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Charter commission advances language services contract and PowerSchool continuation; staff outlines FY26 budget
Summary
At its April 16 committee meetings, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission recommended an interagency agreement with the Tennessee Language Center (maximum liability $40,000) and approved sending a PowerSchool contract to the full commission; staff also summarized FY25 trueups and FY26 budget-to-actual results and said FY27 projections will be shown in July.
The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission’s Business Operations Committee on April 16 recommended that the full commission approve a continuation of the interagency agreement with the Tennessee Language Center and recommended the PowerSchool student information contract for the upcoming school year.
Executive Director Tess Stoval told the committee the Language Center agreement, which has been in place since FY23, covers interpretation and translation for both the agency and district functions and would continue at a maximum liability of $40,000. She also said the commission will remain on the Department of Education’s PowerSchool contract for continuity; because that contract is a fixed per‑student price, Stoval said enrollment growth will raise the commission’s maximum liability and staff estimate the FY27 maximum cost at about $65,000.
Why it matters: the Language Center contract secures interpretation and translation services used for family and district communications; the PowerSchool decision affects the commission’s student data platform and, as a per‑student contract, ties software costs directly to enrollment trends.
During committee discussion commissioners asked whether staff had evaluated other state‑approved vendors and what factors—particularly system integration—were considered. Stoval and Lawrence Walker, director of finance and operations, said staff has begun conversations with several vendors approved under the department’s vendor process (Edgepoint, Focus, Infinite Campus, PCS, PowerSchool, Skyward) and will continue those evaluations for future years but do not plan a platform change for the coming school year.
Budget context: Walker presented FY25 trueups and FY26 year‑to‑date actuals, noting final expenditure reports are approved across districts. He said shifts in district per‑pupil funding caused a roughly $430,000 clawback from Metro Nashville Public Schools for FY25, and that recent adjustments to authorizer fee projections were driven by changes in schools’ average daily membership. Walker said current projections show authorizer fee revenue covering 100% of commission expenses but cautioned that fee revenue is volatile and staff will continue to monitor.
Walker also explained one notable FY26 line‑item overage: classification of office buildout costs into supplies and materials, which increased that line but did not change the commission’s reported non‑personnel surplus (approximately $53,000, per staff presentation). He outlined the consolidated funding application timeline tied to TDOE allocations and said staff will present FY27 budget projections and updated enrollment estimates at the July meeting.
What happened next: the committee moved the Language Center contract and the PowerSchool agreement to the full commission for approval; voice votes in committee carried both motions. The items will appear on the full commission agenda for final action.
Next steps: staff will continue vendor discussions for future school years, present FY27 budget numbers and enrollment projections in July, and bring the two procurement items to the full commission for final approval.
