001going to go ahead and get started with announcements prior to our regularly scheduled board meeting starting with district 1. Thank you. Good afternoon everyone. Uh I have one announcement today. Um, I wanted to uh just say our early congratulations to our students at Whites Creek High School who will be graduating tonight with an associates degree from Nashville State Community College. I told them I would shout him out at the board meeting. That's worth proud for. And just while I'm at it, just thanking Dr. battle for uh her vision and leadership with uh Dr. Jackson over at Nashville State Community College for making that happen for our students. So, we have 21 students at Whites Creek who will be graduating with their associates degree um from Nashville State, which had they'll have two years worth of
002college under their belt before they even finish high school. So, we're thankful for that. And then uh there's 27 students total that have over 30 college credit hours uh going into uh college and all of those students are going to college somewhere and uh and we're excited about that. Many of them have scholarships to go to school. So shout out to Weiss Creek over there. They're doing some amazing things and uh and I'm thankful to be the board member in that district now. Thank y'all. District 2 Overton has their graduation on Saturday at 6 o'clock at Municipal Auditorium. That's all I have. District three. District five. So, I don't have a specific school. Um, I wanted to just give a congratulations in ahead of time because we are starting graduations to all of the class
003of 2025 graduates. I mean, wow. Personally, from my own standpoint, my son is in this class as well. So, super excited to celebrate him and all of our amazing MNPS students. Um, these kids h are are just exceptional and I'm excited about their future. Um I also have one other um announcement. There's a volunteer event at Cochro Elementary that will take place June 10th um with our pencil partner Ingram as well as the Nashville Soccer Club. They're doing a hands-on event to renovate the playground area. They're going to create a mini soccer pitch, um designing walk paths, um hopscotch boards, fence art, etc. So, if you feel like you want to come out and join us, it's Tuesday, June 10, June 10th from 9 to 11 a.m. at Cochro Elementary. District 6, District 7, uh,
004no announcements. District 8. Um, I wanted to say good luck to the Hillsboro Players who are up for 15 spotlight awards this Saturday night. That's the award for, um, best performances in musical theater. Um, including one young woman who's up for, um, performance of the year. Um, and should she win that, um, she would go to New York for some like really special events. So, that's very exciting. Um, and also the Hillsboro boys lacrosse team is in the state championship on Saturday. So, um, good luck to all of those students who are up for some amazing things. District nine, yes, several congratulations. Lawson softball team is this year's district champions. So, congratulations to the softball team. Um the B Lawson baseball team is this year's district champions as well and they are the region runner
005up meaning that for the first time in school history they will be playing in sectionals. So that is going to take place this Wednesday and Thursday verse Chester County. Um there's the first sectional in school history. We're really excited about it and cheering on our boys baseball team. Um um also want to congratulate congratulate Lawson track and field because they have eight sectional champions and 17 state qualifiers advancing in 13 different events. So really really excited about um the athletics going on and um if you want to be blown away by more than just athletics, come on out to our graduation Tuesday, May 20th at Lipkcom. We'll see you there. Thank you. And I represent district 4. I just want to give a congratulations to all of the students graduating from Mhavic High School as
006well as students across our district. Really excited um four-year graduations. And I'm especially excited about all of our students who receive some form of a scholarship to go to college or some type of post-secary program. Um, and so I'm really excited about that because that only continues to grow every single year. And we're excited about the work to make it possible to close the gap for our students um once they leave high school here in Metro Nashville Public Schools. And then this last one, and he's going to um probably get me for this, but I would like Chief Chris Henson to stand up and we would Huh? Go ahead. What? Oh, sorry. You were going to do that? No. Oh. Uh, yes. But we would like to congratulate him on his retirement at the end
007of this year. [Music] Um, I know he don't like that kind of stuff, but Chris, uh, Chief Henson has been in our district for a very, very long time and he has served in multiple roles, including interim superintendent, three times, three times within our district. So, we are just grateful for all the work and your commitment to our district. I know your time is not up yet and we'll recognize you again, but I just wanted to take this time uh to say thank you for all that you do for our district. Appreciate it. And now we will conclude announce Oh, and now we will conclude announcements. We will start the board meeting in one minute. We have a quorum with eight members present. Um I would like to pledge allegiance. I would like to have
