Two Charter schools plan to open in Rutherford County by August 2024
At least two of three public charter schools approved for Rutherford County announced plans to open by August 2024.
The charter schools will operate with tax dollars but be independent of the elected Rutherford County Board of Education. The two expecting to be open by next school year will start with elementary grades before phasing into K-8 campuses, according to two press release:
Rutherford Collegiate Prep on Manson Pike in west Murfreesboro;
and Springs Empower Academy on Enon Springs Road West in Smyrna.
American Classical Academy is still working on plans to acquire property to open the third charter school, said Tammy Sharp, a Rutherford County Board of Education member. Sharp joined the majority of the board in a 5-2 vote in April to support of the revised application from American Classical Academy.
Sharp supports the charter schools as providing families with more choices to educate their children while helping the county and Murfreesboro school districts relieve overcrowding. The county, for example, depends on 179 portable classrooms spread among 21 of the district's 50 schools.
"We are behind in building schools," Sharp said. "We can’t possibly catch up with the explosive growth, and expect the taxpayers to foot the bill. Charter schools buy and build, so that burden is not put on the taxpayers."
The board plans to open a $57.4 million elementary school by August 2025 and a $71 million middle school by August 2026 on part of John L. Batey's historic family farm on the north side of Baker Road near the Blackman Road intersection. The board agreed to pay Batey $5.2 million for 61.4 acres of his 408.5 farm that started in 1807.
The county school board also approved Springs Empower Academy July 2022 but rejected the initial application for American Classical Academy, which plans to use the 1776 curriculum and teacher training from the conservative Hillsdale (Michigan) College.
The board also rejected the initial application from Rutherford Collegiate Prep in late 2021 before the applicants won an appeal from the Tennessee Charter School Commission January 2022.
Charter schools coming to Rutherford: Rutherford Collegiate Prep charter school wins state approval, RCS scolded for lack of transparency
Rutherford Collegiate Prep breaks ground for future charter school
Sharp joined others Thursday in celebrating a ground-breaking ceremony for Rutherford Collegiate Prep with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaking. The future campus will operate on Murfreesboro's fast-growing westside on Manson Pike next door to Blackman United Methodist Church. The school expects to start with grades K-6 before phasing into a K-8 campus for about 770 students.
The westside charter school organizers have reported that the campus will follow the model used by Nashville Collegiate Prep on Bell Road in the Antioch community on the southeast side of Nashville. The existing school has teachers teaming to serve students in each grade to work in a larger classroom with collapsible walls if needed to enable smaller group instruction.
Rutherford Collegiate Prep plans to accept applications by Dec. 1. Those interested can request to be on the school's mailing list through the following website: https://www.rutherfordcollegiate.org/apps/contact/, and staff report that families will be notified as soon as the application window opens.
The westside charter school campus will be in a 64,000-square-foot building on 8.23 acres at 4420 Manson Pike.
Rutherford Collegiate Prep will be governed by a non-profit ReThink Forward Board that includes people with education experience. The board chairman is Dan Boone, who's president of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.
The ReThink Forward board will be partnered with Florida-based Noble Education Initiative to manage the day-to-day operations of the school, according to the press release.
Charter school hearing upsets opponents: Speaker slots limited, all went to supporters
How to learn more about Rutherford Collegiate Academy
Phone: 615-600-4713
Through social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram: @RutherfordPrep
Springs Empower Academy wins approval for Smyrna charter school
Springs Empower Academy charter school also came out with a recent press release to announce that the campus will open by August 2024 on Enon Springs Road West near Rocky Fork Road in Smyrna. The school will use a Montessori approach that emphasizes a hands-on, personalized learning.
The school recently won approval from the Smyrna Planning Commission for a 61,000-square-foot building, according to a press release from Springs Empower Academy.
The school expects to start with 480 children in grades K-5 before phasing into a K-8 school that serves 800 students.
When Springs Empower Academy won county approval July 2022, the applicants touted their organization's experience in operating 20 public charter schools serving more than 10,000 students across Southern California.
Montessori charter school wins approval: Rutherford school board votes to accept Springs Empower Academy
How to learn more about Springs Empower Academy
Website and to join email list: https://springspstn.org/
Social media on Facebook and Instagram: @SpringsPublicSchoolsTN
Phone: 615-237-7170
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow his tweets on the X social media platform @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Two Charter schools plan to open in Rutherford County by August 2024
