Metro Nashville Public Schools is a finalist for the Beacon Center's 2013 Lump of Coal Award.

Below is the nomination announcement:

Metro Nashville Public Schools

A recent Beacon report found that Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) spends just 44 percent of total funding on instructional expenditures. Instead of directing funding into the classroom, the district is pumping more and more money into its central office, doubling per-pupil administrative spending over the past decade. When it was called on the carpet for these misplaced spending habits, district leaders and school board members threw up a red herring, blaming local charter schools for their fiscal woes. Those public charter schools receive just a portion of overall per-pupil funding, having to raise much of their financial support from private donations. Yet charter schools consistently score high marks for educating students. More recently, MNPS has threatened legal action against the state, a move that could mean thousands of Nashville’s children will be prevented from attending a quality charter school of their choice. This appalling “look over there” diversion tactic may have worked with some in the local media, but it doesn’t distract us from naming MNPS as a finalists for the 2013 Lump of Coal Award.

To learn who the competition is and cast your vote, visit this site.

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