008the honorable John Ray Clemens representative to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. If you come to the podium. Thank you sir. Thank you. You join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. We like to pleasantly surprise our guest with that. So, you're not the first and you won't be the last. Um I um I will entertain a motion to accept the agenda. So moved. There is a motion. Is there a second? Second. There's a motion and a second. All in favor of approving the agenda say I oppose. All right. It passes unanimously. 8 to zero. Now I'll turn over to Dr. Battles for awards
009and recognitions. All right. Thank you so much, Sher Player. And good evening, board members. Um, we have a lot of impressive students and staff to celebrate during our last meeting of the 2425 school year. That's of course before the last day of school. So, let's jump right in. So, last month we went to the Tennessee State Capital to see an outstanding group of students get recognized on the House floor. The Tennessee House of Representatives celebrated our Hillsboro burrows for their TWSAA class 4A boys basketball championship. This is a group of young people everyone everyone wants to celebrate and honor for their incredible work and we could see how much they and their coaches were appreciated and admired by the representatives from across the state. Since not everyone could be there that morning, we've asked that
010um State Representative John Ray Clemens um come to present his resolution recognizing these wonderful and talented students. Representative Clemens, thank you so much um for celebrating the burrows both on the House floor and again here tonight. I'll turn it over to you um and then we'll take a picture with you if you don't mind before you leave. [Laughter] Well, uh thank you, Director Battle. It's an honor to join you here and to celebrate these wonderful young men and their their families and their coaches once again in another setting. Uh I come before you not only as a proud advocate and strong advocate of public schools statewide and MNPS especially, but the proud parent of three MNPS students who are uh inconveniently attending three different MNPS schools this year with three different start times. So, thank
011you for that. Uh, but as you know, um, we don't do much right at the, uh, Tennessee General Assembly when it comes to education, but every now and then, uh, we hit the bullseye. And so, we were honored, uh, to do something good and introduce, um, House Joint Resolution number 507 uh, to honor the Hillsboro Burough's men's basketball team for their outstanding achievement. Uh, I was joined in co-sponsoring this resolution by Senator Jeff Yarro, Senator Heidi Campbell, Representative Bob Freeman, who actually represents that area, who deferred to me because I actually have a student at Hillsboro, uh, who's a freshman this year on the baseball team. Uh and so again, as we said on the House floor, you know, MNPS represents excellence and we love to celebrate and I think it's appropriate for us to
012celebrate and honor those students who demonstrate excellence outside of the classroom as well as inside of the classroom. Uh head coach Rodney Thu and his assistant coaches, you know, they instill in these boys the the values of teamwork, leadership, self-discipline, and hard work. and and they uh set an example for young men like the ones I'm raising at home and many other uh children across the state of Tennessee by demonstrating excellence at the Murphy Center at MTSU. Uh they really worked hard this year. They breezed through, I would say, the district tournament fortunately and met up with Oakidge at the Murphy Center in Murphy'sboro. And many of us were there to celebrate this and I know me members of your staff and many people here today were there to see them beat Oakidge by a
013score of 57 to 42 to claim the gold ball. And it is with um great privilege and and it is my honor as a state representative to present this board with a copy original copy of this resolution that's signed by the governor and others uh to celebrate the Hillsboro burrows on the historic achievement. So thank you for having me today. Are the boys here? Where's the team? They had like one, two, three. [Applause] Thank you again, Representative Clemens. Um we know he carries a busy schedule, so we really appreciate him taking time um out of his schedule to come and celebrate our Hillsboro Burrows um once again for their 4A basketball championship victory um just a short few weeks ago. Um, so really excited about that. Um, so it is always a pleasure to recognize
014ourmies of Nashville students of the year as they prepare to graduate from our high school high schools over the next week. Each of these 12 students, that's one from each of our 12 zone high schools, have gone above and beyond in striving for excellence in representing our schools in themies of Nashville, which is our internationally known model of rigorous, relevant education in small learning communities that expose our students to career pathways throughout their high school experience. These students are leaders in and out of the classroom. They have excelled academically and in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, the arts, you name it. They have been great ambassadors for their schools and they have served their schools and the community so well. Before I in we introduce these student leaders, I want to thank
