Guest Column

With the issue of the school board redistricting being in the news I asked County Commissioner Robert Stevens if he'd like to do a guest column on the subject to address the issue. Here is his first guest column for "This is Smyrna, TN."

Fair and equal representation is the backbone of our democracy. That is why I and some of my colleagues on the County Commission have been adamant about revisiting the makeup of the county’s school board and road board zones that are based on a 20+ year old map. Over much opposition, the Commission voted 12-7 at its November meeting to reconvene the Redistricting Committee and simply study the zones to determine whether to keep the existing lines or recommend modifications.

We should modify our school board and road board zones. For example, District 4, which encompasses a sprawling area from west LaVergne all the way to Eagleville and Midland, is no longer a contiguous district—it is made up of two unconnected islands (which is legally questionable). The City of LaVergne is divided into three zones, with LaVergne being the small part of each district. This makes it very difficult for a LaVergne resident to get elected, and it encourages elected officials to focus their time on the “majority” area of their districts, thus leaving LaVergne behind. Finally, one district in the middle of the county literally looks like a boat anchor (or a chicken foot), and another district on the east side encompasses much rural area, only to narrowly jut out into the western portion of the county in west Murfreesboro. The point: there is no logic or reason whatsoever in our current districts, and the people we represent deserve better.

When the Redistricting Committee redrew the County Commission district lines a few months ago, it adhered to three standards: contiguity, compactness, and common areas in the same district. These are certainly the appropriate standards to follow in the redistricting process. However, the committee did not spend a single minute looking at the school board or road board map, and therefore did not apply the standards to those districts. After much input from citizens, all I and the others want from the Commission is to apply these standards to the school board and road board districts and redraw them in a logical fashion.

Retooling the map is a complicated issue, both legally and practically, but it can be done. I came up with three alternatives in a short amount of time. With the technology available, the Redistricting Committee can easily create a sensible alternative in short order. Most of LaVergne can be grouped into its own school board district, which will allow that member to focus on that area’s schools, instead of also considering the needs of a sprawling rural district. Smyrna can also be drawn into a district that covers most of its residents. Also, the remainder of the county can be reshaped into districts that are more compact and focus on areas with similar interests. This will allow school board and road members to serve without divided loyalties and spend less time traversing the county.

In summary, the school board handles about 75% of the county budget each year, and making sure we have the best representation possible to decide how our school system will operate is a valid inquiry. To me, spending a few more weeks on the issue to study it and make an informed decision is a no-brainer. We must continue to pursue this issue until the map is modified, or until all available avenues are exhausted. I sincerely hope that the County Commission will modernize from the “status quo” and ensure fair and equal representation for each citizen of this county; you deserve no less.

Summer school lunch program

The following schools will be participating in the summer lunch program to make sure shildren have access to good meals during the summer.

Participating schools are
• Cedar Grove Elementary, 354 Chaney Road
• John Colemon School, 100 Wise Drive
• Roy Waldron School, 125 Floyd Mayfield Drive
• Smyrna Elementary, 1001 Sam Davis Road
• Smyrna Middle, 712 Hazelwood Drive
• Stewartsboro Elementary, 10479 Old Nashville Highway

More details on price and such in the article.

School Project test post II

Looks like too many players in one post might mess them up. This is the last two parts of the interview.

Section three


Section four


All sections can be directly gotten to and downloaded at a website I set up to host the files temporarily.

School Project test post

A little over a week ago I sat down with a group of refined people and started to talk about the history of the streets of Smyrna. here is the first section of that group discussion. The sound is bad, and you can hear us rattling the two large maps we had, but it was a fun experience.

Section one


Section two



I had to lower the bit rate to get the files to a managable size, and that does lower the quality some. I am using a free MP3 player that is simplicity in itself to use.

This coming week I should have two more interviews, one with another Johns who is a historian, and one with an ex-mayor of Smyrna. I did have an interview this last week with Frank Johns, but the digital recorder refused to record so I cannot share that one.

Currently I have a pile of notes, a long recording, and some maps set up. Less then I wish I did, but still moving forward.

Teachers have the tools.

As a homeowner and tax payer I know that my money is going for schools. I don't have children but know of many children that are in school and having trouble with grades.

My question is this: I have seen the websites that are given to teachers to let the students and parents know what is going on in the classroom each week. Well many teachers are not using the websites to let us know. I saw a teacher at one of the middle school at the start of this school year and this teacher had pictures posted of her daughter's wedding. Why are you using this site to post family pictures and not using it as it was meant to be. I talked with a parent recently and he stated that he talked with a vice principle of the school his child attends and stated that he knows the teachers are not using their websites as they should. If the tools are there for you to use to help the students then use it!

The parents of children who are struggling in school are not able to see what they can do to help their children or even do extra credit. Extra credit is not given unless it's needed is what was told by one parent recently. If a student is failing then why not give the child a chance to do extra credit?

On another note, if a child is doing poorly why not have a parent teacher confernce but on the report card it states none needed at this time? It seems to me that we need to hold the school system accountable since they are being paid by us!

I would love for you to comment and let me know your thoughts!

What is in your air?

A USA Today news article has some bothered, and some not about the air quality in a local school.

During an eight-month investigation, USA Today found that potential problems associated with air quality in schools across the country. Some schools in Middle Tennessee were included in its problem list.

But state and local school leaders dismissed the study, which used the Environmental Protection Agency "model to track the path of industrial pollution and mapped the locations of almost 128,000 schools to determine the levels of toxic chemicals outside," according to USA Today.

According to the study, one of the most vulnerable schools in the nationwide survey is John Coleman Elementary School in Smyrna.

There is little online about the study and how they got their numbers, but it is interesting.

No school trips for the near future

The Tennessee department of Education has halted all over-night field trips for Rutherford county schools and I suspect there are a lot of unhappy parents.

Rutherford County Board of Education is breaking state law, according to Tennessee Department of Education, and students may not have any field trips until the matter is cleared up.

The Department of Education issued a legal opinion Monday. The opinion said the school board is in violation of state law that requires school systems to have a policy to waive school fees for students who receive free or reduced lunch.

“This is not a matter in which the school board has discretion,” wrote Christy Ballard, the department of education’s general council, “this is a statutory requirement with the subject matter at issue clearly addressed by the Tennessee State Board of Education.”

I'm not sure if this includes band trips where they travel to competitions or not, but if anyone with kids out there that are affected by thes wish to comment please do so.

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