KCS BOE asks state to remove TNReady data from teacher evaluations

The Knox County Board of Education passed a resolution Wednesday asking the state to give teachers a break by not evaluating them on a new statewide test for this school year.

"It's our first year with TNReady," board member Amber Rountree said. "The state has already provided a grace period for our students, so I thought it was really important that, as a board, we needed to let our state legislators know, and the state Board of (Education) know we believe our teachers deserve the grace period as well."

Rountree presented the resolution in opposition of parts of the TNReady plan. Board members supported her efforts, but wanted a more simple, direct request.

"In this year of transition, the board would like the state to consider not including the results from TNReady in their evaluation," board member Karen Carsen said.

Carsen's version of the resolution, which was considered more clear and direct, passed.

"It creates great stress for our teachers," Carsen said. "We know, in projecting, that because the test is so different that scores may go down, and we can deal with that at a student level at the local board level, but we can't deal with that at an evaluation level."

Although the board agreed to support their teachers, other aspects of TNReady are still up for debate. Rountree specifically said she did not agree with the TNReady assessment paying to 'lease' questions from a Utah test called SAGE.

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Knox County BOE remains in standoff over nontenured teacher policy

Photo: Knox County Schools

Proposed Knox County Schools’ policy that would let the Board of Education have input and review the dismissal of nontenured teachers continues to remain at an impasse.

The school board on Wednesday again couldn’t come to an agreement about what revisions – if any – it would like to put into the policy.

Members are expected to talk more about the matter in the coming months.

The board has spent months looking to resolve objections to the way KCS handles renewals of non-tenured teachers, going back and forth on the language and what they want in the policy and what they don’t want in it.

The discussions come as dozens of teachers voiced concerns about the non-renewal process on their contracts.

Currently, if a teacher is not tenured, the superintendent can choose to not renew a contract without reason.

Teachers are concerned the process on their contract is not clear, and some have called it unfair. They also have argued that termination of one job – without explanation – is often career-ending.
On Wednesday, the board shot down some proposed revisions in a 5-3 vote.

Board members Patti Bounds, Amber Rountree Karen Carson, Gloria Deathridge and Mike McMillan voted against the revised policy. Members Doug Harris, Lynne Fugate and Terry Hill voted for it. Tracie Sanger was absent.

“Some of the revisions were brought to us late in the day and they could possible create new problems and I don’t think they addressed the problems in the past,” said school board member Patti Bounds.

For example, she said, a key sticking point for a number of board members was that language – initially proposed – that would allow board members to affirm dismissals was removed.

Bounds said she wants the board to have the chance to review any nontenured teacher dismissals and to have a chance to either affirm or deny them. Also, if the board voted for no renewal, she wants teachers to have the option to appeal such a decision.

“I feel it’s another checks and balances that needs to be in place,” she said.

Board member Amber Rountree agreed.

"I didn't feel like the policy as presented didn’t really restore any decision-making powers to the board," she said.

Every year, according to district officials, between 30 and 50 – or about 1 percent – of all non-tenured teachers are non-renewed. This year, 45 teachers were non-renewed. Last year, that number was 55.

Carson said she’d rather officials look at procedure rather than policy.

“I think the board should tell the superintendent to go back and look at what we’ve done the past few years – it’s very easy to review,” she said. “Changing policy should never be a knee-jerk reaction. I think the bottom line is that what we want is to make sure the procedure is the best way to carry out that policy.”

She added: “I think it starts with the review of what are we doing now. Do we have a case where the procedure in place is good but three out of 90 administrators didn’t follow it? Or do we have a case where it’s not followed by half the people or do we have a case where it’s just a bad procedure?”

Zachary to take House seat early

Jason Zachary

The general election is still more than a month away, but Republican primary winner Jason Zachary is expected to take the 14th District House seat early.

Since no Democrats qualified to run for the post, Zachary – who won the Aug. 12 primary – is all but assured the victory in September.

