Metro Nashville School Board Pushes Back Against Charter School Applications

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

After the Metro Nashville Public School board met on July 25, supporters of the Tennessee Nature Academy threw a party, despite the fact that their application as a charter school had just been denied.

The group lost with a vote of 5-4, but they were not completely dejected. Instead, they found hope in the fact that they could now appeal that decision to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. The Commission is a group of nine individuals appointed by Governor Lee to hear those appeals and make final decisions.

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While potential charter school groups appreciate the Commission, others like the MNPS board feel that the appeals process simply overrides their decision making.

During the July 25 meeting, District 8 Representative Gini Pupo-Walker said, “Really, we’re just a pit stop on the way now, we’re not really a decider…in a lot of ways and that’s really frustrating.”

The process of applying to become a charter school is a bone of contention for school board members. When schools apply, the board then uses a rubric that is provided by the state to rate the school. The rubric looks at areas such as academics, finances, operations, and past performance. They then take a vote to approve or deny the application.

The charter commission can overrule denials of charters if a local school board chooses not to authorize. Schools who want to be under the Achievement School District can apply directly to the state. 

In a statement to the Nashville Scene, District 3 School Board Representative Emily Masters said, “It’s pretty clear that the state charter school commission is operating under a directive to approve as many charter schools as possible.”

While the first Tennessee charter schools began in Memphis and Nashville in 2003, that number has expanded to more than 100 across the state. Governor Lee’s recently announced partnership with Hillsdale College is set to bring at least 50 more charter schools for Tennessee students. 

Both Rutherford and Montgomery counties denied Hillsdale’s applications for charter schools in their districts. Those denials have been appealed to the state and will be monitored for progress.

Those who oppose charter schools claim that they take funding away from regular public schools. 

MNPS chief financial officer Chris Henson says, “It is true that the money follows the student. But the costs don’t.”

They also argue that charter schools handpick their students unfairly and have high teacher turnover rates.

Those in favor of charter schools believe that children can get more attention from teachers than they can in a traditional public school setting. They also argue that, while traditional schools may have more extracurricular opportunities, that benefit does not outweigh other potential pros to charter schools.

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