Poll finds Tennessee voters are more supportive of public charter schools than the school boards opposing them

Stock image of students in a classroom

Last month school board members in three school districts voted down every application for a new public charter school.

The reasons why varied from potentially correctable deficiencies with applications in Rutherford County and Memphis to outright misleading comparisons in Nashville. A new poll finds the unanimous rejection of new charters at the school board level doesn’t align with the values of Tennessee voters who elected them.

That poll of 4,000 registered voters from the education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success found an overwhelming 71 percent of voters support public school choice compared to just 18 percent who oppose it.

The term public school choice can mean different things to different parents, but those polled continued to express support for public charter schools and using taxpayer dollars to help fund them.

More than 61 percent of those polled believe taxpayer dollars should be available for public charter schools.  Just 32 percent said taxpayer dollars should not be available to these schools. Tennessee funds public charter schools through the same per-pupil formula as traditional public schools.

Additionally, nearly 35 percent of those polled expressed a favorable view of public charter schools compared to just 26 percent who had an unfavorable view. The poll found a plurality of voters, nearly 39 percent, weren’t sure, indicating some voters are still learning about charters as the schools continue to establish in more school districts.

Public charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency, like a school district.

School board members in Nashville, Memphis, and Rutherford County who voted against new public charter schools will have an option to reconsider the applications later this year.By law all rejected charter applicants have the option of submitting an amended application for review. Multiple applicants have indicated they plan to do just that.

The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.