Image Credit: Nashville Classical Charter School / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Last Tuesday, four Nashville charter schools agreements were up for renewal at the Metro Nashville Public School’s Board of Education meeting.
The board approved the renewals of all four by majority vote, meaning they will be allowed to continue operation for the next ten years before the agreements will once again be up for renewal.
The charter schools that received approval include: Intrepid College Prep, KIPP Nashville College Prep Middle School, Nashville Classical Charter School and Purpose Preparatory Academy Charter School.
While all the school’s agreements were renewed by majority, none received a unanimous vote from the board members.
Board member Abigail Tylor abstained from the vote on Nashville Classical Charter School but voted against the other three schools. Regarding her abstention, she cited concerns that Nashville Classical is becoming a “state-funded private school.” However, she chose not to vote No because of the belief the school is meeting families’ needs.
Chair Anne Elrod voted against renewing the agreements for all four schools stating that Intrepid specifically doesn’t meet any special needs that can’t be handled by other MNPS Public Schools. She added that the increasing enrollment at charter schools could put planning and building of future MNPS public schools in jeopardy.
However, board member Cheryl Mayes disagreed with Elrod stating that the district will continue to grow and will need more seats that Intrepid can help provide adding that what she has witnessed at Intrepid is “academic excellence.”
All charter school’s renewal applications were rated on the individual school’s academic success, financial health, future planning and operation stability.
According to the district’s director of charter schools, Shereka Roby-Grant, all schools received ratings of “meets or exceeds standard” in every category which is the highest possible rating.
TNReady test results show that Nashville’s charter schools outperform MNPS and other districts throughout the state. Eighth-grade students who graduated this spring from Nashville Classical Charter School had a combined English and Math success rate of 62% – MNPS had a 19.5% rate in comparison.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
