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Principals and counselors urge MNPS board to retain nurses, classroom associates and restorative-practice staff as budget talks continue
Summary
Multiple principals, a counselor and community advocates told the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education that school nurses, classroom associates, restorative-practice staff, advocacy coaches and safety ambassadors are essential to student health, attendance and instructional time as the district finalizes its budget.
Several principals, a licensed counselor and community advocates urged the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education on May 20 to keep funding for nurses, classroom associates, restorative-practice staff, advocacy coaches and safety ambassadors as the district finalizes its budget.
The speakers described how those roles affect student health, attendance and classroom instruction. Tanya Dennis, principal of Haines Middle School, said retaining the nurse is critical because one scholar at her school is fed intravenously and others must be monitored for sickle cell and diabetes. “She has developed wonderful relationships with our scholars, and it lends to and it assists…with not only academic improvement, but also our attendance,” Dennis said (Tanya Dennis, principal, Haines Middle School).
Other principals gave similar accounts. Dr. Robin Beard Tillman, principal of Brick Church Middle School (soon to be Richard Dinkins Middle Magnet School), thanked the board for budget provisions that have allowed wraparound services including nurses, classroom associates and safety ambassadors and asked the board to sustain those investments. “These provisions have allowed our schools to overcome barriers that, in the past, have served as obstacles and challenges,” Dr. Beard Tillman said (Dr. Robin Beard Tillman, principal, Brick Church Middle School).
Dr. Angela Burns, interim executive principal at Alex Green Design Technology Magnet School, said the nurse, classroom associates and advocacy coaches keep students healthy and ready to learn and called those roles “essential.” Keisha Cox, principal of Jerry Baxter Middle School, said the restorative-practice manager there has conducted more than 1,600 face-to-face conferences this year, returning students to instruction within 30 minutes to an hour and reducing exclusionary discipline.
Speakers also described operational benefits: classroom associates filled more than 200 teacher absences this year at one school, enabling continuity of instruction, and a school climate survey at another site showed the highest favorability in safety and discipline in three years after adding advocacy and safety staff. “Without classroom associates, oftentimes classes have to be split among the grade levels,” said a principal during public participation (unnamed principal; public participation).
The budget and finance committee reported an ongoing update on budget developments during the meeting and said staff will follow up with more detailed information. Committee leadership said the district may call a specially scheduled meeting to finalize aspects of the budget and that a 48-hour notice would be required if a special meeting is convened.
Board members did not take a funding vote at the meeting; public testimony and the committee update were presented as part of the record. The consent agenda was approved unanimously later in the meeting, but the budget itself remained under development.
Why this matters: speakers tied the requested funding to measurable school outcomes—attendance, instructional minutes preserved when substitutes are not available, lower exclusionary discipline and improved school climate—and asked the board to preserve positions as it completes the budget.
