The Chattanooga City Council is going to pitch a resolution today asking the state of Tennessee not to take over five chronically low-performing public schools in the county.
There also is a Hamilton County Board of Education meeting Thursday, and the hour-long work session before the meeting is on control of the low-performing schools.
First, we'll start here: Gang, amid all of the faux outrage, does anyone see the irony of why some of the county's best schools are looking for ways to get out of the district and the worst schools are about to fall under control of the state?
Who has the answer to that one?
Jay GreesonSome are arguing that our school system has failed high-achieving schools - Signal Mountain is looking to be its own district - and the lowest-achieving schools. According to state officials, Brainerd High, Dalewood Middle, Woodmore Elementary, Orchard Knob Middle and Orchard Knob Elementary are awaiting the latest test scores to see how many of them will be taken over by the state.
Our system is failing the best and the worst and pulling everyone to the middle.
Beyond that, the next question must be, why is anyone - especially our political leaders - not for new and potentially better ideas when the current model is obviously fractured?
We all know the definition of insanity. In fact, a desire for new ideas is how we got three new school board members - and every incumbent in city and county office should be paying attention - as well as a new school superintendent.
Everyone sees the need for exploring new solutions to the problems that have plagued us for far too long.
But of course, that discourse now will become the main course. Enter the hollow words from the City Council, which has zero official responsibility in the public education system other than trying to land a sound bite or three.
In actuality the City Council action today will be akin to Stadler and Waldorf, the barking duo who used to sit high above stage left of The Muppets Show and heckle without consequence.
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, who has looked at this 12 ways from Tuesday and is on the state Senate Education Committee, was quoted as saying district leaders could go as far as derailing any potential success of the state's plan to re-direct the failing schools through what is being called the Partnership Zone.
"If it's successful then they look bad; if it fails they look good," Gardenhire said in Sunday's TFP. "They don't have skin in the game to make it succeed. And the sad thing is the kids are at stake."
And that must never be forgotten. The kids are at stake, and if the County Commission, which funds the school system, and the school board, which technically runs the school system, have a view, well, that's skin in the game.
The City Council? PUH-lease. This is political grandstanding on the grandest of stands.
A Partnership Zone skeptic, state Rep. Joanne Favors, isn't convinced state involvement is needed now.
Here's what Favors told this paper's education reporter Kendi Anderson, and we will offer this without comment:
"I am very concerned and many of my constituents are, too," Favors said last week when asked about the state controlling the five worst schools in our county before adding that more time is needed to evaluate the situation.
Favors called this move "a charter school without a charter," and told the TFP the intervention is "a bit frightening."
We will now add this: Want to know what else is frightening? How we have failed those kids at those five schools and not done anything about it for going on a decade?
Is the state's plan the right one? I don't know. I'm not an expert, but I know the static plan we're using is not getting anything accomplished for the schools at the extreme end of the spectrum.
Favors also said the community is ready to step up and support the five schools and should be given the chance. "We haven't had anything to galvanize us around our school system in the last couple years," Favors said.
We're going to let that sink in.
This sounds like a control grab, from Bonny Oaks to puppets on the City Council to any of the County Commissioners willing to take the bait and all points in between.
But friends, this is not about control.
If the state can do it better, great. Yes, Favors and all of the school system bickering birds are going to start chirping about what the takeover did and did not do in Memphis.
But at this point, we think it is fair to hold the mirror of self-awareness to our entire school system.
Our school system was given more than $10 million in extra funds to help those five schools and still the struggles continued.
We have read the headlines. We are all aware of the desperate and drastic overhauls that must happen as the new superintendent takes control.
In fact, I am in strong belief that Bryan Johnson has the chance to be a superstar as our next superintendent.
Still, change - both at the top and throughout the organization - must be explored and embraced, because what we have been doing has not been working.
We have to remember this is about the kids, and not about the credit.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.