American Classical Education (ACE) will open at least one public charter school in Tennessee, but the group’s controversial history appears to remain a roadblock in several communities.
This week five school boards voted on applications for ACE to open public charter schools with a classical education focus. The organization received approval from Rutherford County Schools and came close with board members in Maury County Public Schools, but the group still faced opposition in Madison, Robertson, and Montgomery Counties.
ACE first gained attention last year when Governor Bill Lee expressed support for the organization in his state of the state address, but the group’s fortunes changed following public outcry over American Classical Education’s connections to Michigan based Hillsdale College and controversial statements Hillsdale President Larry Arnn made about teachers on video.
ACE later attempted to distance itself from Hillsdale college, but school boards denied all three of the group’s applications for new public charter schools last year and ACE opted to withdraw its appeals from the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.
This year ACE returned with hopes of opening public charter schools in five communities, including all three that rejected it last year.
Robertson County
School Board members in Robertson County were the first to vote on one of ACE’s applications and they unanimously voted it down without discussion Monday.
The proposed American Classical Academy – Robertson would be the county’s first public charter school and would serve up to 690 K-12 students in the Cross Plains, Springfield, and White House communities.
In voting against ACE’s application, board members followed their district charter review committee recommendation.
The committee found ACE’s proposal had deficiencies meeting the needs of English learners and at risk students and they felt its financial and academic plans failed to meet state standards.
“The Barney School Charter Initiative curriculum developed by Hillsdale College is not currently aligned to Tennessee’s Academic Standards,” said Assistant Director of Robertson County Schools Melanie Dickerson. “While the review committee acknowledges the commitment of American Classical Academy Robertson board members to partner with Robertson County Schools to offer school choice to families, the lack of alignment throughout the application makes it difficult to assess that capacity to open and sustain a viable school.”
ACE released a scathing statement following the vote from organization board member Darrell Woodard.
“So many claim that traditional public-school systems listen to minority voices, but it’s surprising and disheartening to see an all-white school board reject a high-quality charter application from a predominantly Black applicant group—supported by our local minority community of parents, teachers, students and community members. It’s lots of lip service, but the status quo is maintained,” said Woodard. “Our community knows that better educational options are needed for our children, no matter the color of their skin. Robertson County Schools ranks dead last on 2022 TCAP scores for Middle Tennessee districts. This is a serious problem, and the school board’s solution is to keep our children in underperforming schools rather than to give them additional public school options.
Rutherford County
ACE found better luck in Rutherford County where school board members voted 7 to 2 in favor of the organization’s application Wednesday, a reversal from last year’s rejection. American Classical Academy – Rutherford will serve K-12 students in Murfreesboro and Smyrna.
The district’s charter review committee recommended board members deny the application saying it partially met state standards. Some members of the Rutherford County Board of Education also had concerns about the application and whether it adequately supported special needs students, English language learners, and mental health.
“I cannot, in good conscience, go against the recommendations of our charter school committee,” said board member Shelia Bratton. “If this committee says that the Classical application is ready, then it is not ready for approval. This is an insult to our hard-working people.”
Board member Coy Young unsuccessfully moved to deny ACE’s application, asking if the proposed public charter school was a “want” or a “need” and questioning the school’s longevity.
“My concern is entering into a contract with a vendor to educate Rutherford County students who has not completed their contract. Also entering into a contract agree with a charter group to run over a course of ten years. There are no current laws on the books of Tennessee to allow school districts to enter into a contract (for) more than four years,” said board member Coy Young.
Those concerns were outweighed by other board members’ interests in accommodating the growing population of Rutherford County and calls for providing families with another public school choice option.
“I spent several hours looking at the application, looking at the concerns. I also compared them to some other charter school applications and what I walked away with was they’re both very similar overall. I think they have different ways of saying the same things, I think that they both have the best interest of our students at heart, and I think having the previous board already approving another charter school in Rutherford County, it’s nice to have different representations for different people. It’s a choice school. If it’s not for you, you don’t have to go there. That’s one of the beauties of it,” said board member Katie Darby.
Following the meeting, ACE released a statement from organization board member and former State Senator Dolores Gresham calling the vote a victory.
