Jackson-Madison County Schools made the unusual move Wednesday to publicly attack a recommendation by the Executive Director of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to approve what would be the county’s first public charter school.
This week Tess Stovall recommended approving an appeal by American Classical Education (ACE), finding its academic, financial, and operations plans for American Classical Academy Jackson – Madison all meet state requirements. Stovall recommended denying ACE’s other appeal for a sister school in Maury County.
The recommendation for ACE’s Madison County appeal goes against a school board denial in July citing 74 deficiencies. ACE appealed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission whose members will consider Stovall’s recommendation Thursday when they decide whether to overturn the district’s decision.
In her recommendation, Stovall also expressed confidence in the proposed school’s leader and its plan to locate in East Jackson, saying both are strengths ACE’s application in Maury County lacked.
“In this appeal, the proposed school leader, Ms. Alex Spry, was able to articulate a vision for American Classical Academy Jackson Madison that supports the plan laid out in the amended application. Additionally, the review committee and Commission staff had the ability to evaluate this individual’s expertise and capacity to implement the proposed model, and within the capacity interview, she provided significant detail that bolstered the outlined plans in the application,” wrote Stovall.
Jackson-Madison County leaders responded with a press release questioning what they believe are inconsistencies in Stovall’s review of the two ACE appeals, including how each proposed school would serve special populations.
“The ACAM (American Classical Academy – Maury) and ACAJM (American Classical Academy Jackson – Madison) applications were practically identical. The ED (executive director) notes the deficiency in the ACAM application but ignores the same deficiency in the ACAJM application. Are the specific needs of special populations of Madison County not as deserving of the same protection as the special populations of Maury County,” wrote the district.
District leaders also questioned how the commission executive director reviewed the proposed location of American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison. ACE has not named a specific location for the school, but Stovall identified the work the organization has done as a strength in its appeal.
“ACAJM has made significant progress on its facility plan within its proposed location. The sponsor has identified multiple options for facilities in East Jackson. The sponsor has engaged the services of Bouma USA for support in construction and renovation where necessary. Additionally, the sponsor has been engaged in conversation with city and county officials to identify available locations within the targeted area,” wrote Stovall.
District leaders argue that’s inconsistent with Stovall’s recommendations for other proposed public charter schools, including appeals last year and ACE’s appeal in Maury County this year.
“The American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison (ACAJM) application has not identified a location for the proposed school (except a vague reference to East Jackson) which is no different than ACAM’s reference to Columbia. Without more than vague references to “possible” sites, how can one evaluate the facility, safety, transportation, or fiscal plans? What are the legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for requiring more stringent requirements in Maury County than in Madison County,” wrote the district.
ACE initially applied to open a public charter school in Madison County last year, but school board members voted it down following public outcry over the organization’s connections to Hillsdale College and the controversial statements Hillsdale President Larry Arnn made about teachers.
ACE applied to open public charter schools in five Tennessee counties this year including Madison County. Only school board members in Rutherford County approved its application.
