The Metro Nashville Public Schools board denied three new charter applications at its meeting Tuesday. Applications from Pathways in Education and Nashville Collegiate Prep High School were denied unanimously, with District 3 representative Emily Masters not present. The vote to deny Invictus Nashville's application came in at 6-2, with District 8 representative Erin O’Hara Block and District 1 representative Sharon Gentry voting in favor of the charter.
Meanwhile in Murfreesboro, the Rutherford County Schools board approved a charter application for American Classical Education. ACA is a Hillsdale College-affiliated charter school that stirred significant controversy last year based on its conservative curriculum and inflammatory comments made by Hillsdale president Larry Arnn about public school teachers. NewsChannel 5 reports that additional ACA charter schools also applied to open in Robertson, Maury and Montgomery counties, but all three were denied by local school boards. The Jackson-Madison County board will vote on an ACA application Thursday.Â
During the MNPS board meeting, Director of Schools Adrienne Battle honored this year’s valedictorians and salutatorians. Additional recognitions included East Nashville High School student Jaylen Jones, who won a basketball award from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, and Andrew Jackson Elementary School principal Tara Loba, who was dubbed this year’s National Distinguished Principal of the Year for Tennessee by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
The director’s report covered academic support initiatives including Promising Scholars (summer school), Accelerating Scholars (tutoring) and Enriching scholars, a pilot program that provides extra support to students on Saturdays. The conversation touched on the third-grade retention law going into effect this year, as many MNPS third-graders are signed up for Promising Scholars to avoid possible retention. Third-graders who do not pass the English language arts portion of the of their Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program test must attend summer school, receive tutoring in fourth grade or both in order to move on to fourth grade. Though the window to sign up for Promising Scholars has technically closed, district officials hinted that third-graders who may need the program might still be able apply.
