Charter Commission director sends mixed recommendations for public charter schools requesting a transfer into the Memphis-Shelby County School district

Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall is providing mixed recommendations for two public charter schools seeking to transfer out of the state-run Achievement School District (ASD) and into Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS).Stovall is recommending commissioners approve the appeal from Cornerstone Prep Lester (CPL) and deny the appeal from Fairley High School at a hearing Friday morning.Fairley High School and Cornerstone Prep Lester are in the last year of a ten-year contract with the ASD, an intervention run by the state to serve the lowest achieving schools. Memphis Shelby County School Board members denied the transition application from both in July. Under state law, both schools have the option to appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to overturn the denial.MSCS Board of Education members voted against Cornerstone Prep after a district review found its application failed to meet state standards and had a history of low performance.Tennessee charter commission staff evaluated the application and disagreed.State reviewers determined the school met or exceeded every category and demonstrated a commitment to high-quality instructional materials, a clear process for serving students with disabilities, a well-structured recruitment and enrollment plan, compliance with state standards for facilities, and strong finances.“The Performance Record section demonstrates CPL's commitment to serving all students and employing data-driven methods to foster a success-oriented environment. Although CPL has not achieved priority exit status within its charter term, there is clear evidence of the network effectively addressing achievement gaps through data analysis,” wrote Stovall.Stovall also praised Cornerstone Prep Lester's continued demonstration and evolution in  student academic growth and proficiency rates over the past three years along with program adjustments.“It is clear that the school supports all students, particularly students with disabilities,” wrote Stovall. “CPL experienced academic growth and achievement before the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress. When reviewing how the operator has continued demonstrating both student growth and proficiency rates over the last three years, I believe that CPL has adjusted its programs in ways beneficial to students.”

Fairley High School Denial Recommendation

Memphis-Shelby County School Board members denied Fairley High School’s transition application for similar concerns of low performance that they found with Cornerstone Prep Lester.Stovall acknowledged the deep community support for Fairley and focused her recommendation on whether Green Dot Public Schools should remain as the operator of the school for a new ten-year contract.“The community ties that exist amongst the Fairley High School community are too strong to be ignored. This appeal received more written public comments than any application this cycle,” wrote Stovall. “Additionally, the impassioned comments at the public hearing were demonstrative of the deep community connection between the students, alumni, and community partners. Green Dot deserves a lot of the credit for reinvigorating the pride much of the alumni spoke of during the public hearing.”She also commended Green Dot for the difficult undertaking of turning Fairley around in the ASD and the operator’s acknowledgement on the academic challenges faced by the students at Fairley.However, charter commission staff found a number of weaknesses in the school’s academic plan and a lack of consistent demonstration of increased student outcomes, ongoing challenges in staffing and professional development, a lack of clarity between Green Dot board’s involvement in school academics and operations, and the schools overall inability to effectively address the achievement gaps.Stovall ultimately agreed and recommended a denial based on low performance and a failure to demonstrate the ability to move Fairley from its priority school status.“Green Dot has spent ten years working towards achieving its mission and has continued to grow community buy-in and support. However, despite the strong mission and vision at Fairley High School, at the end of the initial ten-year charter term with the Achievement School District, the graduation rate remains at 75.5 percent, a slight decrease from its starting point of 75.7 percent in the 2014-2015 school year,” wrote Stovall.Either school faces an uncertain future if denied by the Public Charter School Commission. A decision in support would allow either school to continue operating as a public charter school while a denial could mean closure or a merger into the district’s IZone turnaround school model.Stovall said she’s confident both Cornerstone Prep Lester and Fairley will remain open and operate under the I-Zone if denied by the commission.