Here to listen
Education chief acknowledges concerns in ASD school visits
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen met Memphis students on their level Wednesday, crouching on the carpet for in-depth discussions ranging from animals to Antarctica.
McQueen visited Libertas School and Lester Prep, both schools in the state-run Achievement School District, to meet with teachers in roundtable discussions and hear from school leaders on their plans to turn around Memphis’ toughest schools.
But her visit also comes in the wake of seemingly endless calls from local school and government leaders to put a halt to the ASD.
Last week, Memphis City Council joined Shelby County commissioners and Shelby County Schools Board of Education in calling for the General Assembly to put a moratorium on the ASD’s expansion.
Lawmakers in Nashville have taken those calls a step further. Bills sponsored by Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) and Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) propose full abolition of the ASD.
McQueen refused to dismiss those concerns or to write them off as misconceptions during her visit Wednesday.
“What people are feeling is real,” McQueen said. “Whatever they’re feeling is a real feeling. So what I would bring to that is: We have to talk. We have to sit
down, we have to talk through what’s behind that, what can we do to actually work together going forward.”
McQueen said she and ASD Superintendent Malika Anderson have been meeting with the vocal opponents of the ASD to understand the specifics of people’s concerns.
“We know that anything that would look like a state takeover is a problem, because people perceive that we are trying to pull something out of your community, when in reality, we’re actually wanting to build capacity for the community,” McQueen said.
“And if it’s sensed as something different, then we’ve got to work together to change that.”
Growth of the ASD has been a sensitive subject in Memphis, with four additional takeovers confirmed for next year.
The SCS boa rd voted unanimously in December to lobby for a moratorium on ASD takeovers for any more schools “until they show consistent progress in improving student academic achievement.”
Last month, the Shelby County Commission approved as part of its agenda for the Tennessee legislature a resolution that asked for a three-year moratorium on ASD takeovers.
The divided commission, which approved the resolution in a 7-4 vote, debated the ASD’s poor performance and lack of accountability against taking away options for parents whose children are in failing schools.
The Memphis City Council voted Feb. 2 to approve a resolution asking for a moratorium on the district’s expansion until its schools show “significant” academic progress.
Only four council members voted for the resolution, which was sponsored by Super District 8-3 member Martavius Jones, a former SCS board member. The other council members present either abstained or recused themselves.
Jones said the loosely structured achievement school district can’t adequately keep up with the 33,000 students that change schools at least once each academic year.
McQueen said the state has taken a step back, with the appointment of ASD Superintendent Anderson and conversations about how the ASD will grow.
“We obviously are looking at the big picture of what is our next step with the ASD, where do we want to move in terms of quality for all of our ASD schools,” she said.