Tennessee council approves 51 Purple Star Schools, highlights outreach and training for military children

Diana McLaughlin, the state commissioner designated by the governor and chair of Tennessee’s Military Interstate Children’s Compact council, opened the meeting by describing the compact as “a state law … the rule book for how educational transfers of military children, K through 12, in a public school system or a publicly identified charter school are handled.”

The council voted by voice to approve 51 Purple Star School awardees. The motion to approve the full slate was made by Dr. Ted Horrell and seconded by Dr. Catherine Stevens; no roll-call tally was recorded on the transcript and the motion was accepted by majority voice vote. After the vote, council staff said banners and governor certificates will be shipped to schools and that visits this year will be limited because of a tight State Board of Education budget.

Why it matters: Purple Star School designation identifies school buildings that show demonstrated supports for military children, including a trained point of contact at the school and school-level resources. Council members said the award reduces the number of issues that escalate into formal compact cases because school staff have a clear contact and training to handle transitions and other military-related needs.

Council members and school liaison officers described outreach and training as central to sustaining the program. Jennifer Lundy, school liaison officer at Naval Support Activity Mid-South, said of the work with schools, “it’s constant education for our schools. When you think you’ve got it down, a new faculty member comes in and you’ve got to keep that training piece going.” Laquivia Garrett, Fort Campbell school liaison and Tennessee lead for the compact at the installation, added that “having the schools being Purple Star makes our job a little bit easier,” citing coordination across six districts that serve Fort Campbell families in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Deb Muniz, the council’s military family education liaison who manages Purple Star applications, summarized why the program was created and how it operates: the award emphasizes a trained point of contact at each school, required training for that point of contact, an accessible school website with resources, and visible activities demonstrating school support for military families. Muniz described the program’s origins and uptake: “the point of contact was a huge thing” and the award approach was chosen over regulatory mandates to encourage adoption by schools.

Council staff provided data and administrative notes during the meeting. Diana McLaughlin said federal Impact Aid for Tennessee totaled about $52 million for fiscal year 2024; she said Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools received about $1,300,000 in FY24 (she described $35,000,000 as a historical cumulative figure for CMCSS but noted uncertainty about that number in the slide comments). The council also discussed a pending proposal at the national compact level to raise state dues by about 4 percent; McLaughlin said Tennessee’s representatives on the national finance committee are seeking additional line-item detail before supporting an increase.

The meeting included operational details for schools and the council: staff will send award letters and a press-release template to schools, banners will be mailed (with Montgomery County Schools accepting consolidated delivery as a local arrangement), and staff plan limited in-person visits this year because of budget constraints. Deb Muniz said she will continue to support schools through the application process and maintain a Tennessee-specific brochure and a triannual newsletter to share best practices.

Quotes in context are from council and staff remarks during the meeting. The council characterized the Purple Star program as an education-and-outreach approach rather than a punitive regulatory program; members credited the presence of trained school liaison officers and explicit school points of contact with reducing case volume and speeding resolutions.

Votes at a glance

- Approve 51 Purple Star School awardees — Motion by Dr. Ted Horrell; second by Dr. Catherine Stevens; voice vote; outcome: approved. Notes: banners and governor certificates to be mailed to schools; limited site visits this year due to budget constraints.

Next steps noted by staff included distribution of award letters and banners, a push to publicize Purple Up (Month of the Military Child) activities in April, continued use of Compact 101 trainings from national sites, and follow-up reporting to the council at the June annual report.