Knox County school board declines to ask state to weigh waiver for Wilberforce Academy

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — On Feb. 5, 2026, the Knox County Board of Education debated a resolution asking Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lynsette Reynolds to decide whether to grant a waiver tied to a proposed religious public charter school, Wilberforce Academy. Two separate motions — one to postpone consideration and a subsequent motion to approve sending the request to the commissioner — failed during roll calls, and the board took no action to request a waiver.

A resident who spoke during the public forum, Lance McCold of Knox County, urged the board to "fulfill the promise" of its oath and oppose the waiver request. Reading the oath aloud, McCold said the proposal raised constitutional concerns and charged those backing the school were "radicals trying to upend our way of life and overturn the constitution." Those remarks were offered as public comment; board members did not vote on them.

Board legal counsel described the resolution as a narrowly focused legal step tied to ongoing litigation. Counsel told members the resolution "is simply asking the state to weigh in on their state law," and named Commissioner Lynsette Reynolds in explaining that the local board was asking the state to decide whether a waiver might be granted in the case. Counsel said the request was intended to support the board's defense in an active lawsuit and was not a political or constitutional appeal but a narrow legal question available under Tennessee law.

Several board members said they were troubled the charter applicant, Wilberforce Academy, had not submitted a charter application to Knox County Schools. Miss Pike noted that the electronic application deadline had passed and the hard copy was also due, and "neither was turned in," calling it "the concerning part for me" that the board was being asked to consider a waiver before seeing an application. Other members asked whether a state‑granted waiver would return the matter to the local board for review; counsel said it could return in a later year but not during the current cycle because the application window had passed.

Board members also debated whether the local board had authority or responsibility to initiate the waiver process. Some members, including Reverend Butler, said they "struggled with the why" of taking up a resolution the state could address. Counsel and other supporters countered that the resolution could provide an additional argument in the board's legal defense.

During the meeting the board first considered a motion to postpone consideration of the resolution; a roll call was taken and the clerk announced an adjusted tally of "4 yes votes, 3 no votes, and 2 recuse," after members changed recorded 'pass' votes during the roll call. The chair announced that the motion failed. Later, a separate motion to approve the resolution and forward a waiver request to the commissioner also went to roll call; the clerk announced "3 yes votes, 2 recused, and 3 no votes" and the chair declared that motion failed as well. The board did not adopt the resolution and no formal request was sent to the state.

The meeting closed without further action on the Wilberforce Academy matter; the board adjourned immediately after the final vote. The county's legal department had recommended bringing the resolution to the board as part of its defense in the pending lawsuit. Whether the state commissioner or the local board will act in future cycles if an application is filed remains an open question.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to postpone consideration of the resolution (roll call announced by clerk): announced tally "4 yes, 3 no, 2 recused"; chair stated the motion failed. - Motion to approve resolution to request the commissioner decide waiver (roll call announced): announced tally "3 yes, 3 no, 2 recused"; motion failed and no action was taken.

Key next steps

The board took no vote to request a waiver from the commissioner. Counsel said the matter could return to the board in a future year if the state were to grant a waiver and the applicant then filed a timely charter application; as of the Feb. 5 meeting, the applicant had not filed the required application materials.