MNPS would receive an additional $100M in proposed budget, but Nashville teachers union says subs are getting left out

Nashville Mayor John Cooper is proposing an additional $100 million for Metro Schools next year. A group that represents Nashville teachers said they’re glad for the investment, but that some education workers still need better pay.

Over the past few years, Cooper’s administration has allocated hundreds of millions in new recurring spending for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Much of that money has gone toward better pay for Metro teachers and support staff. This year, the city plans to raise pay for in-school administrators like principals and vice principals.

“We definitely have seen a turn away from sort of the austerity that we used to have as the norm for funding Metro Nashville Public Schools,” said Sara Duran, organizing director for the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association.

But, she said, Nashville’s high cost of living and inflation still put pressure on workers.

One group Duran said needs a pay bump is substitute teachers. She said some substitutes are making well below the $18.50 an hour minimum wage the mayor touted in his State of Metro speech. 

“It comes down to a retention issue,” Duran said. “If our teachers are constantly the ones who are having to cover these classes, they’re getting burnt out. They’re ending up leaving.”

Pay increases for day-to-day substitute teachers did not end up on the district’s wishlist. But MNPS is trying to transition more day-to-day subs into “general school assistants,” who get paid more and can be eligible for benefits.  

The union also advocated for longevity pay for veteran teachers. 

“It’s so important for us to be doing everything we can to retain those teachers,” Duran said. “They have the institutional knowledge. They can act as mentors to brand new teachers.”

Duran said that mentorship is especially important as teachers across the country are quitting at higher rates. Meanwhile, fewer people have been training to become teachers.

The mayor’s proposed budget would fund longevity pay for seasoned educators, though likely not at the level the district had asked for, according MNPS Board Member Emily Masters.

The Metro Council is expected to vote on the city’s budget in June. The council has scheduled a budget hearing with the board of education for May 22.