Battling Over Battle
🎓 Residents sound off against MNPS director Battle · Boring back-and-forth · BNA ends DEI program · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. There were some fireworks at last night's school board meeting... The mayor waffles on the Boring Co. tunnel deal... BNA ends its DEI approach to business... And much more!
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During last night’s Metro Nashville Public Schools meeting, Nashville School Board Chair Freda Player opened things up by explaining why the body agreed to pay out a $6.5 million settlement in the lawsuit that Superintendent Adrienne Battle was named in.
Player emphasized that the decision didn’t reflect any guilt regarding the claims that Battle retaliated against five former MNPS administrators by firing them, and explained that the board approved the settlement “to avoid significant cost and disruption of a prolonged legal process.”
Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz also spoke during the meeting and admitted that the settlement was high. He went on to say that the Legal Department “came to the conclusion that Dr. Battle did nothing wrong” and “that the school system did nothing wrong.”
From there, he quickly contradicted himself, explaining that Legal didn’t think it was likely to win all five lawsuits. Oddly enough, Dietz also said that part of the reason for settling the highest payout in MNPS history was that school was about to start, and they didn’t want to pull Battle away from her duties and into a courtroom.
The public comment period included quite a bit of pushback from Nashvillians demanding transparency. “Children in our district are expected to correct their behavior when they make mistakes,” said one commentator. “Why is this not the case for Dr. Battle and this board? Accountability should not be optional.”
“How do we reach a point where $6.5 million of public money is used to make a problem disappear while our classrooms go without?” asked another. “This is not one bad decision, it’s a pattern of secrecy, poor judgment, and reactive leadership.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK
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🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🚗 Boring Back-And-Forth The mayor’s office continues to send mixed signals regarding the Music City Loop project, which will establish a direct, underground transit solution for travel between the airport and downtown. Although Governor Lee thanked Mayor Freddie O’Connell for his involvement in preliminary conversations following the project’s announcement, O’Connell doesn’t seem to see things in the same light.
For starters, the mayor's office immediately distanced itself from the project. “We are aware of the state’s conversations with the Boring Company, and we have a number of operational questions to understand the potential impacts on Metro and Nashvillians,” read a press release put out by his office after the plan was officially unveiled.
According to NewsChannel 5, O'Connell has indicated that the city feels left out of the Music City Tunnel conversation, and that he hadn’t taken much part in the process leading up to the announcement.
In contrast, when we asked him whether he felt included by the state before the announcement during last week’s media roundtable, he said he “definitely felt like they were making us aware.”
At the heart of it all is a desire for transparency. The Boring Company has released answers to several frequently asked questions on its website and disclosed how it plans to update the public on the project.
For starters, people can email their questions to [email protected]. The company will also publish a blog post on X and its website every two months that will provide updates on the project. Lastly, they’ll be hosting numerous public meetings throughout the process.
🛂 BNA Ends DEI Program The Nashville International Airport shut down its Small, Minority, and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (SMWBE) program to comply with a federal mandate this week. The new executive order withholds federal grant funding from entities unwilling to adhere to limitations on programs that impose race or gender-based preferences. Though some worry that certain businesses already established in the airport may suffer from the decision, it’s unclear whether any of the current contracts will be affected.
According to Fox17, David Swett of Swett’s Soul Food restaurant in Nashville established business in BNA 20 years ago. He told the publication that while the program does attract more local vendors, the inclusion of his family’s 70-year legacy wasn’t due to DEI. It seems unlikely that the change will do anything except eliminate requirements based on race and gender going into the future.
HEADLINES
- Hendersonville votes in favor of temporary apartment ban in first reading (WKRN) Tuesday night, the City of Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 11-1 on an ordinance’s first reading to impose a nine-month moratorium on the acceptance, review and approval of applications and permits for high-density residential developments within the city.
- Mayor says no timeline for Nashville license plate reader decision (Fox17) The mayor said the city is still working to balance the voices of crime victims, who have pushed for the technology, with concerns from some council members and community groups. Those concerns include how LPR data might be used to target undocumented immigrants, particularly following past ICE crackdowns.
- In Antioch, a New Police Precinct and a Community With Mixed Emotions (Nashville Banner) The Southeast precinct will have a coverage area of roughly 73 square miles with a population of around 130,000. It will be staffed by around 80 sworn officers and also will house the department’s Traffic Division.
DEVELOPMENT
- Hattie B’s eyes East Nashville location (Post)
- Downtown parking garage to be demolished (Post)
- Green Hills commercial building listed for sale (Post)
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THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Old Mervs @ The Basement, 7p, $27.22, Info
🪕 Crandall Creek @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).