The Nashville budget proposal by Mayor Freddie O’Connell, which is set for a vote on June 17, includes $100,000 for the nonprofit Alignment Nashville. This is the same 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that contracts with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to provide “conference services,” including the district’s annual “SPLASH retreat” for principals that reportedly took place in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month.
O’Connell’s budget proposes a $100,000 grant for Alignment Nashville for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, which the city’s FY 27 Expenditure Overview shows is the same dollar contribution the city granted the nonprofit in 2024 and 2026. In 2025, Metro’s contribution was reduced to $50,000.
This grant funding for Alignment Nashville from Metro is a separate revenue source from the nonprofit contract with MNPS. That contract, originally signed in February 2024 and scheduled to expire in November 2027, is worth about $1.5 million over its duration.
According to the agreement, “The contract is for the provision of conference services, including full event planning and coordination, for the MNPS annual SPLASH retreat that helps principals align strategies across tiers to ensure that students are prepared as they transition into the Academies of Nashville.”
As education blogger TC Webber first reported last month, the “SPLASH retreat” this year took place in Louisville, Kentucky, where a text message reviewed by The Tennessee Star revealed that attendees were instructed to dress appropriately for a private tour and dinner at Churchill Downs.
Professional Educators of Tennessee Founder and President JC Bowman told The Star that many principals who attend the retreat view the out-of-town excursion as an imposition, and questioned the district’s use of taxpayer dollars.
“It’s a waste of taxpayer money, and I think that none of the stuff that they’re going to be talking about or doing cannot be accomplished here, in Nashville, supporting our tax base and our community,” said Bowman.
He added, “If it’s a key speaker they want to do, we have Zoom. They have the ability to bring people here if they need to do that.”
MNPS Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle is a member of the Alignment Nashville board. She has been listed as a member since 2019, the same year she began serving as the interim superintendent. Her predecessor at the district, Dr. Shawn Joseph, was listed as a board member from 2016-2019.
The proposed grant from Metro and criticism from education experts of the MNPS contract with Alignment Nashville come amid increased scrutiny of the mayor’s proposals, particularly the nearly $1.5 million in grants that O’Connell requests for two nonprofits that support illegal aliens in securing legal representation.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Nashville City Hall” by euthman. CC BY-SA 2.0.
