Tena Lee writes in today's Hendersonville Star News about the 2014 County Commission and School Board races.
She suggests Sumner County is in for a "wild ride" between now and election day -- when voters will hear conflicting messages about the state of our schools.
One the one side, grassroots organization Strong Schools -- calling for more funding for schools and the election of County Commissioners who will support that funding, even if it means a small tax increase.
On the other, the Merrol Hyde-Jerry Stone faction of the County Commission -- a group locked down against any tax increase. That faction insists instead that the School Board should simply make do with what it has.
Lee's piece is compelling because while parents have packed the County Commission chambers on numerous occasions (including this past Monday for the Janet Arnold-Leslie Schell vote) historically, turnout has been terribly low for primary and general elections for County offices.
If parents whine and complain, but don't vote, there will have been 2+ years of intense conflict resulting in little actual policy change.
On the other hand, with turnout numbers so typically low, involving just 100-200 new voters in some districts may be enough to change the outcome and elect someone new to County Commission or School Board.
In either case, the next 9-12 months promise to be quite interesting and possibly even wild.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
14 Commissioners Vote for Janet Arnold for School Board
At last night's Sumner County Commission meeting, 14 County Commissioners voted in favor of appointing Janet Arnold to replace Shannon Dunn on the Sumner County School Board in District 5.
9 speakers addressed the Commission before the vote. 8 of the 9 spoke in favor of candidate Leslie Schell. Supporters spoke of her involvement in schools (4 children at Beech Elementary, serves a substitute teacher, on the PTO Board) and her engagement in the community.
Additionally 15 or so audience members wore "Schell for School Board" shirts.
While Schell attended a forum hosted by grassroots organization Strong Schools, Arnold did not. Schell also attended a meet and greet hosted by the Mayor of Goodlettsville and two City Commissioners. Arnold also opted not to attend.
Both candidates were given a survey of questions from parents developed by Strong Schools. Schell answered the survey and Arnold did not.
Both Schell and Arnold addressed the full Commission and Schell presented Commissioners with a petition of 350 supporters asking for her to be appointed.
Once the vote was called, 14 Commissioners voted in favor of Arnold to only 10 for Schell. No Commissioner spoke on behalf of Arnold or offered a public explanation of their vote.
The 14 voting in favor of Arnold were:
Hyde, Matthews, Skidmore, Paul Freels, Moser, Vaughn, Pospisil, Stone, Frank Freels, Satterfield, Taylor, Akins, Geminden, and Graves.
These are the same 14 that voted time and again last year against a fully-funded school budget.
9 speakers addressed the Commission before the vote. 8 of the 9 spoke in favor of candidate Leslie Schell. Supporters spoke of her involvement in schools (4 children at Beech Elementary, serves a substitute teacher, on the PTO Board) and her engagement in the community.
Additionally 15 or so audience members wore "Schell for School Board" shirts.
While Schell attended a forum hosted by grassroots organization Strong Schools, Arnold did not. Schell also attended a meet and greet hosted by the Mayor of Goodlettsville and two City Commissioners. Arnold also opted not to attend.
Both candidates were given a survey of questions from parents developed by Strong Schools. Schell answered the survey and Arnold did not.
Both Schell and Arnold addressed the full Commission and Schell presented Commissioners with a petition of 350 supporters asking for her to be appointed.
Once the vote was called, 14 Commissioners voted in favor of Arnold to only 10 for Schell. No Commissioner spoke on behalf of Arnold or offered a public explanation of their vote.
The 14 voting in favor of Arnold were:
Hyde, Matthews, Skidmore, Paul Freels, Moser, Vaughn, Pospisil, Stone, Frank Freels, Satterfield, Taylor, Akins, Geminden, and Graves.
These are the same 14 that voted time and again last year against a fully-funded school budget.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Phillips earns an "A"
Dr. Del Phillips was recently evaluated by School Board members, assistant directors, and principals in the system - and the results were glowingly positive.
Phillips earned an A overall and strong ratings across the board from all groups of evaluators.
Phillips earned an A overall and strong ratings across the board from all groups of evaluators.
