Tennessee charter operator to apply for 5 Hillsdale-affiliated schools

A Tennessee charter school operator is renewing a plan to bring conservative Hillsdale College-affiliated charter schools to the state after public backlash hobbled its efforts earlier this year.

American Classical Education has submitted letters of intent in Clarksville-Montgomery, Rutherford, Jackson-Madison, Maury and Robertson counties, the charter operator confirmed Monday.

Tennessee requires operators to provide the procedural notice within 60 days of the Feb. 1 charter application deadline for 2024-2025 school year.

"In the past few months we've heard from thousands of Tennessee families who are interested in classical charter schools," Dolores Gresham, ACE board member and former Tennessee state senator and Senate Education Committee Chair, said in a statement. "We remain committed to working with communities where there is interest and demand from families for schools with classical curriculums."

ACE's letters of intent were first reported by The Federalist.

In an eleventh hour decision this fall, ACE pulled three appeals of charter applications set to be considered by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

More:Hillsdale-backed charter schools withdraw applications before state appeals vote

ACE had sought local school board approval earlier this year to open schools in Clarksville, Jackson and Murfreesboro, but each application was denied by the local school boards. The operator appealed to the statewide commission, a politically appointed body established by Gov. Bill Lee with the power to overrule local elected officials.

Lee publicly aligned himself with Hillsdale − a private college in Michigan led by President Larry Arnn, an increasingly active player in conservative politics − during his State of the State address earlier this year, touting a partnership to bring 50 Hillsdale-affiliated charters to the state.

The partnership appeared to be in name only, but Lee's eagerness to align with the school blew back on him this summer, when video emerged of Arnn insulting teachers while on stage at an event with Lee.

Arnn's comments drew bipartisan condemnation, with even some Republican charter supporters seeking to distance Tennessee education from Hillsdale over concerns the debacle might turn Tennesseans off of charter schools altogether.

Reach Melissa Brown at mabrown@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee charter operator American Classical Education to apply for 5 Hillsdale-affiliated schools