The Executive Director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission says two proposed schools offering a Classic Education model lack a plan to serve students with disabilities.
Founders Classical Academy of Brentwood and Founders Classical Academy of Hendersonville are both among the charter appeals commissioners will be deciding next week. Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall issued recommendations against both schools, citing concerns about their plans to serve special populations, including students with disabilities.
“After the capacity interview and the public hearing, I still do not have confidence that the sponsor has given full consideration to serving special populations based on the anticipated demographics of the school as named in the amended application,” said Stovall about the Sumner County application. “I question whether the school would be seen as exclusionary to families with students who may qualify as students with disabilities or English Learners.”
Two organizations, Del Rey Education and Responsive Education Solutions, joined together to apply to open the two Founders Classical Academies. School board members in Sumner and Williamson County voted both down in July and the groups appealed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission hoping to overturn those decisions.
Both proposed schools would serve up to 618 students initially and eventually grow to serve as many as 906 Kindergarten through 12th grade students with a classical education model curriculum focusing on:
- Civility and self-government are clearly taught through all course content.
- Core and Fine Arts curriculum is knowledge-rich and built around the belief that there is a common body of knowledge that all members of society should master.
- Emphasis is placed on minds-on learning and fosters a spirit of inquiry.
- Literacy is taught through explicit phonics, traditional grammar, and composition.
- Logic and rhetoric are emphasized in the middle and upper school grades.
- Greek and Latin root words are taught in 3rd grade through 6th grade, and Latin begins in 7th grade. Students will take at least two years of Latin.
- Math and science are pursued for knowledge, and not merely for their practical applications.
- Literature and history are rooted in primary sources and great books.
The proposed school in Williamson County would open next year if its appeal were approved by the commission, while the Sumner County school would open the following year.
The commission received dozens of written comments in support and in opposition from the public for both appeals. Many supporters cited a need for a Classic Education model in their communities.
“What I want for my children, and what I believe FCA provides, is the same education that an American farm boy in a one room schoolhouse in 1900 could receive,” wrote Margaret Aldrich-Gan in support of the Williamson County appeal. “I want the academic rigor that was a right for schoolchildren until recently. I want kids who are able to read and understand our founding documents and who can enter into the great conversation that is the Western canon.”
“Parents need a choice to move away from the government overreach that is indoctrinating and not educating the children of Sumner County,” said Sharon Perkins in support of the Sumner County appeal. “I am in favor of Founders Classic Academy. Let’s give our children a chance at a curriculum that actually teaches academics.”
Stovall acknowledged the community support for Founders Classic Academy in Williamson County though she found it lacking in the Sumner County appeal. In her recommendation against both appeals, Stovall also cited concerns about each proposed school’s leadership.
“I appreciate that the sponsor has identified a CMO with experience establishing charter schools in other states, but I agree with the review committee that there is not a sufficient understanding at this time of Tennessee law, requirements, and academic standards across both the CMO and the governing board to ensure successful implementation of the proposed academic plan,” said Stovall about the Williamson County appeal. “The proposed governing board has no individual with the educational or academic experience necessary to ensure the board can successfully hold the CMO accountable for the school.”
Stovall’s recommendation will be considered by the full commission when it decides whether to approve or deny Oxton Academy’s appeal.
In its short history, the commission has generally voted in alignment with the recommendations of its Executive Director on new start appeals. The lone exception was an appeal last year from Rutherford Collegiate Prep that Stovall recommended against, but the commission granted.
