Fellow Nashvillians, it is time for us to support the folks who help us everyday to educate, mold, and care for our most precious asset, our children.

Our teachers work tirelessly and are continually treated unfairly by our elected officials. Over 40% of MNPS teachers work multiple jobs to make ends meet. We currently have 616 certified teaching positions open (it was 220 at the start of April). Over 1000 of our students went the entire school year without a certified teacher in their classroom.

As our city continues to be the ‘It city’ in the US, we have to make sure that our schools can keep pace with that growth. The economics don’t balance. Our teachers, and ultimately our children, deserve better.

Red 4 TN has called for a 17.8% raise to allow our educators a living wage in our wonderful, thriving city. Teachers are willing to take the 10% raise proposed by the MNPS board and our interim director Dr. Battle. Mayor Briley, has proposed a measly, near insulting, 3% raise. This is about more than just teacher raises. We need FULLY FUNDED public schools. Fully funded leads to teacher retention and recruitment. It hires support staff, school counselors, and more.

It’s time for us to stand up and support our MNPS teachers. If we can stand up for cherry blossoms, we can certainly stand up for this.

Please sign the petition and show your support!!

Sincerely,

Will Hoge