If you don't already, start tracking your spending! Once you do, see where there is room to improve/cut costs.
The $24,000 savings needs to be working harder for you. Perhaps have a conversation with the DH about his concerns and see if there could be a compromise of keeping only 3-6 months of expenses in savings? I recommend Ally for the emergency fund (1.25% APY) and NetSpend/Insight for 5% savings. Any leftover I would use on the student loans. Also, have you looked into refinancing them for a better rate through SoFi, Earnest, etc.?
We have started tracking our spending this month. Hopefully we can figure out where we can cut and save. Thanks for the recommendation for the savings. I have not looked into refinancing for a better rate yet. I want to take some of the savings and pay off one loan in a quick swipe and throw everything else at the second to get it paid for by the end of the year. DH is not on board with this. He says it spreads us too thin (even with 3 months savings in emergency fund) Ugh.
Perhaps your DH is not on board because he's unsure of how much is really needed to cover your monthly expenses. I would suggest tracking your spending for the next few months to get a good idea of your normal expenses. Beware, it can be shocking at first to see how much you actually spend on "necessary" things! Once you get a better feel for your spending you can create a 2018 spending plan (I make a simple Excel speadsheet) to project approximately how much you will spend over the year, including mortgage, utilities, food, personal care and things like annual subscriptions (Costco, car insurance, antivirus computer program, etc.), gifts, car maintenance, and clothing as well as any planned purchases (new laptop, hot water heater, etc.) along with projected income.
It might make him feel more comfortable with letting go of some of the savings if he can actually see a budget/monthly expenses. Have you asked him for his suggestions/ideas or perhaps read some MMM articles together and have a deep conversation about your financial goals? I would suggest not making it all about debt, but what kind of life you want for the future and creating steps together on how to get there.
If you haven't already, read
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-convert-your-so-to-mmm-in-50-awesome-steps/ Then perhaps read together
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/ or
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-zero-to-hero-in-one-blog-post/In the interim definitely check out the savings accounts so your money is working for you! (I always keep enough in checking for upcoming expenses + a buffer, everything leftover goes to service debt or save)