The March 13 School Board Meeting: Thanks for support of the dream act, the SEIU is mad, CMT partners and more.

Below is the 3/12/2012 School Board meeting. You can view the agenda here.


Something humorous happens at the start of this meeting. Mr. Majors is asked to lead the pledge and he must have been confused. He starts the pledge with "Our Father ..," apparently thinking he was leading a prayer. There is laughter and he gets back on track and and leads the pledge.

Here are highlights of this meeting.

Arely Bravo (8:08), expresses gratitude to School Board for Supporting the Dream Act.

You really ought to watch this. I am of the opinion that we need to pass some version of the Dream Act.  

Student Arely Bravo says "Tennessee is the only home I have ever known." 

I think that we must address the situation of those Americanized immigrants who were brought to America as children. It would be wrong to send them "back" to a country they have never know. I support strong borders and oppose blanket amnesty, but we must have a heart as we seek a solution to this difficult complicated problem. Watch this presentation and then ask your self if you really think this young lady ought to be deported or denied the in-state tuition rates if she otherwise qualifies for college. 

Doug Collier of the SEIU speaks about a filed complaint. "We do have a class war going on," he says. He is followed by another angry SEIU member. Alma Sanford is another SEIU member who chastises the Board.

The Board approves a contract with Country Music Television,(22:17)  to partner with McGavock High School and is provided Exclusive Naming Rights to the Academy of Digital Design at McGavock. CMT becomes the fifth corporate entity to partner with a school. To me, this seems like a very positive and innovative practice.To give students a real world experience in an exciting career field is valuable and may motivate some students who would otherwise be tempted to drop out of school to stay in school. Some student's life may be changed due to what they experience in this environment. Some students may discover a rewarding vocation at an early age. 

A teacher, Donald Brian Wood, has charges for dismissal approved. Here is a link to a video posted on the Today Show that shows Woods swearing in front of his students then throwing a chair. (link) He apparently had some sort of nervous break down. He was an Algebra teacher at McGavock.

These schools have the word  “Comprehensive” removed from their name: Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hillwood, Hunters Lane, Maplewood, McGavock, Overton, Pearl-Cohn, Stratford, and Whites Creek


There is a lengthy presentation on "Asset" which will interest few except for academics but addresses professional development and teacher evaluation and recruiting, retaining and rewarding good teachers.

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