Nashville mayor proposes 13% bump for schools budget. Here's what it would do

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6 days ago

Mayor Freddie O'Connell has proposed a 13% budget increase for Metro Nashville Public Schools for the upcoming fiscal year.
District leaders gathered to talk through the proposal before the Metro Nashville Council budget committee on May 22. Tensions ran high at times during the two-hour hearing. The conversation revolved around staff raises and continuing programs initially funded by federal pandemic relief money, among other things.
MNPS Director Adrienne Battle, Chief Financial Officer Jorge Robles and Board of Education Chair Freda Player were on hand to discuss the proposed $1.3 billion operating budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Several members of the MNPS board and representatives from Metropolitan Nashville Education Association were also present, looking on from the public gallery in the council chambers.
Here are five key takeaways from the discussion.
The mayor's proposed budget includes plans for a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, also known as COLA, to employee salaries. That totals out to around $18.6 million. The budget also designates $9.2 million for step increases to salaries.
If the budget is approved, Robles said, both teachers and non-teachers would see around a 5% raise between the COLA and step increases.
During the pandemic, public school districts nationwide received a large influx of federal funding known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER.
A total of $425 million flowed into MNPS through the relief fund. Some of that was used for one-time expenses as pandemic disruptions shuttered schools and forced them to switch to virtual learning. However, MNPS also used the money to place nurses in every school — something district and city leaders seek to continue as the final federal dollars are spent.
Around $15 million is earmarked in the Metro Public Health Department budget to continue staffing nurses in schools.
The proposed MNPS budget also includes $65.5 million to sustain other items initially funded by ESSER, representing the largest total cost outlined in the proposal. The funding includes added mental health resources for students, college and career readiness programs, summer school options, tutoring and more.
Here's a look at other larger costs in the proposed budget:
$44.8 million total for employee compensation (includes step raises, COLA and other costs)
$20.4 million for school-based supports for children with special needs, English learners and others
$14.6 million for textbooks
Battle also highlighted the district's ongoing push to use employees known as classroom associates as substitute teachers. The classroom associates are full- and part-time employees assigned to specific schools who are also fully trained on safety protocols and have access to professional development training.
Battle said the model has been "highly successful" and has provided stability for teachers and students alike.
"The number one piece of feedback that we received from our schools is: 'This is great. We love it. It's effective,'" Battle said.
MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted said the district now has more than 500 classroom associates. The district also has a pool of traditional substitutes who can be assigned on a day-to-day basis.
Braisted said traditional substitutes who worked more than 50% of the 2024-25 school year will be offered automatic renewals. Those who fell short of that requirement will be asked to reapply to substitute in the upcoming school year.
Councilmember Courtney Johnston kicked off a lengthy exchange with MNPS leaders by leveling criticism at the district for not submitting a line-by-line budget ahead of the hearing.
"This is, by percentage, the largest amount of money that we allocate every year," Johnston said. "This is not a budget, so it's really hard to come with educated questions around specific things."
Battle said the district submitted documentation as requested and that it also publishes a budget book each year for the public to see. She explained that MNPS operates differently than other city departments because it's governed by an elected school board that has to approve the district's budget before it can be released. She said that cycle repeats each year.
Player also chimed in to explain that the district often waits for state approval for certain allocations, and that district leaders were working up until last week to add those items to the proposed budget.
"This is not new," Battle said.
Johnston also blasted the district for using pandemic relief funds to create programs that now must be accounted for in the operating budget, saying it left taxpayers to "pick up the tab." Battle said the programs reflect heightened needs for students driven by the pandemic.
"It costs more when you're providing those unique services," Battle said. "They deserve it. They deserve to have their needs met in that way. So that is what you're seeing in some of the trade-off there."
Johnston also said the MNPS budget has increased "exponentially" since 2019. Councilmember Burkley Allen later commented that the overall budget for Nashville has increased by 70% since 2019, while the MNPS budget has increased by around 60% in that same period.
Councilmembers will conduct several more budget and finance hearings and work sessions in the weeks to come before finalizing the city budget. The full council will vote on the budget within the month of June. The school board will then vote on the finalized budget ahead of the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at [e-mail]. You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville schools: Inside the mayor's 13% budget increase proposal