School Board budget Public Hearing shows discontent

by Rod Williams - The School Board pubic hearing on the proposed budget is only 30 minutes long.  Those wishing to speak had to sign up in advance and were limited to two minutes. Speakers call for cuts at central office rather than in the classrooms, denounce Dr. Joseph for lack of transparency, denounce being put in a position of  "of fighting over crumbs," and ask the school board to propose a larger budget and to fight for it.  

Erick E. Huth, president of the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association, the teacher's union, ​ says the school budget is full of false choices and that if Metro can afford a massive new expensive transit system that involves drilling through limestone then it can afford more for schools. He is especially disappointed that the proposed budget calls for seven fewer  social workers and says the system needs more social workers, not fewer. He calls for a "realistic" budget and says Metro cannot continue to balance its budget on the back of its kids.

The third speaker a parent of a metro school student, denounces Dr. Joseph, President Trump, pitting one school against the other, and white supremacy.

The proposed budget calls for a 2% salary increase for teachers, some says it is not enough and needs to be 5%. Several school social workers speak explaining what they do and the importance of their job.

I am surprised that no one calls for more school nurses. That was an issue last year when the approved School budget did not include all of the nurses the school board asked for. I can see a need and would have expected those who advocated for school nurses last year to resume their advocacy. Perhaps with the position of seven social workers being on the chopping block, those advocates for more school nurses concluded it would be a futile effort this year.

At almost any public hearing one hears from unhappy people, not happy people, so one should keep that in mind. Those who speak at public hearing are not representative of the public and are individual expressing their own point of view. Also, only about a dozen people spoke, so that is a small sample of those effected by the school budget. Nevertheless, from this public hearing and other sources I get the distinct impression that people are upset at school budget cuts and the way Dr. Joseph has handled the budget.

Top Stories