Nashville’s students of color face an achievement gap. These board members just voted down every plan to address it.

(Photos by Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Even with improvements this year, Hispanic and African American students in Nashville are still facing a noticeable achievement gap with their white peers.

Erin O'Hara Block (Photo by Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Depending on the grade, white students are achieving proficiency in English language arts at 28 percent higher or more on state tests compared to Hispanic and African American students. The gap in the rate of proficiency is similar in math for elementary and middle school students.

Tuesday night members of the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education evaluated proposals from multiple proposed public charter schools to help address the achievement gap and voted them all down. Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency.

The vote was not considered a surprise as the board hasn’t approved a new public charter school since 2021 and members rejected all five charter applications last April.  Under state law, charter applicants are allowed to submit an amended application that addresses district concerns for a second review.

Encompass Community School, Nashville School of Excellence, LEAD Public Schools, and Nurses Middle College Nashville all did and only Encompass received even a single vote of support from the 9 member board. That vote came from Board Member Erin O'Hara Block who voted against the other four proposed schools.

Encompass and Nurses Middle College face questions about need

Sheila Hernadez speaking to the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education (Screengrab)

Multiple parents, including Sheila Hernadez spoke in favor of Encompass and its mastery-based approach that would ensure students receive the instruction they need when they need it and for as long as they need it, instead of a traditional approach that uses a predetermined schedule. Hernandez told school board members north Nashville needs more education options to serve children like her son who has unique education needs.

“Encompass Community School will be a great school for my children due to their great mastery learning based (model) where my child will move on to the next skill level. Every child has a different technique on learning and taking their time to develop their understanding,” said Hernandez.

Encompass leaders created a pilot program for the mastery-based approach last school year and participants saw academic growth. Encompass founding board member Serena Sayles told school board members that the proposed public charter school will produce similar results that will in turn be a positive for MNPS.

“Our instructional model is incredibly strong and innovative and when we make good on the promises of our mission for the families in 37208, we want to share that success with MNPS. When our data proves the possible for all students, when we are celebrating that level 5 growth we are confident that we will achieve, we want that data to be MNPS data,” said Sayles.

Board members voted 8 to 1 to deny the amended application. Dr. Sharon Gentry was among those voting no, in part because of questions whether north Nashville needs a school like Encompass.

“We do not have a need for additional seats in this district,” said Gentry. “I don’t know what the unique push is, the unique aspect of academic growth and development, social and emotional learning that’s being addressed by the proposal.”

Board members used a similar approach to deny Nurses Middle College Nashville.

Sydney Bonner speaking to the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education (Screengrab)

The proposed school would help put high school students on the path to becoming nurses and founder Dr. Andrea Poynter says one important goal is to increase the number of students of color who go into health care. She says the percentage of ethnically diverse nurses is only 20 percent.

Board members heard from one perspective Nurses student. Thirteen-year-old Sydney Bonner took part in Dr. Poynter’s summer nursing program this year and says she’s interested in attending the school when she’s in high school.

Abigail Tylor (Photo by Metro Nashville Public Schools)

“This school matters because I have had family members who have since spent a lot of time in the hospital and not many of the people taking care of them looked like me.” said Bonner. “I believe that diversity in health care is important because it gives more opportunities for all the people to have a better chance at life.”

Board members unanimously rejected Nurses Middle College Nashville claiming the district’s healthcare academies already provide something similar. Abigail Tylor was among those questioning what the proposed charter school would provide that’s different.

“Is there a documented need to open up more seats that we are not meeting in our own academies because it sounds like the really amazing program they had this summer was fabulous, but it also doesn’t sound different from what I hear is happening at our academies, and so I’m just trying to figure out, what’s the hole that’s being plugged,” asked Tylor.

Dr. Andrea Poynter conducting a summer nursing camp at Belmont University (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Dr. Poynter released a statement to the Tennessee Firefly Wednesday responding to that question, pointing out the need Nashville has for more nurses.

"NursesMC Nashville will not compete with but complement the city’s health science academies. The need for more nurses in Nashville is highly acute – according to the Tennessee Hospital Association's workforce study, the state is short more than 14,000 nurses to care for patients. Out of the estimated 24,000 high school students in our city, less than 8% are enrolled in a healthcare academy. Nashville needs more nurses and NursesMC is a proven, innovative education model ready to help provide a positive solution,” said Poynter.

Board denies LEAD school pipeline

LEAD Brick Church (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Board members took a different approach to unanimously deny two proposed public charter schools from LEAD Public Schools.The elementary schools would enable the charter network to create an academic pipeline to LEAD Cameron Middle School and LEAD Academy High School for families in South Nashville and Antioch.

One reason why board members voted the proposal down involves the challenges another LEAD school on the opposite side of Nashville has faced.

LEAD took over operation of the LEAD Brick Church from MNPS nearly a decade ago after the state placed the middle school in its Achievement School District for low performing schools.  LEAD hoped to move the school under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission’s authority this year, but commissioners voted against the request citing low academic performance.

MNPS Board Chair Rachael Anne Elrod (Photo by Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Brick Church will no longer be a public charter school and it's going back under MNPS control. Board Chair Rachael Anne Elrod utilized that history as a justification for denying LEAD’s proposed elementary schools.

“LEAD was returned back to us because they had a failure to move the school from the bottom 10 percent over twelve years. So, they currently are having some performance needs.” said Elrod.

Elrod ignored testing data that shows LEAD Brick Church has historically outperformed comparable district run schools in North Nashville including this year.  The middle school outscored nearby Haynes Middle School in every subject on recent state testing.

All five proposed public charter schools will have the option of appealing to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to overturn Tuesday’s decisions. The state board has done that with at least one charter proposal in each of the last three years.