Progressive Nashville: Legislative meddling in school districts

Credit Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) with legislative meddling in where children attend school. Turner has filed a bill that would require school districts to send a child to the school located closest to the child's home.

The bill then proceeds to list 22 other issues which may be considered including the ever popular, "All other factors which the board may consider pertinent, relevant or material in their effect upon the welfare and best interest of the applicant, other pupils of the school district as a whole and the inhabitants of the school district."

Well, that's nice and clear. There's nothing in that paragraph that should be open to debate.

So why is Turner mucking about in all this? Well, he may have been encouraged by school board member Steve Glover who appointed Turner to a new task force to review the school's zoning policy. Clearly there is no need to wait for the committee to do its work when one of its members can file some state legislation to clarify the issue.

Or not, as the bill's language seems to suggest.

But Glover's not convinced. He told the City Paper, "Mike has his finger on the pulse of this district and will be a balancing force for the task force.”

We're not sure what pulse Glover and Turner are taking because the community beat back an earlier effort to rezone the district.

We'll find out this spring when the task force reports its findings whether Turner "balanced" the committee to his point of view or whether state legislation sets the precedent.

Hopefully more sensible minds in the legislature will prevail and kill this bad piece of legislation before it sees the light of day.

- Jim Grinstead