Rezoning Plan Would Move Metro to Neighborhood Schools

A district-wide rezoning plan for Metro Schools would effectively end the practice of bussing students across town to balance schools racially and economically. A community task force unveiled detailed plans last night.

The panel took on rezoning after the administration backed away from a similar proposal last fall. School Board member Mark North, who heads up the task force, says while not considerably different, the process has been more transparent.

“There’s a distrust when it just comes from the system…you start out with that distrust and you never gain it back, and that’s part of what happened before.”

In the plan, the Hillwood and Pearl-Cohn school clusters would see the most sweeping changes. Under current zoning, many students from North Nashville are bussed west of town and vice versa. That would change under the new plan, though students would always have the option to attend the cross-town school that they are currently zoned for and the system would still provide transportation.

The Metro Schools administration under former director Pedro Garcia was accused of attempting to re-segregate schools by groups such as the NAACP. Bishop George Price was one of those dissenting voices who has also helped craft the new plan. He sits on the rezoning task force.

Price says that if schools with more poverty can receive more funding, as proposed, then families will buy into the plan.

 

“If you can’t provide the resources, the same equipment, teachers, then it’s not going to work. But if you can provide that, then the community will have a sense of ownership.”

The proposal also seeks to close five schools to cure several capacity issues. The changes would go into effect in fall 2009 if approved by the school board, which appears to support the plan.

The rezoning task force will hold a public hearing next Tuesday at East Literature Magnet. A link to the proposal along with detailed maps is here or copies are available at Metro library branches.

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The schools being considered for closure include Bass, Brookmeade, Cora Howe, Ewing Park and Martha Vaught. Only the Glencliff cluster would not be subject to changes under the rezoning proposal.