MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Nashville Chamber of Commerce released its annual report on the state of metro schools this week and the report is critical of the school board penchant for airing its disagreements in public.
The 2014 Education Report Card was compiled by a group of 23 community leaders who volunteered their time. The report praises the system for a marked improvement in student achievement scores in recent years. It also applauds the current strategic plan that runs through 2018.
But the Chamber report reflects growing frustration with the Metro Nashville Board of Education. The board has had a string of high-profile confrontations in recent years with the city, with the Director of Schools, and between individual board members.
Attorney Jackson Miller co-chaired the report committee. He says it’s time for the board members to stand by the set of rules they approved to govern their own actions.
“There’s a lot of re-hashing in the media, and sort of working against decisions that have already been made. So we think by following the policy governance model, that they’ll be able to make decisions, recognize that the process works, and then move on to the next set of decisions.”
The chamber report goes so far as to recommend that the board members take advantage of what it calls “ongoing professional development” to help reduce internal conflict.
Here is a link to the complete Chamber of Commerce 2014 Metro Schools Education Report Card.