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Charter commission says authorizer fees near self‑sufficiency, flags facilities as main barrier to growth
Summary
Tess Stovall told the Finance committee the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission will authorize 26 schools serving ~10,000 students in 26/27, said authorizer fees covered 97% of expenses in FY25 and noted facilities and lease costs remain the chief constraint on opening new charter schools.
Tess Stovall, executive director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, presented the commission’s FY27 budget request and growth outlook, saying the commission now authorizes 24 schools serving about 8,000 students and expects 26 schools serving roughly 10,000 students in 26/27. “We collect 3% from state and local funds that we receive and that are passed through to our schools,” Stovall said, and in FY25 the authorizer fee covered about 97% of the agency’s expenses.
Stovall told members that facilities remain the primary challenge for opening and expanding charter schools — renovation and lease costs commonly constrain start‑ups. When asked about the $20 million charter facilities grant appropriated for the current fiscal year, the commission said that grant is administered by the Tennessee Department of Education and does not pass through the commission; Stovall offered to follow up with a per‑school accounting. On school performance, the commission said most of its schools earned A or B ratings in 24/25, with a small number of Ds and Fs incorporated into its oversight framework.
