Lines that divide

The public got its first look Wednesday night at the work being done by a task force charged with redrawing the lines among the clusters that make up the Metro Nashville Public School system. If adopted, the changes would not go into effect until the 2009-10 school year. Some changes wouldn't come until later.

The result was an effort to please lots of varied interests -- meaning it's not perfect and not everyone will be happy.

Overall, it lumps too many of the city's poor and minority students into a few clusters, but the plan requires that parents in those clusters to have choices about where their children go to school and that the schools themselves be given additional resources to reduce class sizes and provide vital support workers such as counselors, computers and vocational training.

The task force went so far as to set prerequisites for the Pearl-Cohn cluster, the cluster most highly affected by the proposals. If those goals aren't met, the task force says none of the rezoning should take place. The prerequisites include the resources mentioned above and the guarantee of transportation to schools the students presently attend, if a minimum number of students so choose.

The task force went even further. Board member Mark North, who led the group and made the presentation, said that the prerequisites should be heavily enforced. The task force noted that the director of schools is responsible for meeting the goals and that the board should terminate any director who fails to meet and maintain those goals.

The plan is a compromise between trying to provide quality schools near where students live and attempting to create schools with a diverse population that mirrors the greater Nashville community.

Diversity is an important goal because students learn how to live and work with one another as they must do in the community once the graduate. Research has also proven that a diverse population generally raises test scores for previously under-performing students while not hindering students who regularly place in the top of their classes.

But some parents want to keep their children in schools close to their home and the task force made an effort to make sure that parents don't have to send their children across town to get a quality education.

The plan isn't perfect, but it seems to be a reasonable effort to satisfy parents who want to be sure their children have access to the best schools and those who want neighborhood schools. The plan also recognizes that its facilities are not located where they are most needed. Twenty-one of the district's schools are at 70 percent of capacity or less. Despite that, the recommendations say some schools need to be enlarged to meet demand. Five schools are marked for closure.

As the public begins to review the plan and offer its comments, it seems there are some things that must be done if this plan is to work.

1. The board, the administration, the staff and city officials must be doggedly determined to meet and exceed the prerequisites outlined by the task force. Every school must  be equally great. Without that determination, we'll retreat to the current situation where schools in the poorest neighborhoods suffer while those in more affluent areas thrive.
   
2. Transportation must be a priority. Many options are offered to help students who need specialized environments to help them thrive. This includes so-called gifted students to those with learning disabilities to those with special needs. It also includes families who believe it's important to send their children to diverse schools. Not all these needs can be met in every school. Transportation is expensive, but it's a key element needed to make sure all needs are met.
   
3. More communication with parents is needed. Plans are for a single public hearing on the plan to be June 3 at the East Literature Magnet School. That's good, but it's not enough. Board members Gracie Porter and Ed Kindall championed having more meetings, particularly in the Pearl-Cohn cluster. The poor cannot easily rearrange work schedules or travel across town to attend a single meeting. They are the most affected by the changes and they deserve the chance to understand what's being proposed and weigh in. The additional meetings will the delay the process a bit, but people need to understand the plan. An extra two or three weeks is a small price to pay.

The plan also raises other questions about the district and how it operates -- and those questions will wait for another day.

    -- Jim Grinstead