Metro Nashville School Board to Discuss Possible Charter Moratorium
As the October 25, 2016, Tennessean reports, it seems that the Metro Nashville school board is considering a moratorium on charter schools.
In August 2016, five of the nine seats on the board were up for re-election; the result was blow to pro-charter candidates hoping to land a seat According to Ballotpedia, only one of the five candidates endorsed by the pro-charter group, Stand for Children, won a seat.
From the October Tennessean:
After years of heated discussions about charter schools, the question is finally on the table: Does the Metro Nashville Public Schools board want a moratorium on charter schools?
The query was posed by board member Will Pinkston after he requested to defer a motion on a policy that would require charter school applications to include specifics on proposed school sites. Pinkston said the policy would only touch on what was really on everyone’s mind — a moratorium. …
The board is expected to discuss the controversial subject during the next school board meeting. Board member Mary Pierce asked for there to be public comment on the subject before a vote is taken.
Pinkston’s reference to a policy on identifying proposed charter school locations stems from concerns about a charter school attempting to open up next door to an existing charter school, as the August 15, 2016, Tennessean notes:
Nashville school board member Will Pinkston says the board should review plans for the Metro Development and Housing Agency to build a new charter school for the Martha O’Bryan Center.
Pinkston on Sunday emailed new Director of Schools Shawn Joseph, board chairwoman Sharon Gentry, vice chairwoman Anna Shepherd and newly elected East Nashville board member Christianne Buggs to say that the board should intervene on the matter.
Pinkston was responding to a story in The Tennessean on Sunday that unveiled plans for MDHA to build a new elementary school building for Explore! Community School. The new building will be located next door to Kirkpatrick Elementary School, which is being converted into a charter school by KIPP. …
“This situation is Exhibit A in the lack of coordinated planning that has led to what can be described, at best, as a chaotic education landscape in East Nashville,” Pinkston said.
Chaotic is the word for it.
The Metro Nashville school board is scheduled to hold its next meeting on November 22, 2016.
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Released July 2016– Book Three:
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Schneider is a southern Louisiana native, career teacher, trained researcher, and author of both A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who In the Implosion of American Public Education and Common Core Dilemma: Who Owns Our Schools?.
deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog 
Believe me when the lobbyists get a hold of this it will never happen. DC will get involved and we all know DC is totally in the bag for Charters. It is how they will destroy public schools, eliminate elected school boards and finally once and for all get those pesky parents out of the way. Memphis tried to do it and they caved just last week. The NAACP wanted a moratorium in Memphis and they caved on it. They should be talking an end to Charters in TN and every state not a moratorium. But MONEY always wins out in the end not what is best for our kids. The ASD (Achievement School District) and the legislation that allowed Charters in our state should both be repealed.
As far as I know, a charter moratorium is still on the agenda for November 22. I’m signed up to speak during public comment… I’ll keep you posted!
Lately it feels like we’re hearing proposals to put a charter school inside a charter school next door to yet another charter school. Without regulation (and I do like the well-written demands proposed by the NAACP with their recent call for a moratorium on charter schools) the proliferation of programs begins to feel not only ridiculous but surreal.