School Board Update
May 2007
High
School Re-Zoning
We had a long arduous meeting on May 2nd.
It was the culmination of months of hard work and definitely the
most difficult issue we’ve grappled with since I’ve been on the School
Board. Re-zoning is complex
logistically, but, more importantly, it’s about children and forcing
people to switch schools and alter their family life – which is all very
upsetting, even when it’s justifiable.
My goal throughout was to craft a reasonable plan that alleviates over-crowding, makes better use of existing facilities, and minimizes disruptions to families and communities. Ultimately we voted 5-4 to adopt the superintendent’s re-zoning proposal. I voted in favor.
I thought long and hard about the pros
and cons of the proposal in the weeks leading up to the vote.
After visiting all the areas proposed to be re-zoned, attending
community meetings, hosting a community forum at
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On the whole, the plan is favorable to
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The plan clearly benefits
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By ‘grand-fathering’ in current students and their younger siblings, the transition minimizes the disruption to families. All students who start at
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The plan alleviates over-crowding for Bearden, Karns and
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The plan sets the stage for better alignment in our feeder patterns;
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The plan makes better use of existing facilities;
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The re-zoning does not preclude us from pursuing any number of innovations at the high school level, such as cluster zoning, open zoning, academies, small learning communities and other concepts that enhance student learning.
My main reservations about the plan were
that
The process we used to develop the new zones was not ideal. I would have preferred a more community-based approach, where community-inspired alternatives were given more consideration, and where the School Staff and the School Board took more time to explain the competing goals and the constraints under which we operate. It is possible for community-based planning to overcome collective action problems, but it takes a lot of time and effort.
Ideally
the time for a community process was before the decision to build the new
high school. When I first came on the Board I suggested that we
re-zone inwards to take advantage of existing capacity before building a
new school. For a variety of
reasons, that concept was not given much consideration.
In
the end, I was concerned that alternative plans would have resulted
in worse outcomes for the 2nd District and the county as a
whole. Given
the rancor and anger, it seemed unlikely that delay would have resulted in
a more broadly acceptable solution.
Where
do we go from here?
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I will make every effort to get the School Board to do future re-zonings differently, with a more community-based process.
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I would like to introduce more specialization at our high schools and then encourage students to choose freely among them based on their personal academic interests or family traditions. I am optimistic that this can happen in the near future for Fulton High School since the faculty and staff are already developing academies for Communications and Health Sciences, which are a natural fit given the existing radio station and the school’s proximity to St. Mary’s hospital. Spring Hill children, as well as those across the county, would be able to attend a
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I will also continue to work hard so that all of our students have access to excellent academic opportunities. The quality of a child’s education should not depend on the neighborhood in which his or her family can afford to live.
Budget
Governor Bredesen has proposed some excellent revisions to the
Basic Education Program (BEP) formula that would be much more equitable
state-wide and also bring significantly more dollars to
Mayor Ragsdale unveiled his budget proposal last week. It includes a 3.6% increase for schools, which is not bad, considering the budget constraints the county faces this year. However, it is $6m short of what we need to maintain the status quo. I am optimistic that increased state funding can breach this budget gap and even fund a new literacy initiative since reading skills are a big challenge for many of our students.
One budget highlight for the 2nd
District is design funding for a “green” addition at
Superintendent
Search
The School Board met today to discuss the superintendent search.
We discussed the qualities and types of experience we want in a
Superintendent. We also
learned what teachers, principals and staff want in a Superintendent, from
their survey responses. You
can view one survey we discussed here.
We agreed that we should hire a search firm to identify and recruit the best candidates for the position via a national search. The best candidate may be a home-grown talent, or may be someone who lives out of state, but I want to cast a wide net and get the best possible leader for our schools and our children.
We also agreed that the public should be part of the process. I’ll keep you informed as we proceed, but please let me know your thoughts on this issue. Hiring our next Superintendent is probably the most important task before us and I welcome your input.
Re-Election
Campaign Kick-Off
It has been a privilege to serve on the School Board. I
would like to continue to represent the children and families of the 2nd
District, and continue to improve the quality of education throughout
If
you can’t stop by but would like to volunteer or send a donation, please
contact me at: Indya Kincannon for
School Board,
Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Very Truly Yours,
Indya
Indya Kincannon
