Update: Register calls for trurce with Charters at special Council meeting.

Jesse Register: 'Enough is enough' in charter debate

by Joey Garrison, The Tennessean, July 11- 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.

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)

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.

There is good presentation on how well charter schools are doing in the nation and in Nashville. For anyone interested in learning more about the charter issue, I would recommend watching the complete video. I admit that I was apprehensive about the direction this committee meeting would go.  I was fearful that it was a setup to build a case against charters.  I am pleased to admit that I was wrong. This was a refreshing and positive discussion.

You can watch the video in 1.5 time or double time and not miss any content. If unfamiliar with how to speed up a YouTube video, follow this link.

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