015their principles, their academy coaches, their teachers, their parents and other caregivers, the business partners who work with themies and everyone else who has played a role in their lives through high through their high school careers and their successes. Thank you as well to Dan Phillips, the director of Nashville and career and technical education for MNS and every one of the great leaders um on our AOL team. Um, a special thank you to Deote and Pencil for sponsoring our student of the year program once again this year and giving each of these students some supplies to help them start the next chapters of their lives after graduation. So, let's hear about ourmies of Nashville students of the year. I'm going to ask Michael Cass from our communications department to come up and call the names and
016provide a little information about where each student is heading after graduation. Students, when your name is called, please come up to the area in front of the board table and face this admiring audience when uh Mr. Cass calls your name and then we'll take a group photo at the end. Congratulations to each one of you and we look forward to celebrating you. Now, thank you, Dr. Battle. From Antioch High School, we have Duva Patel, who is on her way to Middle Tennessee State University. [Applause] from Can Ridge High School. The student of the year is Peace Sanulu, who will be attending Belmont University on a full ride bell tower scholarship. From Glen Cliff High School, we have Kaylee Ortiz, who is also the validictorian of Glen Cliff. And Kaylee also will be attending Belmont University
017on a full ride bell tower scholarship. From Hillsboro High School, the student of the year is Olivia Armstrong, who is on her way to Alabama&M University. From Hunter Lane High School, the student of the year is Zoja Williams, who will be attending Middle Tennessee State University. From James Lawson High School, we have Ryan Collins, who also will be attending Middle Tennessee State University. From Maplewood High School, the student of the year is Shondaanda Lockach, who is on her way to Clark Atlanta University. Shondaanda has earned a $40,000 merit scholarship. From McGavic High School, we have Elijah Sumler. Elijah has accepted an appointment to the US Air Force Academy and will attend on a full scholarship. [Applause] from John Overton High School. The student of the year is Ya Alharishi. Ya is heading to Belmont University
018on a full ride bell tower scholarship. from Pearl Cone High School. The student of the year is James Baker, who will [Applause] James will attend Tennessee CDL school to earn his commercial driver's license. [Applause] From Stratford STEM Magnet High School, we have Luis Robles, who will attend Belmont University on a full ride bell tower scholarship. And from Whites Creek High School, the student of the year is Sadie Scales, who also will graduate in a few short hours from Nashville State Community College with an associates degree as part of Whites Creek's first early college cohort. and Satie is on her way to North Carolina ENT University. [Applause] All right, can we have our board members? Could you join us up front and take a picture of your Okay, [Music] just I'll put it All right. One,
019two, Our schools are going to come quickly picture of the year. We don't need of ourmies of Nashville students of the year. Last but not least, um earlier this year, the MNS energy team launched its first districtwide high school video project. This initiative invited students to create a professional training resource to promote our district's ongoing commitment to energy conservation. Through this project, students gain real world experience and professional video production, collaboration with energy and engineering professionals, and a deeper understanding of energy conservation and its impact on our schools. I'm excited to announce that the winning video comes from none other than Nashville School of the Arts. So, we're going to take a quick peek at it now. It's a short video and then I'll tell you about the team behind the work. [Music] Heat. [Music]
020[Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] So great job to the team. I am going to call your names and I just ask for you to come up front and then we'll get a group photo at the end. Nice. The NSA students who created this entertaining, informative, and delightful video are Yolani Chiros. Is Yolani here? Mark Mahini [Applause] Mahini. Anna Lee Arasco, Estelle Partardo and Daniela Stratton. And as they're coming up, let's also give it up for their teacher, Brian Stinson, who teaches film as well as advanced placement US history at NSA. come on up. And as he is coming up, I also want to give a big shout out to the MNS energy team, which not only created this project, but worked tirelessly year round to remind us all to conserve energy whenever and wherever
021we can, which is good for the environment, good for our buildings, and good for our budget, too. So, thank you to Energy Education Specialist Kelly Kerry. Energy manager Michelle Lascero and engineer Peter And they're all under the leadership of MNPS executive director facility maintenance and construction Casey Mego. [Applause] Let's give it up one more time for our NSA winning team as we take a group photo. [Applause] Good job. All right. One, two, [Applause] I was thinking about you just the other day. All right, board. Um, chair, I will turn it back over to you. Had one other um, but she's not here, so I'm going to hold it until the next board meeting. All right. Thank you very much. We are at a tight uh timeline due to the graduation uh for our early college
