North End/Downtown Summit Not So Hot

According to the Salemtown e-mail list, the meeting between the presidents of Historic Germantown, Inc., Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association, Hope Gardens Neighborhood Association, and the Urban Residents Association could have gone better.

The focus was on the impact of the re-districting proposal currently before Metro Nashville Public Schools. Here is the position of SNNA President, Freddie O'Connell on the re-districting proposal:

the best solution in the long run is to couple open enrollment (thereby dismantling the magnet schools but preserving specialized curricula) with community schools (thereby preserving a mechanism for strong neighborhoods to secure schools within walking/biking distance). People can then live wherever they like while having no shortage of choice. This would rely, of course, on a mayor who recognizes that "it's all connected" ensuring that transportation was available to support the choices of parents and students.If this is a NIMBY issue where West Nashville (which elected our sitting mayor) is flexing its muscle to get the poor black kids out of Hillsboro and Hillwood, I find it highly problematic. If, however, it's a community issue where a number of residents on the North End are clamoring for neighborhood schools, then I think there's room at the table for productive discussion, even if the outcome is cynically beneficial to West Nashvillians.

Sounds like Salemtown was strongly represented. I happen to believe that Metro ought to earmark the most money for existing schools and new neighborhood schools (including greater teacher incentives) within those areas that are the most integrated economically and ethnically. So, I cannot find fault with much of what Freddie argues.