Nashville Mayor Proposes Additional $100 Million For Metro Public Schools
Image Credit: Mayor John Cooper / Twitter
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
While Nashville Mayor John Cooper has proposed a $100 million budget increase for Metro Public Schools, some advocates say that still is not enough to provide the pay that some system employees deserve.
The city has provided resources to allow for higher pay for teachers and support staff over the last few years. This year’s plan includes a raise for school administration such as principals and vice-principals.
Sara Duran serves as the organizing director for the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association. She says the high cost of living in the Nashville area combined with recent inflation still makes it hard for some employees to survive on their current salaries.
Duran says that one group in particular still makes well below the standard that the mayor has previously stated. She says substitute teachers need to receive a pay increase as well, for the sake of the district as a whole.
When a school district fails to adequately pay substitute teachers, it is harder to find people to fill those positions. If there are not enough substitutes, schools often resort to having teachers take on extra students or cover classes during their planning periods.
“It comes down to a retention issue,” Duran stated. “If our teachers are constantly the ones who are having to cover these classes, they’re getting burnt out. They’re ending up leaving.”
The district has noted that, while they are not working towards a pay increase for subs at this time, they are working to hire more of their substitute teachers as “general school assistants”. This position pays more and would allow those individuals to be eligible for benefits as well.
The mayor’s proposed budget would also include additional funding for veteran teachers. The district is hoping to retain more of those teachers to serve as mentors for new teachers coming in to the school system.
The budget will be voted on by the Metro Council in June. A budget hearing with the board of education is scheduled for May 22nd.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
Yep, that’s the answer alright, throw more money at it. The correct answer is to hold teachers and administers accountable. Monetary incentives across the board have never worked any improvement in scholastic achievement but individual monetary incentives work in spite of the protestations of the unions. In particular, aside from throwing money at everything, parents should have the right and ability to have nonproductive personnel including administrators removed by a two thirds vote of legal voters.
Throw money down the drain. Want the answer, Get rid of the Unions, Tenure, and far left teachers/ administration and start teaching the basics to further education to be a good citizen and a job, NOT teach the WOKE, Trans or any other GARBAGE.
So $100 million will suddenly teach students to read, cat, dog , run, play, girl, boy.
Abolish tenure in all tax funded schools and colleges.
Abolish all marxist teachings.
Illuminate the 100% failure of socialism, starting with original Mayflower Compact that lead to the creation of conservatism and property ownership.
Abolishe case based law courses, revert to original laws study, ie prior to Woodrow Wilson changing methodology.
Show Labor Day that it truly is an outdated misnamed recognition of socialism.
Teach US Constitution and Bill of Rights in grades 1- 4yr undergraduate.
All positions Merit based.
Move “in-service” days to scheduled after hours zoom or Saturdays.
Change schedule to year round. Christmas break.
Easter break.
July 4th break.
Fall break.
Thanksgiving break.
This could be really easy to do if parents legal residents were more engaged, if just ONE County would change and prove effectiveness others would follow.