WATE says the NCAAP alleges that the construction of Gibbs Middle School will cause Holston Middle School to become underutilized “and identifiable as a school intended primarily for black students, resulting in re-segregation.”

Of course, the construction of Hardin Valley Middle School will cause Karns High School to *remain* underutilized, too, until some charter school demands to co-locate there. I sure wish some independent government agency would investigate that, too.

Really, Holston Middle School and Karns High School are both susceptible to a charter school co-location demand, if this cap plan moves forward. Allowing co-location of charters in underutilized traditional school facilities is the law, you know...

No wonder "top talent" is fleeing.

Here's what student demographic data at Tennessee's State Report Card reveal as to the percentage of white students at various locales system wide:

Among all KCS schools, 73.1%

At Gibbs Elementary, 91.4%

At Carter Elementary, 91.7%

Note: This is a cross-post of an item Dante's Beatrice posted on the thread entitled Bean: McIntyre supporter comes after Armstrong but which topic actually relates to this thread concerning the OCR having recently opened an investigation of the Gibbs Middle School project. Hope you don't mind that I duplicated it over here, Dante.

Submitted by Dante's Beatrice (not verified) on Tue, 2016/01/19 - 9:40am.
(in reply to ann v.)

Here is a copy of the letter sent by the local NAACP (Jan 19,2016) to Knox County Commission concerning the proposed MOU and the proposed construction of the new Gibbs Middle School.This is an effort to establish a cause of action due to bad faith in the matter of the MOU that would support an OCR intervention and, perhaps, a federal lawsuit against the KCS for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI .There will be more to come on this matter.
..............................................................

KNOXVILLE BRANCH NAACP (#5596)
PO Box 14096, Knoxville, TN 37914
Rev. Dr. John A. Butler, President
865-617-2603 | johnanthonybutler@gmail.com

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

January 19, 2016

Knox County Commission
City County Building
Suite 603
400 Main Street
Knoxville, TN 37902

Re: Postpone or Do Not Approve New School Building Contracts

Knoxville Branch NAACP opposes Knox County Commission approval of construction contracts for new Knox County schools at this time because construction of the proposed schools will likely result in an unjustified, adverse disparate impact on students of color.

On November 13, 2015, the Knoxville Branch NAACP requested that the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), investigate concerns relating to the discriminatory use of Capital Funds for new school construction by Knox County School District.

On December 18, 2015, the Knoxville Branch NAACP, as well as the Knox County School District, was informed that the OCR will investigate “whether the District’s plan for the construction of Gibbs Middle School will result in re-segregation, in noncompliance with Title VI.”

Knoxville Branch NAACP respectfully yet strongly insists that the Knox County Commission cease any further action on school construction or construction decisions until completion of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights investigation and potential mediation process.

“As a recipient of Federal financial assistance from the Department, the District is subject to the provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42U.S.C. §§2000d et seq., and its implementing regulation, 34 C.F.R. Part 100, which prohibit discrimination on the bases of race, color, and national origin.”

The Knox County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session on Monday, June 15, 2015 and approved R-15-6-101-SS – “Resolution of the Commission of Knox County, Tennessee, approving an Intragovernmental Memorandum of Understanding between and among the Knox County Commission, the Knox County Board of Education, and the Knox County Mayor regarding teacher compensation, the building of a Gibbs Middle School and a Hardin Valley Middle School” and entered into the agreement on July 1, 2015.

Therefore, the Knox County Commission, in partnership with the Knox County Schools, may be subject to findings of violation of the provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42U.S.C. §§2000d et seq., and its implementing regulation, 34 C.F.R. Part 100, if the Knox County Commission approves the building contracts or proceeds with construction activities prior to the findings provided by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, and/or until a potential remediation process is completed.

Therefore, to ensure equal educational opportunities for all Knox County students, the Knoxville Branch NAACP respectfully yet strongly insists that the Knox County Commission’s decision be postponed or not approved until completion of the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights investigation.

Respectfully,

Rev. Dr. John A. Butler, President
Knoxville Branch NAACP

Attachments - 3

Cc:
Gloria Sweet-Love, President, TN NACCP
Bradford Berry, General Counsel-NAACP National Office
Victor Goode, Interim Director of Education-NAACP National Office

Note: And this is a second cross-post from the thread referenced above, this letter also shared by Dante's Beatrice.

