Rutherford County board reviews charter school authorization process and two new applicants

Dr. Jeff McCann, presenting at the Rutherford County School System work session on Feb. 20, reviewed the district's role as a charter authorizer and outlined the timeline for two new applicant schools.

McCann told the board: "Charter schools are public schools. They're operated by independent nonprofit governing bodies," and said local boards must balance autonomy with accountability by monitoring academic, operational and financial performance.

Why it matters: The district authorizes two operating charter schools and faces applications from two others. Approvals, renewals and revocations affect district funding (the state funding "follows the student") and the district's reporting and oversight obligations.

The district currently authorizes Springs Empower Academy (located in Smyrna at a Boys & Girls Club facility; McCann said it serves about 76 students in K-5 but was budgeted for roughly 240) and American Classical Academy Rutherford (in La Vergne; McCann said it serves about 220 K-5 students and budgeted enrollment was about 340). McCann said initial-year funding for charters is based on predicted enrollment and is later adjusted; he estimated the district budgeted about $11 million this year based on charter schools' predicted enrollments.

McCann described Tennessee-specific rules: charter students take the same statewide assessments (TCAP) and authorizers use a performance framework that emphasizes academic measures; Tennessee typically grants 10-year charter terms with an interim five-year review. He said the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission can authorize schools when a local board denies them, and that such schools would then be monitored by the commission rather than the local board.

On applicants and schedule, McCann said the district received applications from Nova Smart Academy (a reworked applicant that the speaker said the district and state previously denied) and Rocketship Tennessee School No. 4. He told the board the application committee had met and planned capacity interviews on March 19 and that the committee would present a recommendation at the district work session on April 22 with a hoped-for vote at the April 24 board meeting. McCann warned that, per the application timeline the committee is following, the board must act within the statutory review window or the application could be automatically approved if the board does not vote within the deadline.

Board members raised monitoring and quality concerns: members asked whether poorly performing charter students who return to district schools would be behind, whether board members could visit campuses (McCann said visits are expected with notice and that he would conduct annual site visits and report back), and questioned applicants' claims about serving low-income students. McCann said both currently authorized charters are engaged in the district's intervention protocols for areas of noncompliance and that the district provides notices and opportunities to cure before pursuing revocation.

The presenter described differences in staffing approaches between the two operating charters: one has hired Tennessee-certified teachers, the other has relied more on unlicensed hires seeking licensure waivers, which McCann said has presented challenges.

Board members were invited to participate in committee interviews; McCann said board members would receive calendar invitations for the March interviews and the April presentation.

No formal board action on any charter application was recorded during the work session; McCann said the committee would deliver a recommendation and the board would be expected to vote within the applicable review period.

Ending: The board continued its work-session agenda after questions; McCann offered his contact information for follow-up and said he would provide the annual public report on authorized charters once the district receives state testing and audit data later in the year.