State law gives the Knox County Commission the power to fill the position in the interim, something board members said they plan to do during next Monday’s regular meeting and after a public hearing.

They will discuss the issue further during today’s work session.

Commissioners told WBIR 10News that in case something came up between now and Sept. 29 that would require action by the Tennessee General Assembly, they’d want someone in the position.

Zachary, a local businessman, defeated school board member Karen Carson to claim the seat.

During the race, the candidates clearly differentiated themselves on the question of funding for Insure Tennessee, Gov. Haslam's proposal to fill a gap in health care coverage among lower income groups.

Carson, a pediatric nurse, supported it. Zachary bluntly opposed pursuing such a proposal.

Last year, Zachary ran a spirited, yet unsuccessful, race in defeat against longtime U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.

The seat opened up after Ryan Haynes resigned in the spring to become the state GOP chairman.

Zachary wins state for House seat

Carson, left, Zachary, right

Republican Jason Zachary defeated fellow Republican Karen Carson on Wednesday to effectively claim the 14th District Tennessee House seat, according to unofficial results from the Knox County Election Commission.

Zachary, a businessman, and Carson, a Knox County school board member, competed in the GOP primary, but no Democrat is running for the seat so Wednesday's results amounted to a winner-take-all race. The general election is Sept. 29.

The final overall return for the West Knox County district: 2,397 for Zachary and 1,742 for Carson. That worked out to be 58 percent for Zachary and 42 percent for Carson.

The total includes early and absentee votes, where returns showed 1,544 votes cast for Zachary and 1,061 for Carson, according to unofficial results.

Zachary took the majority of votes cast in the district's seven precincts Wednesday.

For example, Zachary surpassed Carson in precincts the covered the Concord and Farragut areas. Carson outdrew him in precincts that included the Rocky Hill and A.L. Lotts areas, figures showed.

Republican state Rep. Ryan Haynes resigned the 14th District seat in the spring to become state GOP chairman.

With some 39,100 eligible voters in the district, the turnout represented just a fraction of those who could vote.

During the race, the candidates clearly differentiated themselves on the question of funding for Insure Tennessee, Gov. Haslam's proposal to fill a gap in health care coverage among lower income groups. Carson, a pediatric nurse, supported it. Zachary bluntly opposed pursuing such a proposal.

Last year, Zachary ran a spirited race in defeat against longtime U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.

West Knox voters decide Wednesday who will hold 14th Dist. House seat

Carson, left, Zachary, right

Wednesday night voters will decide who represents Farragut and most of Southwest Knox County in the state House.

The Republican primary election between Knox County school board member Karen Carson and local businessman Jason Zachary wraps up Wednesday. The general election is Sept. 29, but because no Democrat qualified to run, tomorrow night’s winner is all but assured the seat when the Tennessee General Assembly meets again in January.

CARSON: Find out more about the candidate

ZACHARY: Find out more about the candidate

Turnout for this race hasn’t been great.

Early voting represented a small fraction of the almost 39,100 eligible district voters. In all, 2,631 cast early votes. That also included 95 people who cast absentee ballots.

The seat was formerly held by Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, who stepped down to take over the state GOP.

Polls are open tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Here's a list of the locations:

• Farragut Middle School – Precinct 65 – 200 West End Avenue, 37934
• Farragut High School – Precincts 66N & 66S – 11237 Kingston Pike, 37934
• A.L. Lotts Elementary School – Precinct 69N – 9320 Westland Drive, 37922
• Bluegrass Elementary School –Precinct 69S – 8901 Bluegrass Road, 37922
• Rocky Hill Elementary School – Precinct 71 – 1200 Morrell Road, 37919
• Mount Olive Elementary School – Precinct 89 – 2507 Maryville Pike, 37920

Poor turnout in early voting for 14th Dist. House seat to replace Haynes

Carson, left, Zachary, right

Early voting wrapped up Friday with 2,631 voters going to the polls early to choose a GOP candidate to represent the state House's 14th District, according to the Knox County election administrator.

