Mayoral Candidates' Platform:
MEGAN BARRY:
“I believe that making sure our children have access to excellent public education is the single most important thing our city government does. While we have some bright spots in our public education system, we also face some challenges. As mayor, I will engage parents and the community to create community schools, empower teachers and principals with more autonomy and resources, and ensure that every child has access to a pre-K seat so our students are kindergarten-ready and can go onto be college- and career-ready. Working together as a city, we can provide a world-class education to every child, regardless of their zip code.” |
CHARLES ROBERT BONE:
"As mayor, my mission will be: what can we do with the other 80 percent of their lives? What can we do with their after school time, their nights, their weekends, and their summers? What can we do to help families and support them in getting their kids an education that will make them successful? We know we have great programs in this city. The Nashville Public Library hosts the Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA), a nationally recognized after school program that provides free academic support and creative outlets to Metro Nashville Public School middle school students. Through Metro Parks, each of our 22 community centers offers after school and summer enrichment programs for children ages 6-14. And many of our great non-profit organizations – Oasis Center, the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, to name a few – offer opportunities for kids when they are not in school to get tutoring or mentoring from adults or to learn leadership skills. As a city, we have to increase our capacity to help and serve those children who are most at risk when they are not in school and to make this a community priority. As mayor, I’m committed to maximizing opportunities for our children’s success through a mix of in school and out of school experiences. " Click on Charles Robert Bone's website to watch his video clip on education. |
DAVID FOX:
"David believes all of Nashville’s children can learn and succeed. But that will happen only if our leaders – starting with the mayor, who sets the school system’s budget – feel the same urgency for the educational needs of other people’s children as they do for their own. By creating an excellent continuum of education from pre-K to college or technical school, we can make Nashville the best-educated city in the South by 2025. The “Nashville Way” is to find common ground, where we can build on opportunities to grow and support excellent teaching and learning, for every child regardless of situation or socio-economic status." Read more from his website. |
BILL FREEMAN:
"As mayor, I will meet weekly with the director of schools in order to keep lines of communication flowing and progress moving forward. I am fully committed to making sure each and every child in Nashville has the best education available." Click on Bill Freeman's website to read more about his response to education. |
HOWARD GENTRY:
"Our teachers work too hard on things that are outside just the pure teaching and educating of our kids. They're having to be social workers. … It's our duty as a community to step in and assist in those matters. … I don't care what we do — charter schools, Teach For America, [etc.] — it's not going to be what we want it to be … until we fill the gaps within the depressed communities to help these young people have a better environment." - Source: The Nashville Business Journal. |
JEREMY KANE:
“I am determined to make education the most successful, collaborative, and innovative thing that we do as a city. My vision is to set a culture and expectation of excellence, as I did at LEAD public schools, that will improve educational outcomes across our city. The standards I will set as mayor will not be focused on ‘teaching to the tests,’ but rooted in high academic achievement and expanding before and after-school programs in partnership with our city's vast network of neighborhood groups, nonprofits, and communities of faith. Such programs in every neighborhood will provide children with essential opportunities to learn, be enriched, and grow. I will focus on quality early childcare and childhood education programs to identify at-risk students early and connect them to resources that will give them the support and strong start they need.” |
LINDA ESKIND REBROVICK:
"As a product of Nashville public schools, I’m committed to building a world-class education system. To do this, we must replicate best practices across all of our public schools and supplement them with technology and cradle-to-career resources. All schools should have the same opportunities and flexibilities like having empowered teachers and principals." |
ARTICLES & OTHER RESOURCES: