State commission to recommend overturning Jackson-Madison ACA denial

Sarah Best, Jackson Sun
Updated ·3 min read

Just days ahead of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission's appeal hearing on Thursday for American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison, charter commission executive director Tess Stovall recommended that the school board's denial of the amended application be overturned.

Stovall expressed in the 27-page Review Committee report that the JMCSS Board of Education's denial of ACAJM "was contrary to the best interest of the students, the LEA, or the community."

The report contained the commission's procedural history, findings of fact, and analysis ahead of the Thursday appeal hearing that will decide the charter school's fate in Madison and Maury counties.

Sue Barnes and Ann Van der Linde hold up signs opposing American Classical Academy outside of the Jackson-Madison County Board of Education building before the start of the American Classical Academy Madison County Charter School Appeal Public Hearing on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in Jackson, Tenn. “I think that the public school system is the best thing that the United States has going for it to carry on a democracy, separation of church and state, patriotism, everything to be a fine nation,” Van der Linde said. “And I don’t like having public schools denigrated by anybody who thinks that “we can do it better than you.””

Amended application: Jackson-Madison school board denies amended application for American Classical Academy

Aca appeal meeeting: Charter school appeal meeting scheduled for Monday, state commission to have final say

Despite the Jackson-Madison County School Board denying the amended ACA application, the charter commission has the power to overturn such denial and possesses the final say.

When asked about the potential overturn of the board's denial, JMCSS Superintendent Marlon King noted that "providing varied learning options for families in Jackson-Madison County has been a hallmark for the Board and this administration."

Such options include Jackson Academic STEAM Academy, Community Montessori, Northeast Middle Academic Academy, and JCM-Early College High, all of which delve outside of the traditional model of public education.

ACA appeal hearing: State charter school commission hears pros, cons at ACA appeal hearing in Jackson

"While we do value diverse choices for families, we are resolute in our belief that American Classical Academy Madison (ACAM) fails to meet the standards set by the Tennessee Department of Education’s application-scoring rubric. For these reasons, we stand by our Board’s decision to deny the ACAM appeal and ask that the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission honor decisions made by our locally elected officials," King wrote in an email.

At the upcoming appeal hearing on Thursday, and as outlined by the Tennessee Department of Education's scoring rubric, the commission must find that the ACA application does, in fact, meet or exceed the standards in order to overturn the decision.

Along with a Jackson location, the commission will additionally address an appeal for American Classical Academy Maury (ACAM). In August, the Maury County Public Schools Board of Education also denied ACA's amended application, but unlike JMCSS's ruling, Stovall's recommendation was to uphold the denial in Maury County.

Distinguishing factors that differentiate the Maury and Madison recommendations include the identification of a school leader in Jackson-Madison County and the location where the school would be established, which is in the community of East Jackson.

Alex Spry, the proposed principal for ACAJM, was described by Stovall in the recommendation as having her "expertise and capacity to implement the proposed model," as evaluated during an interview with her.

At Thursday's appeal meeting, representatives from the American Classical Academy, both Madison and Maury applicants, will be permitted to share a statement. A subsequent statement from the Local Education Agency (LEA) and a culminating discussion of Stovall's recommendation will characterize Thursday's meeting.

Though set to take place in Nashville at 1 p.m., a link to watch it via live stream will become available prior to the meeting, according to the commission's Director of External Affairs Hayden Pendergrass.

Those who wish to speak during public comment must sign up to do so no later than Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. Both the link to the live stream and the public comment form can be accessed on the commission's website here.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: State commission to recommend overturning Jackson-Madison ACA denial