Rutherford County board approves ESL parent classes using federal Title III funds after public support and debate
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Summary
After public comment and discussion about allowable uses of federal Title III funds, the board approved funding for ESL parent classes at two Smyrna schools, coach stipends and lead-teacher stipends; staff said parent engagement is a required allowable use under Tennessee guidance.
The Rutherford County Schools Board on a voice vote approved district plans to use federal Title III funds to run parents' English-as-a-second-language classes at Smyrna Elementary and Smyrna Primary for the 2025–26 school year.
Whitney Hoffman, a parent with two children in the district, told the board that similar programs in other counties and a longitudinal study of dual-language learners in Miami showed higher parent engagement and improved student outcomes, including better attendance and lower grade-retention risk. "The more that our parents can speak to our teachers and our staff in English, the better the outcome is for our students," Hoffman said during public comment.
Staff outlined the proposal: two teachers will be paid $25 an hour for two hours per week; semester 1 meets 12 weeks and semester 2 meets 17 weeks, with listed total payments of $1,450 per teacher for the school year. The ESL department also requested a $2,000 stipend for ESL coaches for after-school professional development and $1,000 lead stipends for ESL lead teachers at participating campuses. District staff said the program has operated since at least 2019 and attendance in prior years averaged 15–20 parents per night at sites that ran the classes.
Board members pressed for clarity about funding and alternatives. One member noted other community options such as library and church classes but said that prior participants found the district program helpful. Staff cited the Tennessee Department of Education consolidated federal spending handbook, which lists parent, family and community engagement activities as allowable under Title III. "Those parent engagement activities include providing family literacy services, parent outreach and training activities to improve English language skills," staff told the board.
A motion to approve the Title III-funded parent classes was moved and seconded; after additional discussion the board voted by voice to approve the item.
The board did not provide a detailed funding breakdown beyond the per-instructor figures and stipends in the packet. Staff said discussions about the broader federal funding picture and congressional debate over education funds will not affect Title III allocations until July 2026.
