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Nashville Schools* Telephone Information Program

The Nashville Schools has started a new telephone information service that offers valuable information to parents. The Nashville Schools new telephone message service will offer information about such school related information as: schools that are closed due incidents of snow, tornadoes or any other issues; schools on lock-down during drop-off or pick-up times; any important parent meetings; an emergency situation at any of the Nashville Schools; and attendance information.

Parents seem to want an easy system for communication between themselves and the schools. The telephone system will be an automated call out system that will call parents. The calls will be no longer than forty-five seconds to show the value of the parents* time. For school closings calls will be made about thirty minutes before the child is scheduled to be picked upped by their bus. Any calls that are about non-emergency information will be made before 8:00PM. For emergency situations calls will be made as soon as the information is available.

Nashville Schools* new telephone system will be programmed with the best way to reach the parents which include home phones, business phones and/or cell phones. The Nashville Schools aims to provide information to the best possible way.

Nashville Schools Creates New Training Center with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education

The faculty and staff of the Nashville Schools will have a new training center for professional development. The new Martin Professional Development Center will be completed with a combination of private and public funds. The Nashville Schools* Martin Professional Development Center is named for the work of Charlie Martin and the Martin Foundation.

This new facility will be located at the Eakin Elementary. The Eakin Elementary will be converted into the new training center. This Center will replace the existing Randall's Learning Center which is over 80 years old. The new center is scheduled to open in October. The new center comes after months of work by the Nashville Alliance for Public Education to secure $3.5 million in renovation funds. These renovations will create a 10,000 square foot space that can be used for a variety of purposes. Nashville Schools* Martin Professional Development Center renovation will include creation of a media facilities improved classrooms and the buildings* fa*ade will be replaced.

Private donations came from the Martin Foundation which has pledged $1.5 million to the project. Additional contributions from the Orrin H. Ingram Fund and the Turner Family Foundation provide another $1.5 million. Some other funds will be secured after the sale of the Randall's Learning Center property. At the announcement for the Nashville Schools* Martin Professional Development Center, Director of Nashville Schools Pedro E. Garcia, Ed.D., Mayor Bill Purcell and Nashville Schools* Director of Professional Development Lenna Allen all spoke about how pleased they were with the project and the new Center. They later thanked the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, the Martin Foundation, the Ingram family and the Turner Family Foundation for their generous contributions and dedication to education.