Raise It High, Karen: School Board Votes 5-4 To Approve Rezoning

By Kleinheider Posted on July 8, 2008 at 9:30 pm

By a five to four vote, Metro’s school board passed the the Community Task Force on Student Assignment’s revised recommendations on rezoning. Karen Y. Johnson joined the four white members of the board (Fox, Warden, Glover and North) in voting to affirm the plan.

Members George Thompson and Ed Kindall, as promised, took the lead in opposing the plan citing the infamous Garcia memos and the NAACP’s vocal opposition. In a spirited address, featuring charts, Kindall attempted to rebut the plan laid out by Mark North in a presentation preceding his remarks. In contrast to the silence during North’s presentation, Kindall’s speech moved several members of the audience to offer audible positive affirmations.

Three motions in total were made. One, by Kindall, to defer the vote to a later date and another by Thompson to accept the proposal except for the controversial parts concerning the Hillsboro, Pearl-Cohn and Hillwood clusters were rejected five to four. The third and final motion to accept the proposal was passed.

As the final vote approached, media coverage by the Nashville Scene regarding a possible violation of the open meetings law was discussed. George Thompson referred to the coverage and suggested that some members should recuse themselves. Karen Johnson spoke up immediately and vociferously defended herself telling those assembled that she was in no way lobbied nor did she discuss her vote in violation of the sunshine law and that she would not be recusing herself.

At last, when the final vote was made and Karen Johnson raised her hand above her head a voice from the crowd, clearly disgusted by the side Johnson had chosen, shouted, “Raise it high, Karen.”

Johnson, who was facing the chair, Marsha Warden, with her hand roughly at head level then starred straight at the crowd in the direction of the voice and reached for the sky much like that overenthusiastic kid in the front row in elementary school and made her choice emphatic.

SEE ALSO:
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Enclave
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Channel 5
Gannett

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Tags: Jerry Maynard looked really pissed, Karen Johnson will have a challenger next time, Metro Schools, NAACP, Nashville, resegregation, rezoning