022at Nashville State. Um and so we're going to go move into public participation. Um and so if you signed up for public participation, we are going to that to do that next. So um you will have two minutes to speak. You can come up to the podium and there is a timer um at the end where member Tyler is sitting um where you'll have the countdown. So Tanya Dennis Good afternoon to Dr. Battle and distinguished members of the board. I am Tanya Dennis, the proud principal of Hannes Middle School where we serve currently 259 scholars. Of those 259 scholars, I cannot stress the importance of the role that our nurse plays at Hannes. Uh we currently have a scholar who is fed introvenously. We also have scholars that must be monitored for syca cell and
023diabetes. But most importantly she has a wonderful wit. Um she has developed wonderful relationships with our scholars and it lends to and it it it assists excuse me with not only academic improvement but also our attendance. Lastly, I I do want to share that Hannes being a part of the 37207 zip code is an area for food deserts. When we are monitoring our navigator data, uh one of our top three is student illness. So, not only has she developed those relationships, she also assists us in providing things such as proper hygiene, uh, proper eating, and so it is a must that we retain our school nurse because she is truly an asset for our school. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Robin Beard Tilman. Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Robin Beard Tilman, principal
024of Brick Church Middle School or what will soon be Richard Denkins Middle Magnet School. Also also in two minutes also in the 37207 Whites Creek cluster. Um I'm happy to be here today because I want to thank the board and Dr. Battle um and just acknowledge the provisions that the budget has afforded us over the past few years. These provisions have allowed our schools to overcome barriers that um in the past have served as obstacles and challenges. And though there will always be challenges, it's humbling to know that the board has continued to support us in terms of providing support such as the nurses that she spoke about, community achieve safety ambassadors, classroom associates, restorative practices, just wraparound services that our students so desperately need. Um, as an administrator, mother, wife, human being, I understand
025um what it means to make difficult decisions and have to put be put in a position to prioritize what matters. I also understand when some things cause for a greater sacrifice and a deeper investment. Um, thus I appreciate the board and uh for realizing and proving that meeting the needs of our students is worth the sacrifice and the investment. So, thank you for that. Um, as you all plan for the upcoming school year, I want you to be assured and insured that we feel and we appreciate your investment in our students. It has been a great benefit again with the wraparound services throughout the district that support all of our students and allow us to focus on giving our students the educational opportunities that they deserve. Um, and we hope that this upcoming school year
026as you're considering the budget that we are again afforded these same opportunities. So, thank you again. Thank you very much, Angela Burns. Had to bring the mic down a little short. Good afternoon, everyone. distinguished board members as well as Dr. Battle. My name is Dr. Angela Burns and I am the interim executive principal for Alex Green Design Technology Magnet School. Alex Green Design Technology Mag School. We believe in building a strong and supportive environment that helps every student strive not just academically but socially and emotionally. The three key roles that contribute to the vision predominantly are classroom associate, nurse and advocacy from managing chronic conditions to promoting wellness. Her work keeps us our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn. A healthy child is a learning child, and nurse Kelly makes that possible. As our
027advocacy coach, she plays a powerful role as well in helping students navigate challenges, build confidence, and and set goals. This position helps bridge the gap between home, school, and community, ensuring that every child has someone in their corner advocating for their success and well-being. Together, these roles make a make Alex Green not just a school, but a community of care. They embody our vision to educate the whole child and prepare them for such a bright and beautiful future. Thank you. Thank you, Kesha Cox. [Music] Good afternoon, Dr. Battle and distinguished board members. I am Kesha Cox, the proud principal of Jerry Baxter Middle School in the Maplewood Cluster. Um, first of all, I want to say thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your support and commitment to the scholars and teachers and leaders here
