Our Initiatives

What is going on at Hillwood High School? We all want to know! Here’s what we know:

KEY TAKEAWAY: The BIGGEST “plan” is to use Hillwood as a temporary site for Westmeade Elementary while it gets rebuilt. Until that happens, MNPS is unlikely to make serious commitments to the property’s long-term use. Westmeade Elementary must get picked by the MAYOR to get funding to be rebuilt.

PROPERTY DETAILS:

• SIZE: 31 acres

• ADDRESS: 400 Davidson Rd, Nashville, TN 37205

• FACILITY: ~150,000 square feet

CURRENT STATE:

• MNPS has indicated that the community residents can use the lower tennis courts (upper are often used by local high schools) and the track.

• ~4,000 sqft is currently under renovation for an Early Learning Center. MNPS cut funding to operate the school this coming year, but hopefully will open next year. This will include a PLAYGROUND that will be complete, along with the rest of that project, within a month.

• Midtown Fellowship Church rents the auditorium for its West Nashville location. We have requested terms of this lease. More to come!

• MNPS plans to, phase-by-phase, renovate the entire facility.

FORWARD LOOKING CONVERSATIONS

• At some point, Hillwood will be the temporary site for Westmeade Elementary, which needs to be rebuilt.

• MNPS Executives and Abigail Tylor (our School Board rep) have indicated that a Paved Path for walking/kids biking is very doable in the near future

• At some point this Fall MNPS will demolish the north bleachers, the existing bathrooms, and the two concessions buildings. Followed by installing the new north bleachers late winter/early spring. In Spring, the track will be demolished, and construction will begin for the new track and soccer/football field to be completed by August 15, 2027.

• Generally the facility will be used as an emergency school as well as special ed administrative staff and offices.

CALL TO ACTION:

Want change at Hillwood? The MOST IMPACT you can have is to reach out on two fronts (1)  asking for community use of Hillwood and (2) getting Westmeade Elementary Rebuilt. 

Here are two emails you can send right now:

_______________________

SUBJECT: Community Use - Hillwood High School

TO: facility.use@mnps.org, familyinfo@mnps.org, Maura.Sullivan@mnps.org,  abigail.tylor@mnps.org, Thom.Druffel@nashville.gov

Dear MNPS Facilities,

I am a Nashville resident who lives near Hillwood High School and would like to reserve a space for community use. I see on the Event Scheduling Portal that Hillwood is listed but shows a capacity of 0 and cannot be reserved. Could you provide an update on how this could be used by the community? We appreciate any information you can provide.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

_______________________

SUBJECT: Rebuild Westmeade Elementary

TO: mayor@nashville.gov, Maura.Sullivan@mnps.org,  Thom.Druffel@nashville.gov, abigail.tylor@mnps.org, familyinfo@mnps.org

Dear Mayor O’Connell and Staff,

I am writing as a resident of West Meade to urge the administration to prioritize the rebuilding of Westmeade Elementary School.

Westmeade has remained on the district's "Year One" category capital improvement list for more than a decade, yet it has been repeatedly passed over for funding while other projects move forward. This prolonged delay means our children continue to learn in a building that has not received the investment it needs, and families in our community are left wondering when — or if — this commitment will ever be honored.

A decade of being "next in line" without action is not a plan; it's a pattern of deferral that our students and teachers should not have to bear. Many residents are looking for a safe location to send their kids rather than seek out costly alternatives. Every year this project is delayed, the school ages further, maintenance costs likely rise, and the educational environment for our kids falls further behind neighboring schools that have been rebuilt or renovated.

I am asking you to commit to including Westmeade Elementary in the next capital budget cycle, given its decade-long wait.

Our children deserve a safe, modern learning environment, and our community deserves transparency about why this project has stalled for so long. I would appreciate a written response outlining the next steps for Westmeade Elementary.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]