Charter commission sides with KIPP Nashville over Metro Nashville Public Schools

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission delivered a strong message to the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education by unanimously overturning the board’s July decision to reject applications for two KIPP Nashville schools: KIPP Southeast Nashville College Prep Elementary and KIPP Southeast Nashville College Prep Middle School.

“This is what it looks like to want to serve all kids and to really focus on being able to meet the needs of all kids,” said Commissioner Wendy Tucker, who praised the applications for their detailed approach to serving special needs students and KIPP’s proven track record of providing high-quality education in Nashville for the past 17 years.

KIPP Nashville initially applied to open the two charter schools to serve the growing population in Antioch. The schools would join other KIPP schools in the area and feed students into the soon-to-open KIPP Antioch College Prep High School, following a model KIPP uses in North and East Nashville.

MNPS board members voted down the proposal, arguing that additional charter seats were unnecessary in the Antioch and Cane Ridge clusters. They reiterated this point in a letter to the commission, stating that MNPS has already allocated resources toward renovating and building schools in the area and that other charter schools will be opening next year.

“MNPS and, in fact, the charter commission have a duty that is larger than the short-term benefit to the students who desire to attend KIPP schools in the Antioch area,” the district’s letter stated.

Commissioners disagreed, citing the long waitlist at other KIPP schools as evidence of the need for the new schools. Commissioner Alan Levine expressed frustration over the lack of data from MNPS to support their decision.

“I can’t gather from their letter why this is contrary to the best interests of the students, the LEA, and the community,” Levine said. “It strikes me as just being sort of a statement without any supporting information to back that up. I take their concerns seriously, but if they’re going to say something, they ought to back it up with facts and data so that we can actually consider it.”

The decisions in favor of KIPP Nashville were the first of nine new charter school appeals the commission will decide this month.

The commission also voted down an appeal from Oxton Academy, a proposed school in Clarksville. Oxton Academy aimed to serve up to 300 students, focusing on career education and industry certifications for at-risk students and military families. Despite receiving a positive recommendation from the district’s charter review team, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Board narrowly rejected the application.

Commissioner Chris Richards encouraged Oxton Academy leaders to reapply next year, saying, “This operator clearly gets it. I think this is a very important effort that ought to be brought forward again, perhaps with better documentation.”

The charter commission will decide additional appeals on October 17 and 18, including appeals from Founders Classical Academy of Brentwood and Founders Classical Academy of Hendersonville.