School Board Member Appointment Tonight
The Sumner County Commission is meeting at 6PM tonight in a special called meeting for the sole purpose of appointing someone to fill the vacant District 5 School Board seat.
The meeting will be held at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.
So far, only two candidates have submitted resumes -- Leslie Schell and Janet Arnold.
Schell currently has 4 children attending Beech Elementary.
Arnold's children, now adults, did not attend Sumner County Schools and Arnold has not attended recent public events designed to inform the public on the candidates. She skipped a candidate forum on August 12 and last week failed to attend a meet-and-greet hosted by the Mayor of Goodlettsville and two City Commissioners.
While Schell has answered survey questions from local grassroots group Strong Schools, Arnold has refused to do so.
On a related note, some suspect that certain members of the Commission may nominate a third, so far unknown, person to fill the vacancy.
The meeting will be held at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.
So far, only two candidates have submitted resumes -- Leslie Schell and Janet Arnold.
Schell currently has 4 children attending Beech Elementary.
Arnold's children, now adults, did not attend Sumner County Schools and Arnold has not attended recent public events designed to inform the public on the candidates. She skipped a candidate forum on August 12 and last week failed to attend a meet-and-greet hosted by the Mayor of Goodlettsville and two City Commissioners.
While Schell has answered survey questions from local grassroots group Strong Schools, Arnold has refused to do so.
On a related note, some suspect that certain members of the Commission may nominate a third, so far unknown, person to fill the vacancy.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
School Board Meets Tonight
Here's the agenda. The meeting begins at 6PM in the School Board meeting room in Gallatin.
Noteworthy items include the presentation of the Board's evaluation of Dr. Del Phillips AND the Board's consideration of a recommendation to change the health plan offered to employees.
The change would mean both teachers and classified employees would be in one health plan, and initial reports indicate that the plan has the same or better coverage than current plans for both groups and has lower premiums.
Should the Board adopt, the proposal would go to eligible employees for a vote, though it is not clear whether that vote is binding.
The health insurance issue is of interest because the County Commission had to bail out its poorly managed insurance trust late last year. If all school system employees went to a single plan, the school system's classified employees, currently in the County Trust, would no longer be paying premiums into that plan. Of course, they'd also no longer be subject to the poor management of the County Commission. They would, however, have to depend on the School Board or system employees to provide management of the insurance plan.
Some have questioned whether the County Trust can survive without the contributions from the School System to insure its employees.
Noteworthy items include the presentation of the Board's evaluation of Dr. Del Phillips AND the Board's consideration of a recommendation to change the health plan offered to employees.
The change would mean both teachers and classified employees would be in one health plan, and initial reports indicate that the plan has the same or better coverage than current plans for both groups and has lower premiums.
Should the Board adopt, the proposal would go to eligible employees for a vote, though it is not clear whether that vote is binding.
The health insurance issue is of interest because the County Commission had to bail out its poorly managed insurance trust late last year. If all school system employees went to a single plan, the school system's classified employees, currently in the County Trust, would no longer be paying premiums into that plan. Of course, they'd also no longer be subject to the poor management of the County Commission. They would, however, have to depend on the School Board or system employees to provide management of the insurance plan.
Some have questioned whether the County Trust can survive without the contributions from the School System to insure its employees.
Monday, August 19, 2013
County Commission Meets Tonight
The Sumner County Commission will meet tonight at 7 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin. The agenda includes relatively routine items -- and, due to a notice mix-up, does NOT include the appointment of a new School Board member for the vacant District 5 seat.
However, just before the full Commission meets, the Committee on Committees will meet to discuss applicants for the vacancy. To date, only Janet Arnold and Leslie Schell have submitted information to the Committee.
The final decision on filling the vacancy will come on Monday, August 26th at 6 PM in Gallatin.
However, just before the full Commission meets, the Committee on Committees will meet to discuss applicants for the vacancy. To date, only Janet Arnold and Leslie Schell have submitted information to the Committee.
The final decision on filling the vacancy will come on Monday, August 26th at 6 PM in Gallatin.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Jerry Stone's Candidate List
So, the Star News has this story about the vacancy in School Board District 5 from Shannon Dunn's resignation. In the story, County Commissioner Jerry Stone indicates he has been compiling a list of candidates to run for School Board in 2014 -- ostensibly, candidates who line up with his views about schools.
