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Charter Panel Bill Advances in Tennessee House

A proposal that would create a special panel to authorize charter schools in several Tennessee counties is advancing in the House.

The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Mark White was approved on a voice vote in the House Finance Committee Wednesday and will now be scheduled for a vote by the full House. 

The panel would oversee five of the state's lowest performing counties: Davidson, Hamilton, Hardeman, Knox and Shelby. Currently local school boards decide whether to authorize a charter application. There are 48 charter schools in Tennessee. 

Under the proposal, applicants rejected in the five counties could appeal to the nine-member, governor-appointed panel.

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.
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