Starfish is a new approach to improving student achievement for those that need it the most. The Board of Education, recognizing this success, will begin to assume a portion of the necessary funding. But the need continues to outstrip our current capacity. Over the course of visiting 106 of our public schools, I am now more convinced than ever that it is the effectiveness and the leadership of an excellent principal that brings those outstanding teachers together and helps create a school environment where teaching and learning flourish. I want to lend my support and effort to the creation of a Leadership Academy, where existing or prospective school principals can be trained to be the outstanding leaders that a school needs them to be.
Education is key to our vision of Nashville for the new century.
It will determine our ability to maintain a vibrant economy. Now we must look beyond our own boundaries toward a future of regional growth and cooperation. Yesterday we took a first step together with our neighbors in Rutherford, Wilson and Trousdale Counties. County Executives Nancy Allen, Robert Dedman and Pat Fergusson sat down with me to sign an historic agreement that commits us to work together for the first time to improve the quality of the workforce for our region under the federal Workforce Investment Act. We could have chosen to work alone, but we realize that the growth of this region benefits all of us.