Update: What happend at the Oct 23rd School Board meeting?

This school board meeting is less than an hour long and most of it is devoted to the conflict between the State and Metro over the failure of the Board to follow the State's directive to approve the Great Hearts charter application and the subsequent State withholding of $3.4 million.
 
At the start of the meeting a delegation of educators from Juan Joe (Yang Hoe?) China are introduced and present gifts to Director Register. I learn that this is an educator exchange that has been going on for several years. Principals from Nashville schools have visited their schools and they visit ours. I would like to know who pays for it?  Does the associated university, which is Vanderbilt?  The State Department? Or, Metro Schools?  If paid for by the State Department or Vanderbilt, I think that this is just dandy. I hope Metro is not paying for this. If anyone knows how this is funded please let me know. This is not asked or explained.

At 8:15, there begins a discussion of Metro's loss of $3.4 million in BEP state funding following their denial of a Great Hearts charter school application.  A week earlier Metro School Board members held a special closed door private meeting with an attorney to discuss the issue. This is first public meeting since that secret meeting. Metro receives annual BEP funding in ten installments. The October receipt from the state reflected the loss of state funding. Dr. Register says that because of increased sales tax revenue the school system will not experience a cash flow problem due to the loss of state funding.  At this point in time, the school board will not have to cut funds. There are no plans to cut staff says Dr. Register. As of today, says Register there is no impact on the budget. However, the technology budget can't be increased as much as he would like.

School Board Chairman Cheryl D. Mayes summarizers her recent meeting with Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman and says they agreed to disagree on certain thing, one being that Mayes says the MNPS Board did not act unlawfully in denying the Great Hearts charter application. She says they are at an impasse on how to move forward. Huffman offered no solution for moving forward and restoring the $3.4 million. 

Ms Frogge (see 19:43-30;00) is adamant that the withholding will affect children and the withholding is "an extreme punishment." She is critical of the Chamber of Commerce's position on the issue.  She says we did not break the law and the state acted improperly in withholding the money. Frogge said, "I am ready to take this to court because that is what courts are for." She said if the board is not ready to litigate, some parents are she says. She wants to Board to hire their own attorney, but is told she will have to bring that as a motion at the next Board meeting. After more discussion she provides a summary of the motion she plans to bring (34:07). 

Board member Will Pinkston says folks in his district are weary hearing about this and it is time to move on and months or years of costly litigation is not the right approach to take. He says, "like it or not local school boards are creatures of the state. What the State giveth the state can taketh away."

Board member Elissa Kim (47:55) said. "It is not about rolling over or giving up but being strategically sound."  "It's a painful thought thinking about spending many more hours of our valuable time discussing this issue and wallowing in potential litigation when we have much bigger challenges to take on."

Chairman Cheryl Mayes concludes the meeting saying it is time to get back to the work we were elected to do.

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