“We’re pleased that the Rutherford County School Board supported local students and families and approved the application of a high-quality classical charter school. Our school will open in Fall 2024 and will provide a tuition-free public school choice for local parents, students and teachers. This is a victory for more than 7,000 families who have said they want a classical curriculum option in Tennessee,” said Gresham.
Maury County
Maury County’s School Board also voted on ACE’s application Wednesday.
Members came one vote short of approving American Classical Academy – Maury, following more than an hour of discussion.
Maury County is no stranger to classical education. The county is home to private school Agathos Classical School that’s been utilizing the curriculum for at least a decade.
Before voting, the board heard from six opponents and six supporters who said they want classical education to be available outside of private school.
Opponents, including some who referenced the Hillsdale controversy, told members of the board that ACE is a bad fit for Maury County.
The district’s charter review team also recommended a denial. The review determined ACE’s application partially met the state requirements for approval with its academic, operations, and financial plans but it also found a lack of alignment between the school’s curriculum and state’s standards and no clear data for measuring and monitoring progress.
There were also concerns about the lack of detail for a transportation plan and for hiring and supporting teaching staff.
Board Member Betty Kinser was among those voting no, as she felt ACE is a bad fit.
“I am not against charter schools. I don’t think this charter school is a fit we need. That will be my vote,” said Kinser. “I want to serve those kids that really are underserved. They’re the ones that are having the issues with reading and math and all of that. I think that’s what a charter school that’s successful is.”
Board member Jackson Carter was among the application’s supporters. Carter felt the opportunity the school presented outweighs the criticism the district review found.
“So many people would have benefitted from an opportunity like this school brings. I know we just saw some proficiencies and deficiencies in that application and think the proficiencies that we saw are what is important to lay a framework,” said board member Jackson Carter.
Montgomery County
Board members with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System also voted ACE’s application down Wednesday but the vote wasn’t nearly as close as Maury County.
Board member Aron Maberry was the lone supporter in a 6-1 vote against American Classical Academy – Montgomery that aligned with the district charter review committee’s denial recommendation.
District reviewers felt the school’s application didn’t provide enough evidence that the needs of special learners would be met, including concerns about a lack of behavior supports. Reviewers also questioned the evidence that ACE’s educational model would improve student achievement.
Following the vote, ACE board member Dolores Gresham issued a statement criticized the school board for how it handled the denial and its general opposition to public charter schools.
“Clearly, this school board does not intend to allow any charters. The Clarksville-Montgomery district’s schools are overcrowded. Turning away high-quality solutions for children and their families is puzzling and out of step with the needs of the community – including overwhelming community support,” said Gresham.
Board members with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System denied ACE’s application last year as well.
Madison County
School board Members with the Jackson-Madison County School System voted on ACE last, denying the application on Thursday by a 7 to 1 vote.
Madison County doesn’t currently have a public charter school and American Classical Education employee Jackie Smith told board members the proposed school would offer an option to parents worried about their child’s achievement.
“We know that literacy is a big thing with our kids and a lot of our kids are not reading at grade level. We want to be a part of this district repair that kind of damage,” said Smith.
School board members denied ACE’s application last year and the district charter review team continued to find issues with this year’s application, including concerns the school’s curriculum doesn’t align with state standards and concerns about its plans to help struggling students.
Reviewers rated the application as partially meeting state standards and recommended board members to deny it.
The district additionally provided a survey of more than 300 teachers, parents, and community members showing 66 percent of those surveyed, opposed American Classical Academy – Madison.
“There was not enough evidence to prove that we needed a charter school because Jackson-Madison County School System is already doing far and beyond for each student that we have in the school district to make sure that they’re meeting and they’re excelling and if you can see the progress, the progress shows itself,” said board member Janice Hampton.
ACE will have the opportunity to submit an amended application to all four districts that denied its applications.
Independent Review
Some of the concerns district review teams found with all five of ACE’s applications echoed similar concerns raised earlier by an independent review.
The Quality Charter Review found all five ACE applications met or exceeded state standards for their operational and financial plans but only partially met state academic standards.
“Overall, the application lacks explicit evidence that the ACE K-12 Guide is aligned with Tennessee Academic Standards. This may limit academic evidence necessary for application recommendation,” wrote QCR reviewers on each application.
QCR reviewers recommended a denial for each of ACE’s applications.
