Little more than a week ago, we wrote about the hardening attitude of state government about the 17 high-priority schools in Memphis City Schools and prospects for some dramatic action by the governor.

In response to the post, we were asked by several people what the governor could do.

The answer: Pretty much anything he wants to do.

Warning Shots

That’s because the law gives Governor Phil Bredesen a sweeping array of alternatives, ranging from reduced funding to abolishing the Memphis City Schools Board.

At this point, it’s worth remembering, especially by those who describe the possibility of state takeover of these schools as “draconian,” that Memphis City Schools has had four years to correct problems at these schools.

It’s not as if a warning shot wasn’t ever fired by state government. In fact, shots were fired year after year, and even in the wake of them, state officials feel that Memphis City Schools’ officials are not serious enough about the actions needed to turn around the performance of these schools.

You Say You Want A Revolution

Reports from our district to the state resisting any changes in school leadership or jargon-laden plans that lack any strategic thread are doing nothing in Nashville so much as indicating that the Memphis district wants to appear like it’s taking action without really doing anything too revolutionary.

And yet, the revolution is at hand.

Options For The Gov

As a result of these schools moving from “improvement” to “corrective action,” the governor must pick at least one of the following options:

* He defers programmatic funds or reduce administrative funds

* He institutes and fully implements a new curriculum that is based on state academic standards, including providing appropriate scientifically-based professional development

* He replaces the Memphis City Schools employees who are relevant to the failure to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

* He removes particular schools from the control of the Memphis City Schools and sets up alternative arrangements for the public governance and supervision of these schools

* He appoints a receiver or trustee in place of the Memphis City School Board

* He abolishes or restructures the entire city district

Take Care

So, in the face of these kinds of pending decisions, how does the Memphis City Schools Board send its most powerful message to Governor Phil Bredesen about their commitment to changing things?

Apparently, by appointing a former school district administrator who’s promised to make no changes and fire no one.

Can you say caretaker?

Sending Messages

The school board seem oblivious to the need to send strong signals from Memphis to state officials about how serious they take the matter of these 17 schools.

One of the worst aspects of serving in stressful public positions in highly-charged environments, and this is especially true of school board members, is that in the midst of the battle, you are often able to convince yourself that what you are doing makes sense and you lose all ability to see how your decisions look to the outside world.

Because school board members now find themselves in the middle of the trees and unable to see the forest, they can’t grasp the common sense of getting help from an independent search firm, of finding an interim superintendent who can be an agent of change who builds on the progress started by Supt. Carol Johnson and of getting businesslike about the public’s business.

And because of it, it appears that the most effective leadership for public education in Memphis this year may well come from 210 miles to the east.