028in the MNS. And when I think of MNS schools, I think about the Bentley of cars. Um, meaning that when you have a luxury um environment, there comes with it become comes some um amenities. So, with that, I would like to talk about the gas that makes the car go. our restorative practice manager at Jared Baxter. To date, our restorative practice manager has had over 1,600 face-to-face conferences with our scholars in which they return to the learning environment within 30 minutes to an hour. Um, it's also a practice of our restorative practice manager. Um she also offers layered supports um that's essential to building the whole child and helping scholars restore whatever that is that needs to be repaired. And in that um it has really provided us with avenues to exclude and not even
029explore those exclusionary discipline practices. Um and in that we have reported a decrease in our students who have received um OSS assignments and an increase in our attendance matters across the board. Um in addition another gas essential that I would like to speak about our classroom associates at Jerry Baxter. We have 20 classroom teachers and in that we have three to five absences per day. our classroom associates were able to fill over 200 absences and or vacancies this year. So again, we want to thank you for your commitment and support to building schools and to ensuring that every scholar is known through wraparound services. Uh sorry, Ashley Roby, I was looking ahead on my schedule. Good afternoon. I am Dr. Ashley Roby. I'm the principal at East Nashville Magnet Middle School. I'm also a proud
030graduate of Hunter Lane High School. Um, so today I do want to thank you for the opportunity to tell my story about the impact that support roles have had on me as a student and now as a principal here in MNS. While schools have always prioritized educating students in preparation for academic and professional endeavors, certainly the largest impact on me as a student was the experience and life lessons I learned about myself and how the world works. Attending school for the youngest and oldest of students is just as much about learning who they are as a person and how to live a healthy life as it is about learning skills for career and college readiness. That is why I'm advocating for funding roles like restorative practice assistants, school nurses, and classroom associates. These positions aren't
031just nice to have. They're essential for building a school culture where students can thrive academically and as individuals. Advocacy coaches and restorative practice assistants provide an immediate safe space for students to practice calming strategies, identify their feelings, and reflect on their choices. When students have opportunities to repair harm and resolve conflict, they feel valued, develop empathy, and build confidence. Providing students with resources and strategies for dealing with their emotions helps them mature into adolescence and adults who know how to make healthy decisions and who understand how their actions impact the people around them. As a student in MNS schools, I vividly remember the teachers who made me feel special, the counselors who encouraged me, and the people who listened to my ideas. It was not until my junior year of high school that I utilized
032social emotional supports at school through my counselor to understand my emotions and helped me walk through a plan for continuing my academic success. It was a life-changing moment that provided me with the strategies I still use today when I'm feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Thank you for providing these supports for my students at East as well as my own children. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Kenya Sander. Good afternoon. I am Kenya Sanders, the licensed professional counselor, proud licensed professional counselor at Brick Church Middle School. And so I'm here to advocate for mental health. Mental health should be just like the band-aid at Walgreens. It should be like the aspirin at Publix. It should be affordable, attainable, come stigmafree, accessible to all. So I ask you, what are human basic needs? Everybody can say to breathe. Everyone
033can say food. Everyone can say I need a house. But health is also a part of the human basic needs. That includes physical health and mental health. What does mental health do? It helps prepare our little kiddos to be a whole person to actually reach self-actualization. And in order to have that, the basic needs have to be met. So alongside the band-aid, please put some therapy. Alongside the band-aid, can we also have the staff that surrounds the therapist alongside the cough syrup? Can we also put some case mana management in there for mom and dad who's a firsttime parent who didn't have a parent? Um, and so I say all of this to say if we want to not duck and dodge as we're leaving work in 20 to 30 years or 10 or 15
034years, we must instill these services for our children. Mental health is real and it is needed and it is here to stay. So please join the club. Let's make this happen. Thank you. Uh Trey Stevens. Hi, Dr. Battle. Metro Nashville Public Schools School Board. I just want to speak really quick. You all know all the reasons why we have these things, but I wanted to make sure that you kept in mind that our classroom associates, our nurses, and our restorative practices assistants are also security measures because they help kids feel seen. They give them stability in their classrooms and of course they take care of them when they're not feeling great. So again, thank you all for your support. I appreciate you. Thank you, Paulie, Catherine, Ashley Thomas. Good afternoon to the board and Dr.
