Jenny Bell has served multiple roles with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) over the last two decades, including an unusual leadership responsibility at McGavock High School.¶
Bell graduated from the Donelson school and returned years later to serve as its academy principal.¶
“I always tell folks if you ever want to know what’s interesting, it’s to be a young administrator evaluating your former teachers,” said Bell in an interview with the Tennessee Firefly’s On the Fly podcast.¶
Bell has also worked as a classroom teacher in the district and led multiple programs, including the Academies of Nashville and Career and Technical Education. This year, the mother of two future MNPS students hopes to add a new title.¶
She’s running for the MNPS Board of Education District 4 seat, which includes the Donelson, Old Hickory, and Hermitage communities, as well as McGavock High School.¶
“What really motivated me to get back into education was to support my kids and our community,” Bell said. “I really truly believe in our schools, and the schools here in District 4, and I’ve got a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience to bring to the table to help drive and move the momentum forward.”¶
Accountability as an Election Issue
Early voting began this week for the May 5 Davidson County primary where Bell will face the incumbent District 4 board member and Vice-Chair Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney. One issue that’s become a factor is accountability on the school board.¶
Board members faced criticism last year after approving a $6.5 million settlement in a legal case involving five former school administrators who alleged discrimination by the superintendent. That decision came with little discussion or tough questions from the board of education.¶
Bell says leaders owed parents an explanation for why.¶
“Why did the board make that decision. I think we owe that to people, and that was a missed opportunity that I didn’t see,” Bell said. “As a board member, I see it as my responsibility to, one, be a voice of my community and my constituents, but also, to be able to give them what they deserve, and that is an explanation of the why.”¶
Bell also says the lawsuit settlement raises other questions about the district's culture, especially in light of a recent survey that found that 20 percent of teachers would not refer a friend to work at MNPS.¶
Relatedly, the board has faced other accountability criticism following a recent News Channel 5 investigation into a six-figure no-bid contract awarded to a consulting group with ties to a former district administrator. Board members didn’t ask questions publicly about the initial contract and then approved an extension last summer without discussion.¶
Much like the legal settlement, Bell says school board members should have asked more questions.¶
“The process is intended to ensure that those contracts are awarded where needed and out of necessity, and also with fairness in mind,” Bell said. “Those are the questions I really would have liked to have seen. We didn’t see those, and it is surprising to me because there are so many people who, even at the time of the initial contract, found it to be quite interesting.”¶
Investing in Classroom Impact
District leaders frequently tout student growth as a sign that MNPS is on the right track. The district earned a fourth straight Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) Level 5 recognition last year, the highest rating for student growth.¶
Bell says that’s something worth celebrating, but she says leaders shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that many schools, including roughly a third in District 4, have TVAAS ratings that are just “on track” or “not meeting expectations.”¶
She says the district needs to put the right resources and supports in these schools, including taking a more strategic approach to the $1 billion MNPS budget. Bell believes district leaders need to ask more questions about what programs are working and abandon expenses that aren’t showing an impact in the classroom.¶
“The thing that I have heard throughout this campaign trail is, ‘Where are the dollars going?” asked Bell. “And for so many families and educators who are buying supplies or running fundraisers to get what’s needed for the school, and to hear there’s no money, but then we tend to find money to spend on other things. That raises a lot of red flags.”¶
