Over the past several years, Tennessee lawmakers have increased school choice options for families. In an effort to influence those choices, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is providing each school with a stipend designed to entice families to make zoned schools their first choice. It’s a continuation of a strategy first implemented last year, and one that the district feels was successful.
In an email, MNPS spokesman Sean Braisted told The Tennessee Star, “Our goal as a district is to get as many families as possible to choose MNPS as their first option for student success.”
He added, “To help accomplish this goal, we are working with schools to increase their engagement with families in the community to encourage retention and recruitment of students to their school. MNPS piloted this program in the 21-22 school year and is expanding it for the 22-23 school year to more schools.”
The plan, as laid out by Braisted, is to make funding available to schools – subject to the approval of their spending plans by executive directors – within allowable parameters in the coming weeks. Suggested uses for the funds include the use of direct mail, flyers, or media advertising – both print and digital. Some of the funds could go to the staff of individual schools. Per the district-circulated memo explaining the initiative.
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“Schools may wish to use some of their funds to pay staff for an extended time to conduct door-knocking, attend community events, or host events after hours (tours, enrollment assistance, etc.). Direct engagement and personal contact tend to have the most positive and effective impact.”
While laying out alternative strategies, the referenced memo urged school leaders to conduct a self-evaluation:
“And when it comes to ensuring families choose your school, remember, nothing is as powerful as word of mouth and customer satisfaction. Review customer service practices. Take some time to study how families are treated at your school and ask if that is the service you would expect for yourself,” the memo said. “Review how families are greeted on the phone or when they come into the office. Do you have a plan for tours for prospective families?”
Individual schools will receive an extra $1,000 to $10,000 in funding for this initiative. Braisted told The Star, “The selection of those schools who will receive more funds is based on projected enrollment declines due to increased competition in the area and additional capacity to grow ($10,000) and those who participated last year ($5,000). The funding source is pooled SBB funds set aside for enrollment changes.”
If parents truly care about their children they will get their kids out of the system entirely. The choices offered by the TN Dept of Education only offer choice of location but not what kids are taught. TN legislators will tell parents we no longer have Common Core in TN schools which is a flat out lie. No, TN does not have COMMON CORE per se. They just changed the name and moved things around but 2 standard experts will tell you TN still has Common Core and what changes were made were sadly worse than Common Core. But they also cannot control what teachers are teaching or not teaching our children in the classroom. Believe me there only good school is home education. I could also highly recommend Freedom Project Academy. An on line, teacher led, classical education. No common core, no Comprehensive Sex Education, no data collection. Just quality education that you will not get in any public/charter school. Vouchers are just a funding scheme to destroy private and religious schools/education. Find a way. Many working and single parents have done it. If you want to your will find a way, if not you will make and excuse. I would not let my child step one foot in a Nashville school or any public/charter school anywhere. When a school has to entice people with $$$ you might just want to really back away.
What a travesty. Paying folks to hoodwink parents to send their child to a failing MNPS school.
They should be making an effort to provide the quality education that taxpayers have been paying for years and years.
Regarding our tax dollars being used for “marketing” is outlandish. They wouldnt need to pay salaries to individuals to convince parents to opt for public education if their curriculum & teacher performance were competitive. I’d rather have my tax dollars invested in teacher education & when teachers do not perform they should be fired. Do away with tenure would be a good start. How much money do we give Teacher Unions through teacher payroll? It’s a nice little gig they have going.
I’m encouraging my US Senators & Congressman to abolish The Federal Dept of Ed. State Depts of Ed are very capable of providing excellent education standards. The system now takes our Fed tax dollars & sends grants back to those school superintendents that are willing to use the money for programs (CTR/DEI & unacceptable Sex agendea). I don’t want my money spent on that junk.
If the public schools are failing, we should let them fail. Not subsidize them. It’s basic economics. Competition creates excellence; makes you work harder to be better. Be the best and everyone flocks to you. Now the public schools are trying harder to appeal to parents so they will send their kids back to these government indoctrination centers. But it’s just putting lipstick on a pig. Same pig, new shade of lipstick. Government indoctrination centers SHOULD fail. They have failed to educate our children, so they no longer have a purpose. They should be swept into the dustbin of history, and we should learn a valuable lesson from it. Never again.
Is it really for the children if you have money lying around and are able to spend it like this? What is the benefit for the children? The administrators get more money to dole out to their buddies and special interest. The crazy leftist agenda is bolstered financially. Public Education is rotten and getting worse.