035Battle. Thank you for your time. I will not repeat anything that was said, but I wanted to come as a proud principal at Park Avenue Elementary School that's in West Nashville to talk to you about how we really appreciate what you have done for us when it comes to safety ambassadors and also our what's it called? Not restorative practice for elementary, but it's called the advocacy center coach. Thank you. He wears many hats. Um, so from a graduate of Whites Creek High School and someone who has lived in Nashville, I've had the chance to see how our education system has evolved over the past 38 years. And so what I do remember as a student at different schools such as Neely Ben, also went to um, Ean Park, who's no longer uh, open, also went
036to Bordeaux. One of the things that we were missing was the advocate that actually was that person that held things together. We had our teachers, we had our counselors, we had our custodians, but we didn't really have that person that was that neutral person that didn't feel like that they were on the student side or they were on the teacher side. So, what I really appreciate about the safety ambassador and for our advocacy coach is they have spent over 1,200 hours working with our students based on security measures. Our attendance has increased. our discipline measures that are exclusionary which we talk about that has also decreased. So I'm really asking that we take in consideration everything that our safety ambassadors and that our classroom um not associates but our there you go I like to
037have participation and so the advocacy center um that we continue to have those things because that's how we are making sure that every student is known and so thank you all so much. Thank you. Uh Shironda Deon, uh Sharetta Sanders, Christian Bugs. Good afternoon, everyone. Uh thank you, Dr. Battle, Chair, Player, Vice Chair, Nabi. I really do know y'all's names. Always a pleasure to see you all. I'm really here as both a parent and as a community advocate. So, a I wanted to tell you all thank you. My son had the pleasure, the honor, the privilege of performing on the TAC stage just one week ago because his phenomenal principal Dr. Wilson at Jones Elementary wrote a grant and it wasn't her alone. It was her entire staff, but they wrote a grant to get
038that Disney's in schools and Tekk collaboration. My baby was Timone. He was the only first grader with the speaking part and he tore the stage up. But more than anything, the idea that these babies were exposed to something that our neighborhood typically would not be able to afford was huge for them. So, thank you all for that. I also just want to remind you all that at Pencil, we serve at the pleasure of the district. I want to remind you all the three big buckets of work we engage in. One is our partnerships connections. So, thank you all for shouting us out with themies of Nashville. We want to continue to make sure that whatever job shadowing opportunities, mentorship opportunities, or just other community needs are offered or or needed that we are there to
039lies. The second big bucket of work is our educator resource center. Principles, I hear you today. It is open to you all also. So, please know it is not a teacher resource center. It is an educator resource center. If you are a member of Metro Nashville Public Schools, please come visit us at 7199 Cochro Bend. We typically put about $3 million worth of supplies into teachers educators hands every single year. Right now, we have more than two million uh uh 2 million pencils waiting for you all to pick up. Um the last big bucket of work we do is a bit more nuanced. It's around fiscal sponsorship. I've, you know, when I was sitting at the table with you all, I would constantly talk about the idea that the top 50 performing public schools in
040Nashville all had some version of a school support organization and they all fundraised. For me, it's less about the fundraising and more about the community organizing, but we do act as a pass through. In fact, we recently fundraised with the help of some of your MNPS staff members, your seuite to uh maintain tutoring since the TDOE uh high dosage tutoring grant is ending. So, we continue to appreciate our partnership. We just thank you all for leaning into us. Thank you. We will now uh move to director's report at AVID update. Thank you so much, Chair Player. Um I'm going to skip my intro and go ahead and invite up um Joe Kelly who is our district's AVID coordinator. Um he's going to provide a brief um quick um but deep dive um into our AVID
041program, which you all know stands for advancement via individual determination. You might notice lots of um pretty blue shirts uh on display today because um we're all supporting our AVID wide district um strategy. Joe, I'll turn it over to you. Right. I know traffic's fast, so I'm going to be fast. Uh my name is Dr. Joe Kelly. I work with AVID within Metro. It's a it's an amazing part of our college career readiness initiatives and it's doing incredible things. It stands for advancement via individual determination in uh elementary schools. uh students uh all the students are in AVID if their teachers been trained. They'll do writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, which we call wicker. And so you can see it in English classes, math classes, science, social studies. Um one of the great things
