School board candidates debate finer points at forum

Metro Board of Education candidates participate in a forum Wednesday sponsored by Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund. Matthew Williams/The City Paper

With an exception or two, school board hopefuls didn’t disagree much Wednesday during a candidate forum on the top issues related to public education in Nashville.

Candidates discussed topics ranging from the special education and the role of magnet schools, to whether sex education and religious education should be part of the curriculum. They weighed in on the director search and how best to work with the mayor’s office and Tennessee Department of Education.

Differences were, for the most part, confined to the finer points of school governance — but many voters may find those fine points define the decisions.

The candidates were part of a panel hosted by the Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund at Traveller's Rest, which will in the next week or so endorse candidates based on their ability to foster schools that enhance neighborhoods. John Summers, a board member of the Defense Fund and moderator of the panel, told the small crowd of about 20 spectators that his organization has a tough decision to make.

The Defense Fund hasn’t held school board candidate forums in the past, Summers said, but decided to do so this year in light of the big issues facing Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Of the nine candidates participating in the majority of the event, one — Gracie Porter, of District 5 — is running unopposed. Four of the candidates are competing for Bellevue’s District 9 seat. Marsha Warden, who holds the seat currently, is not seeking re-election.

One of the first tasks that Nashville’s next Board of Education will take on will be what many agree is the most significant job of any school board member — hiring a director of schools. School board elections are slated for August, and plans are in place to hire a director of schools in early fall. The current board has decided, with the help of a consultant, to allow the next board to hire the new director, as the next board will be working with the selected individual.

When asked what they would look for in a director, candidates highlighted a number of traits including leadership skills, communication abilities, and an enthusiasm for engaging in Nashville’s diverse schools and communities.

An issue that has been discussed in community forums related to the director search has been a desire to see a new director in place who can rebuild connections between school leaders, teachers and parents. Board candidates on Wednesday discussed how they would work to get competent administrators in schools.

Tim Coleman, who is running against incumbent Mark North for Madison’s District 3 seat, said he didn’t want to come in as a new candidate and criticize former Director of Schools Pedro Garcia — but that he believes school administration starts at the top.

“You have to have the right mentality from a management level to recruit,” Coleman said.

North was unable to attend Wednesday’s forum, as his presence was required at a high school graduation in his district.

District 1 candidate Sharon Gentry said business practices come into play in hiring strong leaders throughout the district.

“Compensation’s a big part of it,” she added.

Gentry is running against Barry Barlow and William Mason Jr. for the seat currently held by longtime board member George Thompson, who is not seeking re-election. Gentry is the wife of former Nashville mayoral candidate and current Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce leader Howard Gentry, who was present at Wednesday’s event.

Special education reached the table when the panel moderator said a question had been submitted by the public about the best approach for handling special education students and whether those kids should be “mainstreamed.” Panel organizers expressed doubt that the question should be raised, as the law addresses these issues clearly, a position that both incumbents on the board — Porter as well as District 7’s Ed Kindall — indicated was correct.

But District 9 candidate Alan Coverstone and others said they believe there can be differences in how the law is enforced, and the question was debated.

Two other District 9 candidates — Paul Brenner and Stephen Hicks — said specifically that they have seen special education laws enforced inconsistently in Metro schools. Brenner, a former teacher, said teachers and principals need to better understand special education laws.

Coverstone, Hicks and Lee Limbird all said they have heard from special education parents with concerns about the system. Coverstone said there is “a large and vocal component of the community” saying that these needs are not being met, and that it is not sufficient to simply say to follow the law and leave it at that.

Limbird said she admires the “intensity” of the advocacy of parents of children with special needs — and that the fact that those parents need to be such strong advocates is evidence that their needs are not being met.

In their responses, both Porter and Kindall agreed that the issue is more complex than just following the law. Porter said there is a need for more training of teachers and principals, and Kindall said too many minority kids are placed in special education classes without adequate cause.