October 23, 2015
Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform, issued the following statement on the Tennessee State Board of Education’s unanimous vote to approve the two KIPP charter school applications today that were denied by the Metro Nashville Public School Board in August:
“The State Board of Education should be commended for taking its role seriously in ensuring more kids have more quality education options available. Thanks to Tennessee lawmakers amending the state’s charter school law in 2014 to make appeal decisions binding, school districts like Nashville can no longer unfairly deny much-needed choices for students. This is a great day for families and students in Music City.”
BACKGROUND: In 2012, Great Hearts Academies had to cease its efforts to open a school in Nashville after the city refused to comply with the state’s orders to allow the school to operate. In 2014, the Tennessee legislature passed legislation making the State Board of Education’s decisions on appeals binding. In August 2015, three charter school operators denied by the Nashville district filed appeals: two from KIPP, one from Rocketship Education, and one from The International Academy of Excellence. Both the International Academy of Excellence and Rocketship Education appeals were recommended to be denied. To learn more about charter school laws, see here.