's death is a cautionary tale for all of us raised on the gospel of work hard, play hard. He'd apparently been struggling with pneumonia for several weeks. Working when he could on the good days. On Monday, he was at when he passed out. They sent him home with instructions to go to the hospital/

Unfortunately, he made a decision that many of us would have made. He went home. Never going to the hospital.

The next day, when he failed to show for work, his employer sent someone around who discovered his body.

It's heartbreaking. This one's going to take a while. To ease the pain, I'd like to share one of Buster's favorite stories with you.

One night, he was bartending at the Rush. I was at the bar having a drink, having recently been evicted from the home of a long-term girlfriend, I was between permanent residence. I don't know what the kids call it today; we called it couch surfing.

He walked over and asked if I needed a refill.

"Nah", I said. "I'm going to get on out of here."

Quizzically, he looked at me.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked. "Home?"

Ouch. "Fuck you." I replied, "Give me a shot and a beer. " I sat back down.

I haven't had a drink in twenty-five years, and that incident took place almost 30 years ago. But man, the number of times we cackled over it since.

He would often see me and repeat the long-ago-delivered phrase, "Where are you going to go? Home?"

And then we'd laugh as only two old drunks with a long shared history could.

Then, there was the time we all went up to Kentucky Kingdom in an RV. It was me, Cassie, Dibble, Buster, William, and...ah...that's a story for another day. Suffice it to say, we had a lot of laughs.

I'm going to miss you, old friend. Instead of lifting a class to you, I will make a promise in remembrance.

I promise to heed your lesson and take better care of myself. Your lack of presence will not go unrecognized.

- - -

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