Tagged: Tennessee Charter Schools

A proposed TN state panel for approving charter schools initially rejected by local boards is again limited to just a handful of districts.  The charter authorizer was going nowhere when it applied statewide.

Republican lawmakers were pulling their support when there was a possibility state-approved charters could pop up in their backyard.

The idea for a new state-level panel that could authorize charter schools to operate anywhere in Tennessee is moving ahead, while facing bi-partisan resistance. The House Education Committee gave its blessing Tuesday, though two Republicans voted against it.

The GOP lawmakers opposing what is seen as an end-run around local school boards are educators themselves. Rep. Jim Coley teaches in Shelby County. 

“Increasingly we’re taking those decisions away from local education associations, and I don’t think that’s right.”

The Tennessee Democratic Party is crying foul as advocacy groups begin running TV spots promoting school vouchers. The ads target certain lawmakers without mentioning specific legislation.

The Tennessee state House will consider creating an entirely new panel for authorizing charter schools at the state level. It’s part of a compromise set to be heard in an education committee today.

A bill to create a state charter authorizer has been delayed. The sponsor now says he’s listening to critics, who say the legislation unfairly singles out Nashville and Memphis.

As written, the bill would give charter schools a way to open in Tennessee’s two largest urban areas without asking the school board – officially known as the local education authority or LEA.  Rep. Mark White is the sponsor and says he could be on-board with a true statewide charter authorizer if local school boards do the initial vetting.

“If we go back to the LEAs – letting them have first input on this – this will be a statewide application,” White says.