Friday, September 28, 2012

"Stand in Silence" instead of "Stand for Children"?


In the wake of state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman's withdrawal of millions from Metro Schools after the school board's decision to deny the Great Hearts' charter school application, an Enclave reader emailed a query:

 [Why hasn't Stand for Children] made any public comment on decision to pull $3.4M from children in MNPS[?]

You may remember that Stand for Children bills itself locally as the "advocacy" partner of Metro Nashville Public Schools and facilitates the interest group "Friends of Metro Schools," which lobbyied to have Mayor Karl Dean's latest school budget passed.

They even produced a slick video during the budget debates to school the rest of us on the importance of "fully funding" Metro Schools:




"Our public schools will only be as strong as our community cares to make them." Mm-hmm. I would also add, "Our public schools will only be as strong as the State of Tennessee cares to make them". If the state pulls money out of public schools, Tennessee cares less about public schools.

I would also wonder along with the reader why SFC once cared so much about keeping schools "fully" funded when it meant a strategic win in Metro Council for Mayor Dean (and his future aspirations for higher public office), but now they don't seem to care enough to even peep about it.

Stand for Children seems to be sitting this one out.

But in deference to whom?

2 comments:

  1. Good question. 3.4 million is a lot of bake sales.

    I'd like to see some comments on intersession and the balanced calendar. How are those intersessions working out?

    From my knowledge of two MNPS schools, the intersessions are limited in days (just 3, because for the 6 days off of school, 1 is designated teacher planning, 3 are intersession, and 2 are fall break). On those 3 days, the intersessions are from 9-12 or maybe 8-12. Then, the intersessions are capped at a number of students. And, some cost money.

    Is this what was sold to us for starting school on August 1? Is this what was expected and what we can expect in the future?

    I see that kids can get in free (okay, with a paying adult) to see the Taylor Swift movie at the Country Music Hall of fame as part of interssion. Learning abounds.

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  2. Please sign my petition, we can't let them get away with this!

    http://www.change.org/petitions/tennessee-department-of-education-stop-them-from-withholding-3-4-million-in-funding

    Thank you!

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