Three school districts saw Tennessee Public Charter School Commission hearings over Hillsdale College-affiliated charter schools last week. The hearings landed after each school board denied applications for an American Classical Academy, Hillsdale’s K-12 charter schools. The commission members were appointed by charter supporter Gov. Bill Lee. Whether they will overrule the local school boards’ decisions remains to be seen.
These hearings come amid statewide pushback on Michigan’s conservative Hillsdale College and its president, Larry Arnn. Initially, criticism was pointed at Hillsdale’s 1776 curriculum, which would be used in ACA charter schools, along with Gov. Lee’s desire to bring at least 50 of them to districts across the state. Critics condemn charter schools for diverting much-needed public funds from school districts, and some say Gov. Lee’s charter commission is working under a directive to approve as many charter schools as possible.
Additional bipartisan opposition grew in June when Arnn made disparaging comments about teachers, saying they are “trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.” Gov. Lee refused to rebuke Arnn’s comments, garnering further criticism. Charter supporter and House Education Administration Committee chair Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) told the Scene in July that he’s not interested in supporting any forthcoming Hillsdale-related legislation.
The Rutherford County, Clarksville-Montgomery and Jackson-Madison school systems each had its own charter commission hearing last week. ACA charter schools have not applied to any other districts, though in March The Tennessean reported that a charter school with ties to Hillsdale withdrew its application in Williamson County, and in July a Chattanooga charter school cut ties with the college.
According to district employee Caitlin Bullard, Rutherford County Schools rejected the application because of a lack of demonstrated ability to serve students with disabilities and reach diverse families, among other concerns. Bullard also notes that the charter school used “blatantly disingenuous” data in its application. According to Clarksville Now, the Clarksville-Montgomery school board also had concerns about ACA’s ability to serve disabled students, as well as concerns about community support and academic, financial, governance and operational aspects, including “19 requested waivers of state laws.” West Tennessee’s WBBJ-TV reports that the Jackson-Madison County School District had similar concerns about ACA’s application.
Charter commission executive director Tess Stovall pressed ACA representatives in at least two of last week’s three meetings regarding untimely changes to its governance structure, asking if it had changed the makeup of its board without alerting districts. (ACA changed its board membership significantly since submitting its initial applications, ultimately adding more local representation.)
“We think it’s a waste of time to be talking about it today, rather than once the school is authorized,” said ACA legal counsel Rich Haglund at the Rutherford County hearing.
The public comment portions of all three hearings were flooded with supporters of ACA — to the frustration of other community members. “Most people … do not want charter schools in Montgomery County at all,” said independent state House candidate Monica Meeks, who spoke against ACA at the Clarksville-Montgomery hearing. “Those that had the microphone make it seem like they are the majority, but they are not. It’s just that they have the privilege of being able to be there at 9 a.m., where the working-class parents do not.”
Chris Burger, a former aide to Gov. Lee, sent statements to the Scene on behalf of ACA organization American Classical Education following each hearing. One — from former state Sen. Dolores Gresham, who is a volunteer board member for ACE — reads, in part: “American Classical Academy is so pleased by the overwhelming support showed [sic] today for our application for a free public charter school in Madison County. The eloquence of the many parents and grandparents who expressed the struggles and challenges they have faced finding the right educational options in a district that currently offers no choice, spoke to everyone in the room.”
The hearings saw press conferences beforehand from concerned community members and politicians. State Reps. Gloria Johson (D-Knoxville) and John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville), Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Martin and others appeared at Sept. 14’s Rutherford County hearing. Congressional candidate Odessa Kelly and state House District 67 candidate Ronnie Glynn, both Democrats, appeared at the Clarksville-Montgomery hearing.
“[This is] nothing but a pathetic reach by Bill Lee and his charter board school cronies to indoctrinate our children … with this ideological, Trumpian nonsense,” said Kelly in a video shared by the Tennessee Holler.
“It’s gonna be interesting, the political calculus they make as to whether or not they cut the cord with Hillsdale to save their overall objective to charterize and privatize Tennessee,” Clemmons told the Scene after the Rutherford County hearing, referring to the state charter commission’s next steps. “Because right now, Hillsdale, which was their prize pig, is now an albatross around their neck.”
A final decision on American Classical Academy charter schools, along with a few others proposed for Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, will be made at a specially called charter commission meeting Oct. 5 in Nashville. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the Davy Crockett Tower.
