STUDENT WALKOUT
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SUMMER AT CHEEKWOOD
APRIL 18, 2024 | VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 15
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Flat revenues could lead to tough decisions in Metro budget season
Finance officials expect no growth next year BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT, NASHVILLE BANNER This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and The News. The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization focused on civic news. Visit nashvillebanner.com for more information.
Mothers of Covenant School students protest a Senate bill that would allow school staff to carry guns on April 9, 2024. PHOTO BY RAY DI PIETRO
Spectators ordered to leave Senate chamber during school safety debate
A bill that would allow school staff to carry concealed firearms passed in the Senate last week BY KELSEY BEYELER
The Senate gallery erupted into chaos last Tuesday during discussion of a bill that would allow some school staff to carry concealed handguns on school property. Per an amendment adopted by the Senate, these staff members would also need to receive training in school policing, get permission from their principal, director of schools and local law enforcement chief, and provide the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with fingerprints for background checks, among other measures. The gallery was filled with gun safety
advocates who carried signs and jeered Senate members throughout the proceedings. Spectators remained vocal after receiving a warning from Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). He then gave the order to clear the gallery. Some protesters resisted the directive to leave for approximately 30 minutes, speaking to lawmakers from the balcony and holding signs. Some were approached by state troopers before ultimately agreeing to leave the chamber. “It is really hard, even as a new mom
standing here, to have to be composed on a piece of legislation that I know puts my son’s life at risk,” said Sen. London Lamar (D-Nashville) from the Senate floor while holding her child. Among the crowd were several parents from the Covenant School community, which experienced a mass shooting in March of last year that left three 9-year-old students and three staff members dead. Those parents could be seen pleading with McNally from the balcony to not be removed with the rest of the crowd. They were allowed >> PAGE 2
Metro Nashville’s budget is set at $3.22 billion this year, up more than 6 percent from the previous year. Finance officials, the mayor’s office, Metro councilmembers and labor and interest groups are currently preparing to debate the 2024-25 spending plan, set to go into effect July 1, with limited capacity to add new programs or increase employee pay. Mayor Freddie O’Connell, elected late in 2023, is expected to submit his first budget proposal early next month. Then, the Metro Council will have a couple of months to debate the spending plan and make changes, all as public feedback is solicited around the county and in council chambers. One of the most significant points of discussion will be revenues. Finance Director Kevin Crumbo expects no growth from the current year, signifying a normalization from the frenzied revenue growth experienced locally in recent years. That means hard decisions have to be made, and the city’s employees and school system are among those angling for their piece of the pie. “As we’re trying to incorporate the things that we care about, then there has to be funding for that, and some of that has to be offset in some type of way,” said >> PAGE 4
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