JACKSON Tenn – Jackson-Madison County School Board takes on multiple agendas in Thursday meeting.
At the upcoming Thursday JMC school board meeting there is something on the agenda for every new member. Collectively many in the community know it as the Brent Lay Jackson Better School plan or the Lay / Alexander plan.
Brent Lay first brought his plan to reorganize Jackson-Madison Schools as an alternative to Vision 2020. Kevin Alexander presented a slightly reworked version to the board after he was elected 2 years ago. Now, as the Board chairman, Alexander has the power to put the plan on the agenda for fellow members to vote.
Some of the items on the agenda that have been the most controversial in the community include:
A motion to approve a North Side Elementary in the North Building of North Side High School.
A motion to approve a Workforce Training Center to be located on the former Jackson Central Merry Campus
A motion to approve the expansion of Montessori schools to the east and south.
A motion to approve a one bell time for ALL Jackson-Madison County School System.
Thursday’s meeting is open to the public. The meeting has been moved to Jackson City Hall to accommodate the anticipated large crowd.
Some board members seem to be driving the agenda but others are confused by the sudden shift in direction from a plan the superintendent has been presenting to the community as a long-range vision.
The previous board supported a plan first suggested by board members then crafted by the newly hired Superintendent Dr Eric Jones. County commissioners as well as city leaders have shown interest in coming onboard with Jones leadership . The superintendent’s plan includes: public / private partnerships, and capital investments that will support an ambitious learning plan to raise student achievement eventually to the top 20% in the state.
Jones clearly lays out the costs and proposals to help maintain controls. County commissioner Jeff Wall has said he and many of his fellow commissioners believe the budget for Jones plan would be paid for from projected revenue and would not require any tax increase.
The plan known as the Lay/Alexander plan has many concerned because it deviates dramatically from the current direction, has not been vetted for costs, has not had public input opportunities, and lacks the support for how it will benefit education or raising achievement results.
The topics at Thursday’s meeting that almost certainly will be raised included:
where will the additional Montessori teachers needed for expansion be recruited,
what impact will one start time for all schools have on parents, students,
what about the additional bus and driver requirements,
what support is there for an elementary school on a high school campus?
This agenda is long, and is emotionally charged in the community.
To view the agenda for Thursday’s meeting visit CLICK HERE https://emeetings.tsba.net/public/Meeting.aspx?PublicAgencyID=4374&PublicMeetingID=4313&AgencyTypeID=1
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday 5:30 pm at the Jackson City Hall. The public is invited. The attendance is expected to be larger than normal so it’s recommended that you arrive early.
To contact board members and let them know your thoughts and ask questions here is the contact list. CLICK HERE https://www.jmcss.org/Page/120
Keith Sherley
@keithsherley.
[email protected].