042with the little kids is they start writing notes. It's a myth that kids just know how to write notes. You have to do it very intentionally. And so in elementary, they might start with three column notes. Um and then collaboration is a thought skill as And so AVID does some remarkable things to equip teachers, especially new teachers or classroom associates or whoever to do these things. Middle school, it starts to advance. Students can take the AVID elective class where they'll do pure tutorials and go through a 12step process that really teaches them to think and not just ask people for answers, but to be equipped to go into their own focus notes, to highlight, to annotate, and then uh if you go to any of our middle schools, you see these big old binders. I
043mean, you got 2,000 pencils or 2 million pencils. We got like three million binders. Um and then high school is kind of this culmination where that uh AVID elective class continues. Um but this is where kids are starting to do the college field trips. They're starting to fill out applications, FASA, and AVID is just remarkable in making sure that nobody falls through the cracks. Um this is the history of AVID here at Metro. Um we currently have 66 schools within uh MNPS even though there's 7,000 throughout the US. Um and then this summer we're going to be adding 19 additional schools. So, in terms of that AVID elective class, we have 5,600 students that get the direct benefit of it, but then thousands of other students who get that sunshine effect because of those schoolwide
044strategies. Um, since 2002, we've sent over,300 uh MNPS educators to our summer institute, including some of you board members, and we thank you for that. Um, and we have an additional 450 scheduled to go this summer to to be trained. And within the system, we're building capacity of people so that we don't have to do this every single year. We're building up folks so that they can deliver high quality professional development on their sites. Um uh within Metro uh it's not just about academic uh access, it's also about achievement. Our AVID students GPA are 19% higher than their non-AVID peers. And um we actually through this our uh Vanderbilt peer relationship earlier this year they did some research to see how students uh in AVID did on their EPSOS and uh in performance participation and
045completion they outperformed their non-AVID peers and uh on and this is for our metro kids 14 percentage points uh AVID students are 14 percentage points more likely to enroll directly in a college after high school than their non-avid peers. So it it's crazy to hear it abstractly throughout the nation. It's wonderful to hear that right here in our own uh hometown. And so this is what I'm really excited about and I didn't want to skip over it. Um uh our district, of course. All right. So uh super big deal. Um we have two AVID global achievement award finalists. This honor places them among the top four nominees in their category in the nation. An extraordinary recognition of their meaningful contributions to their schools, communities, and mission. Uh they were each nominated because of their relentless
046work and impact incredible impact. So would you please join me in celebrating Dr. Telony Lane, the principal of IT Creswell Middle School, and Miss Tiffany Aduaters from Schwab Elementary. if you guys wanted. You worked your hard. Um, thank you Dr. Battle for being our first AVID uh school director and um, thank you Dr. Bowman for bringing AVID to Schwab and I have a fabulous, wonderful principal. Um, I love AVID for the organization. Our students take pride in their binders. It was really exciting to see that elementary picture that was my my class. I took that picture um of them doing a concentric circle and seeing our students improve in their writing and their wicker strategies. Writing used to be a struggle for them, but that's not something that is a struggle for them anymore. Um
047they've had opportunities to visit Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt. We've had um different professionals come out to speak to them and they are just growing every day and very excited. I have a third grader who every day he says, "Miss Adwaters, if I use my college words, will they let me in?" And I'm like, "Yes, that keep using your college words. Write them down. They're going to let you in." And so, um, with AVID, Schwab is growing and students recognize where they are, where they need to be, and how they can get to the next level. Thanks. Good afternoon, and I won't keep you long. Again, good afternoon, uh, Dr. Battle and to the board. Um, I am avid about AVID because I am passionate about making sure that our students are prepared for whatever life
048has to offer them. And that is what makes AVID so amazing. AVBIT is like the icing on the cake. It just makes everything better. Our students are now equipped and prepared to take on any academic challenge that they have because they have the skills. They know how to speak. They know how to work with each other. They know how to think. They know how to collaborate. They know how to read. They know how to write. And all of that happens through wicker. And what parents love, they are organized as well. Um, oftentimes people say go study. Well, thanks to Abbott, our students really know how to go study. I am thrilled uh that Dr. Battle and the board um see fit to continue to invest in AVID. I'm a true believer in it. Our kids
