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| Amy Frogge |
Jesse Register: 'Enough is enough' in charter debate
by Calling for unity in Nashville's public education sphere at a time when it has never been more polarized, Metro Director of Schools Jesse Register said "enough is enough" with division surrounding its most debated area: charter schools.The important statement from Register in which he calls for "civility" in the discussion of charters and accepting of charters as partners in education is in the very first twelve minutes of the video. His statement is refreshing. While I have not perceived Register to be as hostile to charters as board members Pinkston and Frogge, I have had the impression that he did not like charters and thought they were a financial drain and that he wished they would go away. In his statement he says charters are doing a good job and he aska the Charter School Center to meet monthly with himself and Dr. Coverstone and member of the Board and his staff to see how they can better work together. He says the debate about charters has been "over heated" and he calls for cooperation. He says he wants to "reset" the conversation. I join those in the Council and elsewhere who commended Register for his statement.
An unusually blunt Register, in a speech Thursday before the Metro Council, decried what he called a "steady and ever-increasing tendency toward miscommunication and gamesmanship in our dialogue" — actions he contends have produced "hard feelings where understanding and common purpose once ruled the day." (link)
At the School Board meeting this week, Director of Schools Jesse Register
said the Metro Nashville Public Schools would need an additional $38.4 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year budget over
the current budget approved in June. The reason for this massive increase? Charter schools. (See Metro school officials fear 'tipping point' coming with charter costs.)
Register is claiming that teachers will not get a step pay increase without the additional funding. This is just dirty politics pitting teachers against charters.
Under the state’s charter school law, state funding follows the student. If a student attends a charter school, that money goes to the charter. Metro gets about $9,200 in state funds for every student. MNPS officials contend that the money
lost when students leave for charter schools is not offset by a matching
drop in expenses. Metro still has to run the same bus routes, they say, still must have an many classrooms and teachers and there is no reduction in overhead.
Here is why that is a phony argument. Enrollment is growing and with the district's growing enrollment, it gets more revenue from
the State BEP finance system for each student that comes into the
district. The new students coming into the district about equals the
number of students leaving district schools and going to charter
schools. So those "empty" district seats are really getting replaced by
new students coming in.
The district bureaucracy and overhead eats up hundreds of millions of dollars. A
lot of dollars don't flow to classrooms for children. If teachers want
to get mad for not getting raises, they can point fingers at Dr. Register
for running a top heavy bloated central administration. It is a false
choice for a district leader to say we can't trim any costs or move any
costs around. Nothing is a fixed cost. If they wanted to fund charters
AND give teachers a step raise increase, they could easily do so by
cutting inefficient programs or top heavy central office costs.
It is worth noting that $21.8 million of the proposed $38.4 million they "need" is blamed on charters. What about the other $17 million? Where is
that going? Some may go to pension, insurance increases, etc...but some
of that money represents new spending CHOICES.
Charter schools get results and they get much better results with far less money. Does anyone think that if a charter school was taking over the old Ward Belmont School that a charter would spend $8.2 million to convert what was once was a school back into a school?
Teachers should not let the administration instill in them envy and resentment of charter school. Charters pay their teachers more, and get less per
pupil funding than district schools do. Maybe district teachers can go to
work for charters and make more money and enjoy their profession more.
This meeting is two hours and 21 minutes long.
Charter Schools
The board takes up the issue of House Bill 702 which would create an independent state authorizer that could approve a charter school if a local school board does not approve the charter application. The change would only apply to Davidson ans Shelby County. This bill is a result of the Davidson County School Board's failure to approve Great Hearts Academy after being told by the State to do so. As a result of the School Board's refusal to approve Great Hearts, the state penalized the Board by witholding $3.4 million. Jessie Register speaks about HB 0702 and appears not pleased with developments. Board member Frogge, says she was "very disturbed" by the way the bill was rolled out, meaning the lack of notice and quick action on the bill. She reports on her appearance before the Senate subcommittee that considered the bill earlier that day. Michael W. Hayes says he supports a state authorizer but things HB 702 is a poor board. Will Pinkston also questions the bill and says since it only applies to two counties that that may make it constitutionally suspect that if the bill passes, that the Board should consider fighting it in court. (see video at 4:05- 21:23)
The Board votes for approval of Charges of Dismissal for Freda Crump, a tenured teacher. She is charged with insubordination, violating some policies and essentially being a terrible teacher and has been given opportunity to improve. This shows how difficult it is to fire a bad teacher. (page 59-63 here)
The Board Recommended Approval of 2012 Director’s Evaluation. I do not know what is in the report, but it appears to be a positive evaluation of the job the Director is doing.
The Board approves the Managing Diversity Plan. (see video at 46:00-59:51) (To read the plan see pages 63-71 here.)
There is a presentation of a report on Performance of English Learners. (see video at 1:00:00- 1:38:17 and agenda attachments page 72-88 here)
There is a presentation on testing, teacher assessment measures and common core assessments. (see video at 1:38:40-2:01:10 and the agenda attachments for more information.) One thing is clear, there is a lot of testing going on. This cuts into other instructional time and other school activity.
I am seeking an education reporter for this blog. I want someone to summarize the Board meetings as I have done in this post and cover other education issue. If interested contact me at Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com and we will talk about it.
by Nate Rau, The Tennessean, July 2, 2012The above article in today's Tennesseen is informative, explaining the issues and who is supporting which candidate.
This year’s election for five seats on the Nashville school board is shaping up to be a referendum on Director of Schools Jesse Register, though his name is not anywhere on the ballot.
Special interest groups have been galvanized by Register’s direction on expansion of charter schools, tension with the support employees union and student achievement measures like graduation rates. (read more)
Metro school board approves $723M education budget
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 11:38pm, By Joey Garrison, City PaperDirector of Schools Jesse Register’s proposed $722.9 million education budget received unanimous school board approval Tuesday night and is now set to go before Mayor Karl Dean’s administration.
As expected, the Metro school board voted 8-0 Tuesday night to approve a set of budget priorities for the 2012-13 fiscal year that amounts to a sizeable $48.9 million increase over the current fiscal year. Clearing Tuesday’s hurdle, the budget will next be the topic of discussion April 13 as part of the mayor’s budget hearings as Dean’s administration prepares an operating budget for Metro.(link)
A YouTube video has been posted of Director of Schools Jesse Register speaking bluntly when he thought he was off the air but he was actually on the air. He says that what is happening at Metro schools is a cultural change and that employees are moving away from a situation where they have a sense of entitlement.
What is the big deal? This is no scandal.
It is interesting anytime someone is caught speaking bluntly when they thought the mic was off. However, what Register said is simply an observation that is most assuredly true. Many people who work for government do think they have an entitlement of a job for life and should be exempt from lay offs. They also think they are entitled to raise year after year. And, they think they are entitled to more days off and more benefits than comparable jobs in the private sector.
If the school system can save money by contracting for a service rather than providing it in-house, they should contract for that service. If innovation and cost savings lead to a reduction in the work force then the work force should be reduced. Government administrators should be good managers and good stewards of the public's money. Keeping government employees employed is not the function of a good administrator.
The video is edited to be critical of Register and points out that some Metro School employees only earn a modest income. I think we already knew that was so, so what is the point? There are a lot of jobs that do not pay a lot money. Government employees should be paid competitive wages with the private sector and I don't think one can argue that the wages paid by metro are not competitive. Government employees should not earn more than a person working in the private sector would be paid for the same job. And, they should not have more benefits or job security than a person in the private sector doing the same job.
The only criticism I have of Register as a result of this incident is that he was hesitant to say publicly what he thought he was saying privately. He spoke the truth.
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