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Senate advances Charter School Commission budget as authorizer reports growth to 26 schools
Summary
The Senate Education Committee advanced the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission's budget to Finance after Tess Stovall reported the commission now oversees 24 charter schools (about 8,000 students) and expects growth to 26 schools and roughly 10,000 students; commission asked to retain a general appropriation as a revenue backstop.
The Senate Education Committee voted to forward the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission's FY27 budget to the Finance Committee following a presentation on authorizing growth, pass-through funding and accountability for low-performing schools.
Tess Stovall, executive director of the commission, said the commission currently authorizes 24 public charter schools across Davidson, Shelby and Rutherford counties serving about 8,000 students. She told the committee the commission expects two new schools to open in 2026-27 and 13 schools to add grades, which would increase enrollment by approximately 2,000 students and raise the commission's pass-through obligations.
Stovall said the commission's authorizer fee is set at 3% of state and local funds that go to charter schools and that the fee covered 97% of agency expenditures in FY25; the commission anticipates covering all expenditures in the current fiscal year but asked the General Assembly to keep the general appropriation as a backstop because student enrollment and local revenues can be volatile.
On accountability, Stovall said two commission-authorized schools are on the priority-school list and are receiving targeted interventions and grant support. She said the statute requires revocation if schools remain on the priority list in the next cycle without academic improvement.
Committee members asked about staffing timelines (Stovall said one of three newly funded positions starts soon and the second is being recruited), whether the commission tracks how many students left charters to use Education Freedom Scholarships (Stovall said the commission does not have that level of data on EFS transfers), and how the $40 million charter facilities fund will be administered (Stovall said that fund is administered by the Department of Education, not the commission).
The clerk recorded nine ayes and the commission's budget moved to the Finance Committee with a positive recommendation.
