Educators, parents and union organizers urge council to protect MNPS funding

Several educators, school board members and union organizers urged the Metro Nashville Council Budget & Finance Committee to approve Councilmember Sharon Porterfield's substitute budget and to avoid proposed cuts to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS).

At the committee meeting, multiple speakers said cuts in the substitute budget would reduce class supports and jeopardize recovery programs established after the pandemic. Zach Young, who said he serves on the Metro Nashville Board of Public Education, thanked Chair Porterfield for assembling the substitute and urged councilmembers to “do what's right for our students and support the chair substitute budget.”

Erin O'Hara-Block, who said she serves on the Metro Nashville Board of Education, told the committee that the investments in MNPS over recent years contributed to “historic gains” in graduation and student achievement. She said evidence-based approaches funded by the city — including high-impact tutoring, summer learning and educator pay — are producing measurable results and that continued funding is needed to stay on that trajectory.

A new teacher, Brooke Leisure, said a proposed $54,400,000 cut to the MNPS budget would be “a direct hit to our classrooms,” with larger class sizes, fewer support staff and more teacher burnout. Tamika White, who identified herself as a resident in Councilmember Sean Parker’s district, said cuts would eliminate the 3% cost of living adjustment and “jeopardize promising scholar programs.”

Dr. Stacy Elliott, a union organizer for the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA) and a resident of District 16, criticized state funding formulas and said cutting Metro contributions would be “a deranged form of self-sabotage.” Elliott urged improved ongoing budget transparency from MNPS leadership so the public can see a line-by-line accounting of district spending.

Why it matters: Councilmembers heard public comment immediately before the committee considered the citywide budget substitute. Speakers described the local impact of proposed reductions on classrooms and student recovery programs and asked the council to maintain or increase school funding to preserve recent academic gains.

What the speakers asked for: Speakers repeatedly asked the Budget & Finance Committee to (1) approve Chair Porterfield’s substitute budget as presented; (2) preserve teacher pay increases and the 3% cost-of-living adjustment; and (3) continue funding for high-impact tutoring, summer programming and promising scholar initiatives.

Committee context: The public-comment appeals were followed by an extended committee debate on the chair substitute budget and numerous amendments. Several of the items speakers mentioned—teacher pay, summer learning, tutoring and the promising scholars program—were explicitly discussed when the committee reviewed the substitute budget.

Taper: The committee proceeded directly from public comment to budget deliberations and votes.