SUBSTITUTE RESOLUTION NO. RS2012-226

A resolution requesting the Capital Needs Committee of the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education to meet with the citizen advisory committee established to advocate for a new high school in the Hermitage area.

WHEREAS, in 1971, the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System (MNPS) was placed under a federal court order mandating busing in order to quickly achieve racial desegregation of the public schools serving Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County; and

WHEREAS, as part of the 1971 court order, federal authorities were involved in the administration of Nashville’s public school system; and

WHEREAS, on June 10, 1986, federal authorities ordered the closing of the DuPont High School in Hermitage; and

WHEREAS, the closing of DuPont resulted in McGavock being the only public high school located in the Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory suburban communities; and

WHEREAS, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County was released from the federal busing mandate in 1998, which resulted in MNPS adopting the Commitment to Excellence desegregation plan; and

WHEREAS, the Commitment to Excellence desegregation plan was supported by the School Improvement Plan (SIP) which outlined the capital needs of the public schools; and

WHEREAS, noticeably missing from the SIP was a new high school for the Hermitage-Old Hickory community of the McGavock Cluster; and

WHEREAS, the McGavock Cluster Capital Needs Committee was organized to review the capital needs of each school of the McGavock cluster that were absent from the SIP; and

WHEREAS, the Committee met from May 25, 2000 to April 23, 2001 with the administration of each school within the McGavock cluster; and

WHEREAS, the final meeting of the Committee recommended a list of priority projects for the McGavock cluster; and

WHEREAS, the Committee Report was given to the Mayor and the Board of Education in July 2001; and

WHEREAS, city officials have failed to address this top priority project as designated by the McGavock Cluster Capital Needs Committee Report; and

WHEREAS, with a population of 60,007, the Hermitage-Old Hickory community is the second most populous suburb of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County; and

WHEREAS, a citizen advisory committee has been formed in the Hermitage-Old Hickory area to advocate for the construction of a new high school; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Board of Education Capital Needs Committee meet with this citizen advisory committee regarding the construction of a new high school in the Hermitage-Old Hickory area.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That the Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as requesting the Capital Needs Committee of the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education to meet with the citizen advisory committee established to advocate for a new high school in the Hermitage area.

Section 2. That the Metropolitan Clerk is directed to send a copy of this Resolution to Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register and to each member of the Metropolitan Board of Public Education.

Section 3. That this Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Bruce Stanley, Darren Jernigan