As Summer Starts, Nashville School Board Races Rev Up Around Charters

Four of the nine seats on Metro Schools board of education are on the August ballot. All but one have an incumbent. Credit: MNPS

This month the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Urban League and the local teacher’s union will hold a series of school board candidate forums. So far, charter schools have emerged as a central issue.

In all four races on the August ballot, charter school supporters have anointed their pick. In the McGavock High School cluster, Rhonda Dixon has the charter backing, according to a widely-circulated fundraising email.

Dixon enrolled her granddaughter, who she’s raising, in Liberty Collegiate Academy, one of the city’s 23 privately-run, publicly-funded schools. But she downplays her allegiance to the charter movement.

“I think that any school that can make sure that our children are performing well is the good school, whether its charter or traditional,” she says.

None of the incumbents have been backed by charter advocates, including board chair Cheryl Mayes who is up for reelection.

Metro Schools director Jesse Register, who considers himself “middle of the road” on charters, says he likes the current board members. But he’s trying to stay out of their races.

“They’re very good candidates but I don’t think its appropriate for me to say what I would like to have,” he says. “I don’t want to do anything that would hurt their chances.”

Besides deciding whether or not to further expand charter schools, the new board may also hire a replacement for Register, whose contract ends next year.

The first candidate forum is June 9^th – next Monday – at J.T. Moore Middle School in Green Hills. Here’s the completely schedule.