The primary election between Karen Carson and Jason Zachary is Aug. 12. The general election is Sept. 29, but no Democrat is running in the race.

The West Knox County district formerly was represented by Republican Ryan Haynes. There were three early voting sites, one at the City County Building, far from the actual district.

Early voting turnout represented a small fraction of  the almost 39,100 eligible district voters. It included 95 people who cast absentee ballots, according to Cliff Rodgers, election administrator.

Carson is a Knox County school board member. Zachary is a small businessman who ran a competitive race last year against U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.

The seat was formerly held by Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, who stepped down to take over the state GOP.

Aug. 6 date for House seat debate

Carson, left, Zachary, right

The West Knox Republican Club will be hosting the sole debate between the two candidates seeking the 14th District Republican nomination in the upcoming special election.

The 14th District General Assembly seat was vacated by Ryan Haynes earlier this year after he was appointed as Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. The two candidates vying for the seat are Karen Carson, a nurse and Knox County School Board member, and Jason Zachary, a local small business owner. Early voting will take place July 23rd through August 7th, and Election Day is August 12th.

The Republican Primary Debate will take place on Thursday August 6, 2015 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Farragut Town Hall board room located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, Farragut, Tennessee 37934. The event is free and open to the public. Doors to the board room will open at 6:15 p.m. and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The local media is encouraged to attend.

The debate will be moderated by Alexander Waters, the president of the West Knox Republican club, a local attorney with Long, Ragsdale & Waters, P.C. and a regular panelist on Fox43’s “Heavy Hitter” segment.

The candidates will be given three minutes for an opening statement. Each candidate will be given two  minutes to answer each question asked by the moderator and one minute of rebuttal time. At the conclusion of the questioning period, each candidate will given two minutes to give a closing statement. No questions will be taken from the audience.

The West Knox Republican Club hopes that many members of the 14th District, Farragut and Knox County communities will attend the debate. The Club has reached out to various local Republican clubs, including the Farragut-Concord Republican Club, as well as nonpartisan groups such as the Knoxville Chamber, Farragut Chamber, Realtors Association and League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County to promote the event.

“The West Knox Republican Club is very excited to host this political debate between two active Republican candidates,” said Alexander Waters. “We look forward to facilitating a civil discourse with the candidates on topics important to the 14th District and East Tennessee. We hope the debate will not only educate the community but encourage higher voter turn-out in this crucial election.”

Only two GOP qualified to run for state House seat vacated by Haynes

Carson, left, Zachary, right

A Knox County Board school board member and long-time nurse, and a Knoxville business owner are the only two candidates who will vie for the open state House seat recently vacated by Ryan Haynes.

Both candidates are Republican and no Democrats qualified by Thursday's noon deadline.

That means, barring a major upset by a write-in candidate in the fall, the overall election will be more than likely determined during the Aug. 12 primary.

(The special general election will be Sept. 29, coinciding with the city of Knoxville primary.)

Haynes resigned from the West Knox County 14th District state Rep. seat in late May to serve as the state GOP chairman.

Here's a snapshot of the candidates:

Karen Carson: A pediatric nurse for 35 years, who works at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, she has served on the Knox County Board of Education since 2004. Her website says Carson has been recognized as the Tennessee parent Teacher Association's "Outstanding School Board Representative of the Year" three times. She and her family are members of Concord United Methodist Church. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of East Tennessee. She and her husband have been married for 30 years and have three children.

Jason Zachary: Owns Americomm, a small telecommunications firm founded by his family two decades ago. He serves as a deacon at the Farragut Initiative at First Baptist Concord, according to his website. He also serves on the board of International Sports Consulting, and has worked with the Center for Christian Statesmanship on Capitol Hill since last summer. He has been married to his wife for 16 years and has one child. Zachary, drummed up a lot of support from the tea party last year in an unsuccessful campaign to unseat long-time U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.