In this case, he noted he'll be recommending Janet Arnold, because, "she shares his views, both fiscally and socially.."
The comments and the existence of Stone's List cause some to wonder who else Stone may be recruiting across the County to run for School Board or other office. What is the criteria for making Stone's List?
One thing is certain, Stone is no fan of the grassroots organization Strong Schools. Stone reportedly told one district voter that he wasn't interested in the views of Strong Schools in terms of who might be appointed to this seat.
Janet's Not Talking
The article noted that two individuals, Janet Arnold (Stone's hand-picked candidate) and Leslie Schell (a mom with 4 kids in Sumner County Schools) have expressed interest in the appointment. While Schell participated in a candidate forum held Monday in Hendersonville and has answered a list of 15 questions submitted by Strong Schools, Arnold did not attend the forum and said in the article (regarding the Strong Schools survey) that she "no plan to complete their questionnaire at the moment."
The County Commission has called the meeting to select the replacement Board member for August 26th at 6:00 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.
In this case, he noted he'll be recommending Janet Arnold, because, "she shares his views, both fiscally and socially.."
The comments and the existence of Stone's List cause some to wonder who else Stone may be recruiting across the County to run for School Board or other office. What is the criteria for making Stone's List?
One thing is certain, Stone is no fan of the grassroots organization Strong Schools. Stone reportedly told one district voter that he wasn't interested in the views of Strong Schools in terms of who might be appointed to this seat.
Janet's Not Talking
The article noted that two individuals, Janet Arnold (Stone's hand-picked candidate) and Leslie Schell (a mom with 4 kids in Sumner County Schools) have expressed interest in the appointment. While Schell participated in a candidate forum held Monday in Hendersonville and has answered a list of 15 questions submitted by Strong Schools, Arnold did not attend the forum and said in the article (regarding the Strong Schools survey) that she "no plan to complete their questionnaire at the moment."
The County Commission has called the meeting to select the replacement Board member for August 26th at 6:00 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
New Board Member to be Appointed on August 26th
Despite earlier discussion that the appointment of a new School Board member to replace District 5 member Shannon Dunn could come as early as August 19th, the County Executive issued a special call today setting the meeting for August 26th at 6:00 PM. At that time, Commissioners will select a candidate to replace Dunn for the remainder of her term, which expires in August of 2014.
So far, both Janet Arnold and Leslie Schell have expressed interest in the seat. Anyone else who wishes to nominate a candidate or be considered should contact their County Commissioner.
So far, both Janet Arnold and Leslie Schell have expressed interest in the seat. Anyone else who wishes to nominate a candidate or be considered should contact their County Commissioner.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Strong Schools Holds Candidate Forum
From the Press Release:
Last night, grassroots advocacy organization Strong Schools held a forum for candidates interested in the District 5 School Board seat recently vacated by the resignation of Shannon Dunn.
Both Janet Arnold and Leslie Schell indicated interest in the seat and both were invited to participate. Ms. Arnold declined the invitation citing a scheduling conflict.
Schell attended and was asked 15 questions that had been crafted by members of the Strong Schools community.
The replacement for Dunn will be voted on by the County Commission on August 19th and will fill the remainder of Dunn's terms, which expires in August, 2014.
Five County Commissioners attended the event, including David Kimbrough, Paul Decker, Paul Goode, Paige Brown Strong, and Michael Guthrie.
The event's organizers arranged for live-streaming of the event via the StrongSchools.org website and have also emailed and mailed the survey questions to allow both candidates the opportunity to submit written responses ahead of the Commission vote.
Strong Schools Director Andy Spears said, "We organized this event because we believe in transparency. We want every member of the community to have a chance to hear from those who wish to serve on the School Board. We're pleased that a number of County Commissioners came out to hear directly from the candidates. We'll also follow up with a written survey so the Commissioners and community members can see what these two interested individuals have to say about our schools."
