Nashville Approves New Charter Schools Amid Community Debates

Nashville Welcomes New Charter Schools Despite Mixed Reactions

Residents of Nashville are buzzing after the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission held its quarterly meeting this past Thursday and Friday. The highlight? The approval of three new-start charter school applications that had previously been turned down by the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) board. It’s a big deal, especially for families looking for different educational options for their kids.

The Charter School Approval Process

For those unfamiliar, the process for establishing a charter school in Tennessee is quite structured. Initially, schools submit their applications to the local school board. If denied, they have the chance to revise their proposals and resubmit. If they still face rejection, the last resort is to appeal the decision to the state charter commission, which ultimately has the power to approve or deny the application. It’s designed to ensure that only schools that meet certain standards make it through the system, but it can certainly be a challenging journey.

What’s New in Nashville?

This time around, the commission granted the green light to several new charter schools: LEAD Southeast Elementary, Encompass Community Schools, and Nurses Middle College Nashville. LEAD Southeast Elementary is particularly exciting as it will be a K-5 school located in Southeast Nashville. LEAD already has five schools up and running in the area, including a K-8 and a middle school, making it a familiar and trusted name in Nashville’s educational landscape.

Encompass Community Schools aims to serve the K-8 community, focusing on students from the Whites Creek and Pearl-Cohn neighborhoods. The Nurses Middle College Nashville, on the other hand, is a 9-12 school designed to cater to high schoolers eager to step into the health care field.

Reactions to the Approvals

There were quite a few cheers and some mixed emotions regarding these approvals. Lana Skelo, the president and CEO of Tennesseans for Student Success, expressed her approval, stating that the validation of Encompass Community Schools is “a win for families in North Nashville who simply want a different kind of public education for their children than existing zoned schools are providing.” It seems many parents feel relieved to have more options for their children’s education.

Mixed Feelings from the Local School Board

However, not everyone is on board with these developments. Rachael Anne Elrod, District 2 representative on the MNPS board, voiced her concerns about the new charters, calling them “unnecessary” and suggesting they could detract from the surrounding public schools. Elrod highlighted MNPS’s progress in academics despite challenges related to state funding, signaling that these new charters may complicate matters even more financially. “We’re becoming upside-down with too many seats and an unsustainable cost per pupil to cover the fixed costs charter schools force onto public school districts,” she stated, emphasizing her worries over the potential budgetary impact on the district.

Turning the Page

Interestingly, the commission did deny an application for the Nashville School of Excellence this time around, hinting that while there’s a growing interest in charter schools, there’s still a rigorous evaluation process at play. The commission’s decisions aligned closely with recommendations from executive director Tess Stovall, ensuring a consistent approach to these applications.

Nashville is gearing up for a changing educational landscape, and as the new charter schools begin to take shape, it remains to be seen how they will fit into the broader community and impact the local school district. For now, students and families have new options on the table, and there’s sure to be a lively discussion about what this means for the future of education in Music City.