KCS Board of Ed exploring ways to hold bus drivers more accountable

Knox County School Board members are looking into ways to make bus drivers more accountable.

"This is one time where I think a student reporting something that they have a concern about needs to be heard immediately and dealt with," Karen Carson said. "I would love to see us explore starting a program where a student can take a picture of a driver using a cell phone - a bus driver using a cell phone, have a hotline that they can send it to and that the school system could respond immediately."

Board member Patti Bounds agrees the district needs, "to empower the children, the feeling that they can talk about these things in a safe way with their parents," she said. "For the parents, too-- probably one of the best things to do would, not necessarily a hotline, but a way to report these things to the proper authorities so that they can be addressed and handled."

Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre, Knox County sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch met on Monday, to discuss possible enhanced safety guidelines when it comes to school bus drivers. McIntyre said details of that plan should be available in August, closer to the start of the school year.

BOE member's friend jumps the gun; solicits campaign funds too early

Karen Carson

Seems that in the past couple of days, a lot of folks spent some time talking about an email sent out by a former school board member, hoping to raise campaign coin for a current school board member who wants to run for a state seat.

Me? I spent my time watching Mick and Keith tear up Ohio Stadium. And it was awesome. Heh.

Anyhoo, there’s the deal:

Knox County school board member Karen Carson plans to run for the 14th District state House seat that was recently vacated by Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville. More than likely the primary will be held on Aug. 12 with the general election on Sept. 29.

(Don’t hold me to it, but for what it’s worth, I believe Carson once told me she is Republican.)

Now, here’s the problem:

Diane Jablonski, a former school board member who also sat on the county’s charter review committee, sent an email out on Friday evening to a number of folks, soliciting campaign dollars for Carson’s eventual campaign. (And, yes, for those asking, Superintendent Jim McIntyre was copied on the email although that shouldn’t mean anything one way or the other.)

This is the email:

My friend, Karen Carson has decided to run for the vacant state representative seat, previously held by Ryan Haynes, This will be a very short campaign and Karen needs our help now. Karen has served our district with excellence as the 5th district School Board representative. She has been Board chair and as such represented the entire county. She is also an emergency room nurse at Children's hospital and I cannot think of anyone would rather have attending to my child. Her knowledge of a broad scope of state issues is beyond most other candidates. I implore you to support her efforts by sending a campaign donation to Karen Carson for State Representative. Please be generous, your donation of $100, $200, $500, or $1,000 can make a huge difference to our area. Karen is still in the process of establishing her campaign; but you can send your donation to me and I will make sure that her campaign gets it!

Jablonski in the past has served as Carson’s campaign treasurer when she ran for her school board seat. However, Carson as of Monday night had not officially appointed a treasurer for a state seat nor had she filed the paperwork.

That means no one at this point should be soliciting money on behalf of Carson.

I talked with Drew Rawlins, the executive director of the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance.

Here’s what he said, though, about it:

“You’re supposed to file an ‘appointment of treasurer’ with our office before you raise money. A person shouldn’t be raising money for someone else to run unless that person has appointed a treasurer. Someone should be appointed as a treasurer before someone raises money.”

He also said a candidate can be assessed a fine up to $10,000 for failing to appoint a treasurer.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves here – no one is getting fined $10,000. Or even $1,000. Or even $1.

Here’s what Carson, who said she was not aware of the email, told me:

“I will say at this point, I have told anybody I’m talking to that I’m seriously considering a run for that seat, but I am absolutely aware that I can’t take a penny until I have a treasurer and it’s filed with the state election commission.”

She also noted that she can’t run for a race until there’s an open seat. (Technically, there’s no election until the governor issues a “writ of election,” ordering one.)

She also said that she hasn’t directed anyone to solicit money “or taken a penny,” and that she’s “very aware of the finance laws.”

