The Metro Nashville Public Schools board on Tuesday held its first meeting since the start of the 2022-2023 school year. It was student board member Angelie Quimbo’s last meeting before heading off to Duke University. Hillsboro High School’s Alayna Mitchell will join Abenezer Haile, who attends Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, as a student board member.
Awards and Recognition
Director of Schools Adrienne Battle started the meeting by recognizing two MNPS employees who won national awards. Dr. Brenda Diaz, executive principal of Nashville Big Picture High School, won the 2022 Ted Sizer School Leader of the Year Award from Big Picture Learning. April Gung of Maplewood High School won the NCCEP/GEAR UP Professional of the Year Award from the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. GEAR UP is an acronym for "gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs."
Director’s Report
Following a video celebrating the start of the school year, Battle shared information about issues the school is currently focusing on, like filling staff vacancies and keeping students safe. “We still aren't in our ideal space for staff,” said Battle, who also noted that school districts and industries across the nation are experiencing shortages. Battle says MNPS has around 100 full-time certificated vacancies. To address shortages, the district can hire retired teachers who aren’t certificated but are permitted under new state laws, as well as short-term teaching positions. Battle also mentioned how principals can adjust a school’s master schedule to “balance their class sizes” and assign administrators to support classes. Battle also says the district has more bus drivers trickling in, which is much needed after last year’s transportation struggles.
Around this time last year, the board was making last-minute decisions about mask mandates. The district’s COVID-19 response is more lax this year, despite the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Masks are encouraged but not required, and the district will no longer send schoolwide alerts about COVID exposures — though it will alert families regarding classroom exposures. Following the expiration of a state law that allows those in quarantine to take online classes that count toward attendance, students will have to take excused absences if they are isolating, though they’ll still be able to access learning programs.
A central discussion leading into the new school year is security. Less than a week before school started, MNPS and the Metro Nashville Police Department announced increased police presence around schools, including elementary schools. These security measures follow the news of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. This is a short-term solution, and the district is planning to add “safety ambassadors” to elementary schools — a position the district hopes to fill with retired police officers who are unarmed, not in uniform and not responsible for disciplinary actions. District 3 representative Abigail Tylor expressed concerns about officers or safety ambassadors in the schools, citing studies “that show that when you have police officers in school, there are disproportionate negative effects for students of color and also for students who receive exceptional education services.”
“I am well aware of the studies,” said Battle. “Which is why we’ve guarded against armed and uniformed officers inside of our elementary schools. But it is my belief, the belief of my team and the belief in our partnership with [MNPD's] Chief Drake, that if we take on a dual approach with having those trained officers, armed officers outside the building to protect against external threats and also supports inside that buildings to pressure test, to make sure of safety measures in place ... that only strengthens our ability to keep out students and our staff safe.”
Public Comment
Groups that have shown up during the public comment portion of past board meetings made showings on Tuesday, including Nashville Organized for Action and Hope, which is advocating for more equitable access to advanced academics. Another group that has been frequenting board meetings includes folks advocating for more sustainable practices and education that emphasizes a focus on nature. A couple of commenters, including one student, approached the board to express dissatisfaction with the increased police presence in schools.
Governance
The main issue raised during the governance portion of the meeting included concerns from Tylor about the Wit & Wisdom curriculum, which the board was set to extend another three years. Initially, the board approved the curriculum for only three years rather than the recommended six. Tylor expressed concern with the scripted nature of the curriculum. District 8 representative Gini Pupo-Walker expressed satisfaction with it. The board voted to extend the contract, with Tylor abstaining and outgoing District 6 representative Fran Bush voting against it.
