State commission overturns Jackson-Madison school board's denial of ACA charter school

In a unanimous vote, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission has overturned the Jackson-Madison County school board's denial of American Classical Academy's application.

The commission met in Nashville on Thursday afternoon for the appeal hearing of both Madison and Maury county's American Classical Education-sponsored applications. All nine commissioners voted in favor of the resolution to overturn Jackson-Madison County School System board of education's decision to deny ACE's application to establish a charter school.

ACA representatives have identified East Jackson as its desired location for the charter school.

A common sentiment, expressed by the majority of commissioners, was the lack of JMCSS representation at the hearing, emphasizing that questions they had prepared to ask of the district, go unasked and unanswered.

JMCSS board attorney Dale Thomas responded to the overturning of the denial in a statement Thursday afternoon, defending the absence of JMCSS representation.

"Although several Commission members during the hearing indicated that they would like to ask representatives of JMCSS questions and commented that JMCSS representatives were not there in person, Tess Stovall, Executive Director, immediately before the vote was taken, reminded the Commission board members that the Commission’s current policy and procedures do not allow representatives additional opportunities to engage with the Commission except for either the two-minute verbal statement or the one-page written statement," Thomas wrote.

"Director Stovall told the Commission that if the Commission wanted to change the process to allow for questions and answers, then it could consider that for future hearings. It was obvious that the Commission members were not aware of its own procedural rules."

He went on to note that it is "unfortunate" that the overturning decision was seemingly made based on the absence of JMCSS representation.

East Division Commissioner Eddie Smith opened the meeting by noting the absence of anyone on behalf of JMCSS and alleged that the district was "playing games with the applicant [ACA]."

Smith added that the district failed to provide data that would prove a charter school would have a negative financial impact on JMCSS.

Some commissioners argued that parents want more options because of the district's low performance on state assessments, such as the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.

More: State commission to recommend overturning Jackson-Madison ACA denial

With JMCSS being referred to as a "struggling" or "failing" school district in the meeting, commissioner Smith noted the district's inadequacy in meeting the needs of students in the community, which is why the charter has inherently taken an interest in East Jackson.

In September, Lincoln Elementary made over one year's progress in growth, jumping from a "High Priority" school to attaining a Level 5 status, the state's highest designation in the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS).

More: Lincoln Elementary surpasses 1 year's academic growth, reaching 'Level 5' status

Preliminary third grade TCAP scores were released by the state in May, while a comprehensive breakdown of the 2022-23 scores (the new State Report Card) will be released by the state in November.

"Reading proficiency in Jackson-Madison is at 17% — 13% below the state average," he said.

According to JMCSS 2023 TCAP scores in third grade English language arts, a combined 17% of those "meet proficiency" or "exceed proficiency."

JMCSS average 2023 TCAP scores for third-grade ELA are as follows:

40.88% - Below proficiency

39.52% - Approaching proficiency

15.97% - Meets proficiency

3.62% - Exceeds proficiency

19.59% - Total proficiency

- Courtesy of Tennessee Department of Education

"I applaud the sponsor [ACA] for looking in an area that has been typically underserved and looking at how they can meet the needs of those students. " Smith said. "Those are just some things I wish the school systems would be here to help answer questions. It's hard to get answers from an empty chair."

Executive commissioner Tess Stovall released a 27-page recommendation on Oct. 2 detailing why the board's denial should be overturned and ultimately declaring that it "was contrary to the best interest of the students, the LEA, or the community."

In a statement released shortly after Stovall's recommendation, JMCSS Attorney Dale Thomas said on behalf of the district that the district "respectfully disagrees" with the recommendation.

In the letter, Thomas claimed that ACA's target of East Jackson is no more specific than ACA's target of Columbia for the Maury County application, both of which were contested at the meeting. Thomas also cited that the "ACAM (Maury County) and ACAJM (Jackson-Madison County) applications were practically identical."

Stovall's Oct. 2 recommendation for Maury County's application unanimously upheld the school board's decision to deny the charter's amended application.

The commission's decision to overturn the board's ruling means ACAJM is approved for establishment at a yet undetermined location East Jackson.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: ACA denial in Jackson is overturned by state charter school commission