A recently-released analysis of teacher compensation relative to other professions shows that teachers in Tennessee face a nearly 30% pay gap compared to similarly-trained professionals.
In Tennessee, the story is particularly bleak.
The teacher pay penalty is nearly 30% – worse than the national average.
Tennessee is also now the state that invests the least in public education.
Tennessee’s numbers are worse than the national average – and America’s numbers are pretty sad, too:
Inflation-adjusted weekly wages for public school teachers fell 6.2% over the last three decades, while wages for other college graduates rose 28.8% over the same period.
The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) will hold an event on Thursday, August 27th to honor this year’s inductees into the Public Schools Hall of Fame.
Nelson C. Andrews Distinguished Service Award presented by Vanderbilt University
Rodger Dinwiddie is the Co-CEO of STARS Nashville, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization addressing substance misuse, school-based mental health supports, violence and bullying prevention training, and adolescent intensive outpatient treatment services.
MNPS Distinguished Alumni Award presented by Belmont University
Johari Matthews, graduate of Glencliff High School, is the Vice President and Executive Director of ONE Community and the Tennessee Titans Foundation, where she leads the way in philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.
Rod McDaniel, graduate ofMcGavock High School, is the CEO of S3 Recycling Solutions, a nationally lauded IT asset disposition company serving clients across North America.
Evette White, graduate of Hillwood High School (now called James Lawson High School), is the Executive Director of Leadership Nashville, an executive program that strengthens Nashville through deep connections formed among diverse leaders.
Annette Eskind Inspiring Educator Award presented by UBS
Quanita Adamsis a Computer Science and Mathematics educator at Stratford STEM Magnet High School, where she advances equitable access to high-quality STEM education.
Kevin Stevens is a 6th and 7th grade Math teacher and Instructional Leader at Head
Magnet Middle School (recently renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet Middle at Head Campus).
Ronald L. Corbin Inspiring Leader Award presented by Lipscomb University
Dr. Michael Pratt is the Executive Principal of Stratford STEM Magnet High School and the 2025 MNPS High School Principal of the Year.
Thomas J. Sherrard Inspiring Innovation Award presented by Nissan
DYMON In The Rough (Dynamic Young Minorities of Nashville) is a trusted, community model, youth development nonprofit organization that has empowered girls, equipped leaders, and elevated communities across Nashville and Middle Tennessee for 14 years.
Girls Write Nashville is a creative youth development program that empowers teen artists through songwriting, music production, mentorship, and community.
Nashville education blogger TC Weber highlights what some say are significant challenges around student discipline in MNPS.
It is one of the worst-kept secrets in MNPS that the district does not want to suspend students. Every teacher with any experience has a story about a serious discipline issue that went unresolved, was sent back to the classroom or somehow disappeared from the official narrative.
Weber also calls out a cozy political relationship between the Mayor and Director of Schools:
The hidden agenda doesn’t stop at the boardroom. Hardcastle questioned Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s loyalty to MNPS Superintendent Adrienne Battle. She wonders why he hasn’t spoken publicly about the district’s obvious problems or demanded greater accountability from its leadership. Referring to Battle’s relationship with O’Connell—and to the superintendent’s “friends” working in roles across the district—Hardcastle said it seems really “cliquey.”
It seems that way because it is.
As he heads toward reelection mode, Mayor O’Connell probably needs to follow the same advice as MNPS. A prime example would be his claims of “fixing” school start times. Don’t think for one minute the public doesn’t recognize that maneuver for what it is: a political solution designed to sound larger than the actual change.
From a press release distributed by education advocacy group Memphis Lift:
Dozens of parents and community members will attend the Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, Aug. 24. Several participants are expected to provide public testimony in support of a resolution to halt public funding of a lawsuit challenging the state and local intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Parents are coming with a clear message: Memphis students cannot afford more delays, and public resources should be focused on teachers, classrooms and improving academic outcomes — not a prolonged legal battle.
Parents are also expected to remind commissioners that the body previously issued a vote of no confidence in the elected MSCS School Board and will call on commissioners to stand by that message by refusing to spend additional public dollars defending the status quo.
“Memphis parents are tired of watching adults spend time and taxpayer money fighting while our children are still waiting for better schools,” said Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of The Memphis Lift. “The Commission has already said it has no confidence in the current School Board. Now it has an opportunity to stand with parents, stop funding this lawsuit and let the real work begin. Our children need action, not another delay.”
After all, with the GOP in charge of all of TN government since 2011, the state is now last in the nation in investment in schools – $1.9 billion below our neighbors in Mississippi.
This means schools and the students in them are not provided the needed resources to achieve success.
And, there’s at least one area where the evidence suggests years of neglect are taking their toll: teacher retention.
Tennessee has the highest rate of teacher turnover in the nation.
ProPublica digs into some of these “100% schools” and finds both poor performance and questionable financial practices. Yes, both of these may occur in public schools – but, public schools post line-item budgets online and must conduct business in public meetings. There are also rules about awarding contracts to board members – rules that don’t seem to apply to private schools.
Point is– federal voucher dollars are not going to go to public schools unless the public schools can figure out a way to create the new funding stream for students carrying cash backpacks, and that create a whole new set of issues. If a special tutoring program is available to Susie because she has a backpack of federal voucher money, then why shouldn’t that tutoring be available to any or all students, regardless of backpack status?
Addendum: If a district already has a program that charges fees, then the federal voucher would help families pay that fee, but that would result in zero new revenue for the district.
And, well, while TSS has won a lot of fights, the results aren’t so good for Tennessee schools and communities:
In the decade+ that TSS has been seeking to influence Tennessee education policy, the state has seen the creation of a universal school voucher scheme that costs $300 million, including millions of dollars in payments to a private vendor to administer the program.
Tennessee now ranks last in the nation in investment in public education and would need $1.9 billion to catch up to our neighbors in Mississippi.
Thanks in part to the policies advanced by the lawmakers backed by TSS, Tennessee teachers are now making less (6.5% less) in inflation-adjusted dollars than they were when TSS was just starting.
In fact, the state’s investment in schools in real dollars has dropped by 10% over the past two budget cycles – budgets dominated by education policies championed by TSS.
For years, those of us watching public education have warned of a teacher shortage.
Those warnings were often met with either skepticism or some token gesture. Now, analysis of teacher turnover indicates we are here. At the breaking point.
The shortage is of course a matter of movement into and out of the field. There aren’t enough teachers on the way in: the pipeline is bad as interest in the career has plummeted, with the percent of college grads entering the profession lower than it’s been in a half century.
The unfilled spots that result from turnover and the inability to recruit qualified candidates makes the job harder for teachers who stay. Remaining teachers lose valued and experienced partners, are asked to train replacements, and must provide remediation for students who’ve been taught by a series of substitutes or novice teachers. These teachersaren’t just working harder, they are more stressed, have less time for their students, and can become less effective. It causes some to look toward the exit themselves. Making the job harder, of course, makes it more difficult to recruit.
A Washington County school board member who called a high school student “hot” while sitting next to her at a board meeting lost his bid for re-election last week. He currently faces assault charges as a result of the incident.
WSMV has more:
“God, you’re hot,” he [Board member Kevin Erving] told a female student during an April 2 meeting after she gave a presentation. Community members, including the teen herself, expressed outrage, calling the remarks “sexist” and “derogatory.”