Monday, August 12, 2013
School Board Candidate Forum - TONIGHT
Grassroots advocacy group Strong Schools is hosting a forum tonight for the two candidates who have expressed interest in filling the District 5 seat recently vacated by the resignation of Shannon Dunn. The forum will be held at 7PM at Hendersonville City Hall and is open to the public. Both Leslie Schell and Janet Arnold have expressed interest in the seat and both have been invited to participate in the forum, according to organizers.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Dunn resigns School Board Seat
District 5 School Board member Shannon Dunn resigned her seat Monday citing a recent move out of her district.
Dunn's seat will be up for election in the August 2014 elections -- but with the early vacancy, the County Commission (no friend of properly-funded schools of late) will choose her successor. More specifically, the Commission will look to the Commissioners who represent Dunn's district for advice on who to place on the Board. That means Budget Chair Jerry Stone (a leading opponent of school funding in recent years) and Paul Freels will make the recommendation.
Stone has indicated that political unknown Janet Arnold of Goodlettsville has expressed a willingness to serve.
Dunn's seat will be up for election in the August 2014 elections -- but with the early vacancy, the County Commission (no friend of properly-funded schools of late) will choose her successor. More specifically, the Commission will look to the Commissioners who represent Dunn's district for advice on who to place on the Board. That means Budget Chair Jerry Stone (a leading opponent of school funding in recent years) and Paul Freels will make the recommendation.
Stone has indicated that political unknown Janet Arnold of Goodlettsville has expressed a willingness to serve.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Haile Takes on Teacher Pay, Calls for Education Experiments
In a recent, wide-ranging interview on Portland's WQKR radio, state Senator Ferrell Haile endorsed a new state pay scale for teachers that lowers the current range and replaces it with a new range, with a top mandated salary of $41,000 a year for a teacher with 11 or more years of experience and an advanced degree.
Haile said the newly adopted state pay scale would be good for teachers because the good ones will end up making more money.
Local School Boards are free to adopt their own scale, but must include some form of salary differentiation among teachers and are encouraged to adopt a form of merit pay -- in spite of a number of studies showing performance pay for teachers doesn't work.
In the interview, Haile also noted that Tennessee needed to try more experiments with education because "what we're doing is not working." What Haile failed to mention is that Tennessee has one of the lowest investments in public schools in the country -- and a correspondingly low set of results on national indicators of student achievement.
Haile failed to commit to supporting new investments in schools and teachers. However, in the 2013 legislative session, he was supportive of legislation that would create vouchers for certain students -- likely taking tax dollars from Sumner County and diverting them to other districts. Alternatively, if a statewide voucher plan is passed (Haile does not oppose this), Sumner County Schools could see a loss of revenue of $2 million or more each year with no corresponding drop in expenses.
Haile, elected in 2012, next faces voters in 2016.
Haile said the newly adopted state pay scale would be good for teachers because the good ones will end up making more money.
Local School Boards are free to adopt their own scale, but must include some form of salary differentiation among teachers and are encouraged to adopt a form of merit pay -- in spite of a number of studies showing performance pay for teachers doesn't work.
In the interview, Haile also noted that Tennessee needed to try more experiments with education because "what we're doing is not working." What Haile failed to mention is that Tennessee has one of the lowest investments in public schools in the country -- and a correspondingly low set of results on national indicators of student achievement.
Haile failed to commit to supporting new investments in schools and teachers. However, in the 2013 legislative session, he was supportive of legislation that would create vouchers for certain students -- likely taking tax dollars from Sumner County and diverting them to other districts. Alternatively, if a statewide voucher plan is passed (Haile does not oppose this), Sumner County Schools could see a loss of revenue of $2 million or more each year with no corresponding drop in expenses.
Haile, elected in 2012, next faces voters in 2016.
Squirrel Leaves City in the Dark
For just over an hour on Wednesday, 13,000 Hendersonville residents were without power -- all because of a tiny squirrel (now deceased).
Yep, the little critter climbed right up into a transformer and wreaked havoc in the morning hours. Just one more sign that animals are fighting back -- and that Hendersonville is not immune from their wrath.
Yep, the little critter climbed right up into a transformer and wreaked havoc in the morning hours. Just one more sign that animals are fighting back -- and that Hendersonville is not immune from their wrath.
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