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Tennessee Public Charter School Commission plans staffing increase as portfolio grows to 24 schools
Summary
Executive Director Tess Stovall told the committee the Charter Commission will grow from 17 to 24 schools in FY26, serving about 8,000 students, and requested two positions funded by its 3% authorizer fee to handle LEA responsibilities.
Tess Stovall, executive director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, told the Financial Ways and Means Committee that the commission expects to expand its portfolio from 17 schools serving just under 7,000 students to 24 schools serving a little over 8,000 students in FY26.
Stovall said that as the commission assumes more LEA responsibilities for charter schools it needs two additional positions to support operations, federal grants and academic monitoring. "As the portfolio of schools grows, so the number of schools grow, as does our obligations and responsibilities around those school district functions," she said. Stovall said the positions would be fully funded by the commission's authorizer fee, a 3% fee on state and local funds the commission passes to its schools.
The commission explained the LEA duties it performs for its portfolio, including fiscal oversight, student information systems, testing administration, and monitoring of students with disabilities and English learners. Stovall said the commission has been rated exemplary in authorizer evaluations and that many of its schools have high TVAAS growth and strong letter grades.
Stovall and Melanie Harrell, the commission's director of finance and operations, told the committee the commission's budget increase reflects both expected growth in local and federal pass-through revenue and the need to scale operations as schools open. They said they will follow up with members on district-level facility grant use and other detailed fiscal questions.