049are going to be college and career ready. And at Creswell, we always say that you are going forward to learn and outward to serve. And because of AVID, our kids are going to be college and career ready. So again, thank you very much, man. Can't say it any better than that. So my last words are uh just to um thank you for letting me share with you in a brief time. Abbott is all about making adjustments and being on the fly, but more than anything, I wanted you to hear from the people that make it happen. I mean, and you should see their kids. I mean, it's wild. So would encourage you to continue to support Dr. Battle's vision for AVID, continue to support to fund uh staffing and training and implementation and just view
050AVID with great pride because it's doing great things in Nashville. Thank you. Well, again, thank you um to Joe, your entire team for the work you lead on behalf um of our district. We have just grown exponentially over the last um few years in this space. Um, and it's it's such a great just experience to to be a part and I work alongside the team. Congratulations again. Um, to um Dr. Lane, to Miss Edwarders, this is hot off the press, y'all. They just learned that they were among u the finalists um across the nation. So, thank y'all for representing um Nashville Public Schools so well and just doing so much to instill great things, great skills and knowledge um in the students that you serve. So, congratulations to both of you. I was informed Sanders
051just walked in. Well, you're on you're on the public speaking list, so you have to misdo your comment. My apologies for my retardiness. That's okay. Um, thank you for having us today and I'm here to speak on behalf uh for our advocacy coaches as well as our classroom associates and our safety ambassadors. Um, we have been fortunate to have Mr. Dr. Hayes, our advocacy coach, for the last three years, and in the course of this time, he has taught our students strategies to help them manage their strong emotions and express them in more appropriate ways. Doc, Miss Danielle, our exceptional safety ambassador, has been with us for the past two years, and she has partners with our advocacy coach in using and teaching students proactive strategies to express themselves. As a result, most of our
052instructional time is now devoted to teaching rather than handling disruptive behaviors. According to our most recent school climate survey, the category for safety and discipline received the highest favorability rate we have had in the past three years. Our teachers feel more safe and supported. Classroom associates also help us maximize instructional time when they are not needed to sub. Classroom associates take part in collaborative planning sessions to learn more about the curriculum. When a teacher is absent, classroom associates are able to step right in and keep the instruction going. Without classroom associates, oftentime classes have to be split among the grade levels. Des despite teachers best efforts to provide quality instruction to their students as well as uh students from another grade level. It is nearly impossible. Therefore, instructional time is not only disrupted but nearly
053lost for the day. So advocacy coaches, safety ambassadors, and classroom associates are not only support staff, but they are the essential staff needed to help us ensure every student is known. Thank you for your time you all. Thank you. Now we'll have a brief uh committee report on the budget and finance committee. Uh thank you chair player. Uh for the budget uh and finance committee we uh received an update on the budget developments and the caveats that are um uh that are going in that are in play um as far as the budget that we are trying to work through. Um, we are also looking to follow up on the budget with more detailed information um and the potential of a specially called meeting um that will be done uh that that will have to
054have a 48 hour notice. So, please be on alert for that um should we call that meeting. And lastly, if you have any questions um related to the budget specifically, would you please email Dr. battle so that she can have that um and be able to consider those as she is working through our finalized budget. Thank you. Thank you. We will now move on to the consent agenda. Um may I have a motion uh to approve the consent agenda? So moved. It's been moved by Vice Chair Nabod and Kenny. Is there a second? Second. Second by Chair Maize. Is there discussion? Oh, that's an old habit. Sorry, I've known you I know you as chair cherry merited as maze. Um all right. Is it any discussion? Seeing no discussion, all in favor of the consent
055agenda say I. I. Any oppose? Pass unanimously. 90. Um now we have the ninth member. Um and this Yeah. And that would be the end. Um, we are now going over to David Liskum to enjoy the graduation of our first early college class of Weiss Creek. Um, and so I hope some of you can either watch um, and our board members going to join the celebration of our students um, for the first class of the college early college program. So, thank you. And this being no further business, the meeting adjourned. This has been a service of the Metro Nashville Network. If you would like to see this presentation again or for more information on this and other programs, visit nashville.gov.