Nashville School Board Rejects 2 Charters

NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville's school board resoundingly rejected two new proposed charter schools from LEAD Monday, following the recommendations of Central Office staff by voting 8-0, with one member absent, to deny applications for a new high school and combined elementary and middle school.

The district's charter review team said LEAD did not have the resources to add the two schools to its existing network, meeting only financial criteria while only partially satisfying requirements in academics and operations. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

"The review committee strongly believes this network has work to do in its current schools before approving any further schools," MNPS's charter chief Dennis Queen told the board at its meeting Monday.

In a statement, LEAD's CEO Chris Reynolds said the charter operator will resubmit its application.

"We filed these applications in hopes that the district would continue to partner with us to provide high-quality options for families in both the north and southeast regions of the city. That is our continued goal. We plan to amend our applications in the 30-day window prescribed by MNPS and hope to gain approval in August," he said.

Ultimately, LEAD may appeal to the state board of education which has the power to approve any charter application, overriding decisions by local boards.

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