So, that leaves us with Jablonski. I reached out to her Monday night (and by the way folks, I’m not even supposed be working).

I asked her about the matter.

Here’s what she had to say:

“Mike I just was so excited about the prospect of Karen running that I totally jumped the gun by sending the e-mail. Karen had no knowledge of the email that I sent. I have resent to my contacts telling them that I had no permission to send the email and that any consideration of support for her run for the seat should wait until she has formally announced and named her treasurer. This is totally an error on my part as Karen had no knowledge of my attempts on her behalf. I have not raised any money thus far, and if I do receive any funds they will be returned with a letter of apology.”

So, there ya go.

Now, all that said, this is going to be one interesting one. There’s not a lot of time to campaign between now and the primary and this race will be the only one on the ballot. And I seriously doubt a lot of people will be hitting the ballot boxes come (special) Election Day.

Of course, I’ll let you know when we have the candidates on Inside Tennessee.

I’m out.

Brown, Norman meet, talk schools

Brown, left, and Norman met this morning

Knox County commissioners Mike Brown and Tony Norman met this morning to talk about last weekend’s commish-school board retreat. (Brown, who had surgery a few days before missed much of the get-together.)

I’d like to tell ya that a whole lot got accomplished but it was mostly a complaint-fest. (Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but there really wasn’t anything new.)

The two talked for roughly 30 minutes about school issues. Brown reiterated that he more than likely won’t support the school system’s budget for the upcoming year and expressed his dismay about Superintendent Jim McIntyre and the Board of Education, suggestion that they really don't care about teacher complaints.

Norman, who also is not a big fan of McIntyre or the BOE, agreed.

Here’s a snippet:

Brown: “I’m not impressed with the instructional coaches.” (He then suggested that they mostly just hang out and use the teachers’ computers to surf the Internet.)

Norman: “There are a lot of questions about instructional coaches . . . and a lot of questions about the use of them . . . and I’m sure there are some that have been beneficial and I’m sure there are some that are helpful.”

However, Norman, a retired long-time teacher, added: “But from my experience it’s an enormous waste of resources.”

Brown: “It sounds like they’re dumbing down teachers.”

Norman: “In a lot of ways, that’s true. You get a third-year teacher evaluating a 20-year teacher . . . or someone evaluating someone outside their discipline.”

Brown: “Why can’t we let the teachers just teach.”

Norman: “Heh. Heh. Heh.” (Evil-like laugh.)

Brown also said he’s “on a campaign right now to get the public’s eyes open to see what’s going on.”

In addition to them, commissioners Amy Broyles and Jeff Ownby also were at the meeting, as was school board member Karen Carson. (Carson and Ownby didn’t say much. Broyles chimed in a few times to talk about what happened at the retreat.)

Clarity sought about counsel question

Yesterday, KNS reporter Lydia X. McCoy wrote a story about the Knox County school board seeking clarity on legal representation, right smack here.

In it, she asks whether the school board can hire counsel outside the county's law department, cause apparently there's some bickering going on. Hey, it ain't KC government if there isn't at least a little squabbling.

Anyhoo, read her story.

And you can read the email from county Law Director Richard “Bud” Armstrong to school board Chairwoman Karen Carson, right smack here.

Mayor wants security meeting open

So, the county big dogs, like the sheriff, mayor, school lord, Public Building Authority head honcho, etc., etc. are supposed to meet today to talk about school security. 

Last night officials said the media would be allowed to attend. I'm not sure if that means it's open to the public or not.

Regardless, county Mayor Tim Burchett sent out a showboat release, calling on the board of education and chairwoman Karen Carson to “sunshine the planned security meeting in order to allow all parties to be at the table.”

That would mean, the mayor says, more than just a single representative from the school board or county commission could attend. He suggested holding the meeting on Thursday or Friday, which would fall within the county's 48 hour policy or whatever.

This whole thing is giving me a headache. Most of the players were at the county commission meeting last night. This could have been done then.

