MNPS staff weigh options after governor calls special election; no calendar decision made

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools staff told the Governance Committee that a governor-called special election to fill the U.S. House seat of Mark Green includes Oct. 7 and Dec. 2 as election dates and will affect about 20 school sites used as polling places; staff presented options to minimize disruption to students and families but did not request action at the meeting.

"On July 24, we were advised by the election commission that the governor had called a special election ... The dates for the election were set by the governor as being October 7 and December 2," Chief Operating Officer Morris Sullivan said, describing the timeline and the fact that parts of Congressional District 7 lie in Davidson County.

Sullivan told the committee the district has "about 20 sites that will be impacted" and that staff are evaluating options including closing school on those dates and using inclement-weather days, swapping professional-development days into the election dates, or seeking a waiver from the Tennessee Department of Education. No recommendation was requested that day; staff said they would return with a proposed course of action.

Board members raised safety, security and logistics concerns. Member Taylor, who said he serves as a poll official, asked whether the election commission or state provides funding for additional security; staff replied, "To our knowledge, they do not provide any funding for that." Sullivan said the district has been working with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the election commission to assess safety plans but noted the two institutions may prioritize different concerns.

Other board members emphasized impacts on families and staff if the district uses inclement-weather or makeup days. Staff said using inclement-weather days to cover election closures would mean either extending the school year past Memorial Day or replacing other scheduled days (for example, professional-development days), and that some options would require approval from the Tennessee Department of Education. "There are some HR complications with how many days fall within a pay window," staff said, and they have reached out to other districts to learn how they are responding.

Committee discussion included operational suggestions such as asking the election commission whether precincts can be consolidated to reduce the number of polling sites and whether alternative on-site arrangements (for example, using a portable classroom as an isolated polling room) would be feasible; staff cautioned that moving portables is expensive and could be infeasible on the timeline. A committee member urged staff to "lean away from anything that requires state approval" given the unpredictability and potential delay in receiving waivers.

No formal action was taken. Staff said they would return to the full board with a recommendation, including proposed messaging for families and staff, and would seek to provide that recommendation ahead of the next board meeting if a decision is required.