Submitted by Dante's Beatrice (not verified) on Tue, 2016/01/19 - 10:08am.
(in reply to Dante's Beatrice)

Here is a copy of the "original" letter sent to the OCR by the local NAACP concerning the MOU and the potential violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.The NAACP claims that this pattern of behavior on the part of Dr McIntyre/KCS and Knox County government :....
(1)will “have an unjustified, adverse disparate impact on students based on race and/or national origin.” ...and...
(2)will “re-segregate” Knox County schools through the use of new capital construction

Stay tuned..This could get very interesting.No wonder Broadie Mac wanted to grab his"Golden Parachute" and jump

KNOXVILLE BRANCH NAACP (#5596)
PO Box 14096, Knoxville, TN 37914
Rev. Dr. John A. Butler, President
865-617-2603 | johnanthonybutler@gmail.com
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

November 6, 2015

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
61 Forsyth St. S.W., Suite 19T10
Atlanta, GA 30303-8927

To the Office of Civil Rights:

The purpose of this letter is to ask the Office of Civil Rights to investigate concerns we have with Knox County and the Knox County Schools (912 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902). We feel that this investigation will be both alarming and telling of the discrepancies as it relates to the investment of tax payer capital resources. Over the last five (5) years, over $70M - $100M has been invested in Capital Funds for new school construction by Knox County/Knox County Schools.

Schools have been replaced and new schools have been built only in communities with 95% white population. Conversely, minimal dollars or no new construction in schools with African-American population greater than 5%. We feel that this practice will “re-segregate” Knox County schools through the use of new capital construction. Examples include:
Carter Elementary
Gibbs Elementary
Funding by the County Mayor and the County Commission and vote by the Knox County Board of Education to build a new Gibbs and Hardin Valley Middles Schools in 2016-2017.

While we do not oppose construction of community schools, studies paid for by the Knox County schools system and the Knox County government have revealed that capacity is not the reason for new construction in most cases, especially with Carter Elementary and the funding for a new Gibbs Middle School.

We believe these practices will “have an unjustified, adverse disparate impact on students based on race and/or national origin.” It is our concern that this discriminate use of Capital Funds for new school construction by Knox County/Knox County Schools will dismantle a previous agreement that Knox County schools has with the Office of Civil Rights concerning desegregation; (link...).

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. John A. Butler, President
Knoxville Branch NAACP

Cc:
Gloria Sweet-Love, President, TN NACCP
Bradford Berry, General Counsel-NAACP National Office
Victor Goode, Interim Director of Education-NAACP National Office

Sandra Clark has an extremely helpful column in this week's Shopper.

"Winners, losers in school rezoning" recaps--via notes from the late BOE member Diane Jablonski--all the particulars concerning the school closures and consolidations effected when KCS previously had to comply with an order to desegregate from the Office of Civil Rights, in 1991 (and it's embarrassing to have just now typed that year, recent as it was in our history).

"Some think Gibbs was the only community impacted by the 1991 plan," Sandra writes, but offers that that's "not true."

From her column, below is context from Diane, who served on the task force to have hammered out the desegregation plan:

Elementary schools: 8 closed

Three in North Knox: Brownlow, Lincoln Park and Oakwood, with a new Christenberry built to replace them.

Three in South Knox: Flenniken, Anderson and Giffin, with Dogwood built to replace them.

Two in East Knox: Eastport and Fairgarden, which became a preschool. Three others: Sarah Moore Greene, Green Elementary and Beaumont were enlarged and established as magnet schools – the elementary base of the desegregation agreement.

Middle schools: 6 closed

South and Doyle were consolidated into South-Doyle Middle School, located at the old South-Young High School.

Christenberry and Spring Hill were closed as middle schools and the students were disbursed to the
newly formed Holston Middle and to Whittle Springs.

Beardsley Middle was closed.

At Gibbs, the middle school was a program within the existing Gibbs High School, administered by a high school assistant principal.

Those students were sent to the new Holston Middle School. High school students from Holston were zoned to Gibbs High.

Vine was designated as the middle school magnet and expanded.

High schools: 3 closed

Rule High was closed with its students zoned to West, Fulton and Central. The campus stands empty 20 years later.

South-Young High closed and reopened as South-Doyle Middle. Doyle High expanded into the former Doyle Middle School, a building across the street, in order to accommodate the students from South-Young.

Holston closed as a high school and reopened as a middle school. Most of its high school population went to Gibbs with some going to Carter or Austin-East.

A-E was renovated as the high school magnet.

Thanks to Diane and Sandra, both, for the (recent) history lesson.