These 3 Nashville elementary schools may get overhaul under mayor's plan
Three elementary schools in Nashville's southwest and southeast corners would see ground-up rebuilds or extensive renovation under a spending plan proposed by Nashville Mayor John Cooper on Thursday.
The plan — which requires Metro Council approval before funds can be spent — includes a combined $112 million toward the construction of a new Lakeview Elementary School and Percy Priest Elementary School, and the near-total renovation of Paragon Mills Elementary School.
Cooper's proposal also includes $27 million for upgrades and maintenance at other MNPS schools, including funds for new school buses, building improvements and security upgrades.
Lakeview Elementary has been waiting for this funding for six years, Cooper said during a news conference in the school's library.
The southeast Nashville school currently has five portable classrooms to serve its growing number of pre-K through fourth grade students. Cooper said a new facility would give Lakeview room to expand to include fifth grade, in line with Metro Nashville Public Schools' "Metro Schools ReimaginED" initiative.
Plans for a new Lakeview school would include modern classrooms to serve students from pre-K through fifth grade, Cooper said, in addition to a dedicated support classroom for each grade level to serve students who are economically disadvantaged or have limited English proficiency.
Across all MNPS schools, about 27% of students are English language learners and 35% are economically disadvantaged, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.
MNPS Director Adrienne Battle said transitioning fifth grade to elementary school campuses has been a "long-standing goal." Talks initially stalled in 2017 over a then-$300 million estimated price tag. The district resurrected the idea in 2020 and began moving toward the goal in the 2021-2022 school year.
That goal "just seemed impossible due to some of our schools," Battle said. "Sometimes if you need to get where you want to be, you have to just start moving before you chart the full path."
This funding, if approved, would advance that transition, replace aging facilities and reduce overcrowding, she added.
Investments in new classrooms to accommodate more students are especially needed in southwest and southeast Nashville, Battle said.
Nashville saw some of the steepest growth in these areas of the county, according to the 2020 census. In District 34, where Percy Priest Elementary School is located, the population grew 12% from 2010 to 2020. Lakeview Elementary's District 29 saw a 17.5% increase. Paragon Mills Elementary's District 26 showed 7.3% growth.
Other previously funded new schools are expected to complete construction in time for the 2023-2024 school year. The new James Lawson High School will replace Hillwood High School in Bellevue. The new Goodlettsville Elementary School should be complete this summer. An expansion of Cane Ridge High School is also underway, and funding was approved in 2021 for the design of a new Cane Ridge Middle School.
"School buildings don't teach our students," Battle said. "That's what our hard-working professionals do every day ... but school facilities can, and I repeat, can, have an impact on the way a student learns, how they feel about their school and how they think their community values them."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: These 3 Nashville elementary schools may get overhaul
