In September 1999, immediately after Bill Purcell took office, the beginning teachers' salary in Metropolitan Nashville was $26,226. This was the "base" for computing all salaries in the pay plan. September of 2007 will complete an eight year record. As of August 2007, we see that teachers' pay has fallen behind inflation for the eight years that Bill Purcell has been mayor.
1999 $26,226 167.9
2007 $32,056 208.5
Change 22.2 % 24.2 %
Purcell would have us believe that this is not his responsibility. The school board is independent and negotiates the pay themselves. Anyone who knows Purcell's temperament and operational methods, however, knows that he controls very tightly--through tools at his disposal as well as through the force of personality--financial decisions throughout Metro.
By way of perspective, Dick Fulton's first seven years as mayor are shown below.
1975 $ 8,300 54.6
1982 $13,185 97.9
Change 58.9 % 79.3 %
Fulton is selected since he was the opponent of Purcell in the election of 1999. Purcell's record does not compare favorably to other mayors.