If people are serious about fixing whatever security problems exist, then they should have stayed late.

School system reaches out to leaders

Ah, now we're talking. Soon after posting this bad boy, Knox County School Board Chairwoman Karen Carson let me know that on Friday the school system reached out to Knox County Mayor Burchett, Commission Chairman Norman, PBA head honcho Dale Smith, schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre, Sheriff Jimmy "the Man with the Badge" Jones, county Law Director Bud Armstrong and Chief David Rausch to set a meeting.

The note:

Feb 22
Dear Sirs,
School Board Chair Karen Carson requests that you meet with her on Monday, February 25th at 9:30 am in the board conference room regarding school security. If you have questions please feel free to call Karen Carson. Please let me know if you will be able to attend.
Thank you,
Kay 

Here's hoping that everyone shows up.

AJ Building to get 'for sale' sign?

photo by Michael Patrick

And again, there are talks that involve the possible sale/future use of the Andrew Johnson Building.

From what I understand, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, schools superintendent Jim McIntyre and school board Chairwoman Karen Carson met the week before last to talk about the old hotel and what to do with it.

The mayor confirmed the meetings, but was pretty tight-lipped after that.

“It's the same stuff we've been talking about for years,” he said. “You know, tearing it down and putting solar panels up and having a solar community.”

Heh.

Burchett in the past has said that he wouldn't mind selling the S. Gay Street building, if the county can get a good deal for it, and the school system can move its administrative offices elsewhere.

His predecessor Mike Ragsdale also proposed a similar plan but nothing ever happened.

We'll see.

Education panel looks to set agenda?

OK, so remember that education committee? School Board, County Commission and all that? Yeah, well, the panel is expected to meet on Feb. 19, which not-coincidentally is the same day as the commission work session.

Yeah, it's a Tuesday. The county is closed on Monday, Presidents' Day.

Anyhoo, county commission Chairman Tony Norman said he thought the panel would initially talk about surplus land and who got the coin if it sold. But, in light of the recent mess – click right smack here if you've been under a rock – he expects folks to take up school security.

“We'll have to decide what's important right now, since we can't take up everything in one meeting,” he said. “This is hot and on the fire, so it might be the way the meeting goes.”

Norman added that he'd talk to school board Chairwoman Karen Carson, though, before setting an agenda.

Carson, however, isn't so sure. At this point, she said, she expects the panel to talk about procedural issues, like agendas, who it should proceed in the future and whether a facilitator should attend the meeting.

“I think anyone who wants to go into the first meeting and say: 'We're going to solve the problem,' well, don't expect that,” she said. "We only have one hour.”

The good news? The meeting is only one hour.

Heh.

Burchett asks for security audit

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett today called for an independent audit into the security systems used by local schools.

The request, which was made to Knox County School Board Chairwoman Karen Carson, comes after the News Sentinel published an article detailing the flaws in what was supposed to be a state-of-the-art system designed to keep children safe.

“I am requesting that the Board of Education strongly consider a full and complete independent security audit of all systems installed by Professional Security Consultants and Design in Knox County Schools,” the mayor said in a letter to the chairwoman. “I recognize that this matter falls outside the purview of the Executive Branch. However, since it involved the safety and security of Knox County school children, I feel it is incumbent upon me to make this request.”

Burchett in an interview with the newspaper on Friday said he wanted an outside party to investigate because “just having your own people doesn't cut it.”

Carson was unavailable for comment today.

Education panel starts to take form

Knox County Commission Chairman Tony Norman appointed commissioners Dave Wright, Amy Broyles, Sam McKenzie and Mike Hammond to the long-talked about education committee, which - if it's like every other committee that isn't required under the charter - will probably meet once and that'll be about it.

In the coming weeks, School Board Chairwoman Karen Carson will pick three or four members from her board to also serve on it.
More than likely, the panel will meet in February to talk about whether the county or the school system's name should be placed on the deed to the new Southwest elementary School, Brickey-McCloud Elementary School, Amherst Elementary School and Gibbs Elementary School.

In addition, the panel is expected to address finances and where the money should go - paying off reserves or general fund or wherever - when the county sells surplus land.

Officials say the committee will let the boards work through the issues without the typical bitterness that occurs between the two.

We'll see.

UPDATE: It appears that school board members Lynne Fugate, Doug Harris and Gloria Deathridge will represent the school board on the committee.

School redistricting could get testy

Let's face it, the school board and county commission really don't like each other. No matter what they say.

I mean there's not necessarily an inherent hatred between the two bodies, but they just don't get along as much as they'd like to pretend.

So, when you see a school board member patting a commissioner on the back (or vice versa), it's not a sign of affection. The official is really just feeling for the soft spot.

To jab the knife into.

And I'm pretty sure the school board's early efforts to redraw its nine districts by the end of the year will be the latest example in the loveless relationship. (Which is cool because I'm tired of writing about Carter Elementary anyway.)

State law requires districts be redrawn at least every 10 years after the U.S. Census to make them as equal as possible, population-wise.

So, recently the good school folks who lord over the teachers who educate your children sought some clarity from the county law director's office.

They wanted to know whether the county commissioners (who lord over everyone else) really had the responsibility to redraw the lines.

Well, in a March 10 letter from Marty McCampbell to school officials, the attorney says: Yes, the legislative body calls the shots.

(Click here for the letter, which is mostly written in legal jargon if you really want to, or keep reading and I'll sum it up for you in Gorilla-ese.)

OK, still here?

McCampbell says “there is no constitutional provision that prohibits the Legislature from enacting laws which in some form or fashion are contrary to a local law set forth in a county's home rule charter.” (We operate under home rule by the way.)

She then cites a number of example where folks got their heads handed to them when they tried to challenge this.

Finally, she states (and this is great, especially the second sentence):

“All case law indicates that since the Charter and state law conflict, the state law supersedes the Charter. The final issue is whether the Commission wants to uphold the will of the people that voted for the Home Rule Charter and placed the power to redistrict in the hands of the Board.”

OUCH!

Now, six days later county commission Chairman Mike Hammond sent a memo to his buds on his board, saying:

“It is not my desire to have the Commission get involved or meddle in School Board districts; however, it is clear that any plan drafted by the School Board, by law, has to be approved by the Commission.”

(I love that “however” part.)

Hammond then says he's invited school board Chairwoman Indya Kincannon and school board member Cindy Buttry (who is the chair of the board's redistricting committee) to the March 28 commissioner luncheon to talk further.

And that, folks is where everyone will be patting everyone on the back!

You see, I'm thinking the school board members (at least some of them) want to have it both ways. They really believe they can redraw the district lines because the charter, they believe, actually trumps state law.

But, if that's truly the case, then the school board members should be subject to term-limits, which is what the charter requires. (Right? Maybe not.)

And, no, they don't want that.

But, whatever. It's just positioning.

Because, ultimately, what's happening is that the school board members want to base their districts upon school zone feeder patterns (elementary students go to such-and-such-middle school and then go to such-and-such high school, etc.) because they get their political support from the PTA's of those schools in those districts.

(Karen Carson was a former PTA president by the way. Not picking on her. Just saying. But obviously she'd want to redraw the lines along her political base.)

Politics. That's their real interest. It always is. Don't let them fool you into believing otherwise. Remember, the glass is always half-full.

So, what about the county commissioners? What's their rooting interest in all this? Why would they care how the school board redraws the lines?

They have their own districts, you ask. It won't hurt them, you say.

No. It won't.

But you don't think for a minute that some members won't use redistricting to settle old scores with the school board, do ya?

Heh.

That's what I thought.

(For more information, the election commission has some redistricting fun facts, and meeting times and other stuff that no one probably cares about until it happens. Check it out by clicking right smack here.)