Hamilton County Schools (HCS) narrowly nixed a public charter school’s attempt to open seats for more students in a contentious board meeting Thursday night.¶
Chattanooga Preparatory School (also known as Chatt Prep), a tuition-free, all-boys public charter school serving grades 6 through 12, sought to increase its capacity from 500 to 575 students. While the board voted 5-4 in favor, a measure needed at least six “yes” votes to pass, and two board members, Larry Grohn from District 8 and Vice Chairman Gary Kuehn, did not attend the meeting.¶
What Led to This?
Chat Prep opened in 2018 to a modest capacity of 66 sixth-grade students. The school has added a new grade level each year ever since. The school enrolled 469 young men in grades 6-12 this past school year. Most of those students (97 percent) are students of color, and 65 percent are from economically disadvantaged families. However, when the school celebrated its first-ever graduating class last year, controversy overshadowed it.¶
A district audit found that some of Chatt Prep’s teachers were unlicensed. The district also found that the school had failed to use required background check systems and placed it on academic probation. That prompted Chatt Prep leaders to replace more than 55 percent of the school’s staff, including then-principal Diamond Kelley and CEO Brad Scott.¶
New CEO Troy Kemp and principal Ja’Keel Daniels took over in the fall semester and have steered the school into an improved School Letter Grade from the state and rave reviews from families and teachers. For the first time ever, there is now a waitlist for admission, which prompted the school’s application for an amended charter to increase capacity from 500 to 575.¶
The district’s charter office reviewed the school’s application for an amended charter and found it to Meet or Exceed Standards, the threshold for approval. The reviewer’s summary noted that the application was grounded in current enrollment data, rather than projections, and that the school demonstrated organizational readiness for increased capacity, as well as financial capacity to support an increased enrollment and strong outcomes data, specifically highlighting the school’s 100 percent graduation rate and 97 percent College and Career Readiness (CCR) metric.¶
Board Discussion in Favor
HCS District 3 Representative and board Chairman Joe Smith started the discussion by introducing Kemp and asking him to speak about the challenges and accomplishments Chatt Prep experienced since he took over as principal.¶
“I want you to talk about the work down there, because what I know is that you inherited a mess,” Smith said. “And I'm just amazed at the young men that are coming out of there.”¶
Kemp went on to speak for just over five minutes about Chatt Prep’s academic progress and the broader impact of the school on the community, including reducing incarceration rates. Kemp emphasized, however, that most importantly, HCS families deserve the choice to attend Chatt Prep, and that without an expanded capacity, many would not be afforded that opportunity.¶
Beyond that, Kemp told the board that 96 percent of families with students attending Chatt Prep want to return.¶
“Whatever your vote is tonight, remember you're not voting to send a kid to Chatt Prep, you're voting to give them a choice to attend that school,” Kemp said.¶
District 11 Representative Jill Black stated that Kemp’s remarks helped sway her into voting to approve Chatt Prep’s capacity expansion.¶
“I started reflecting on the boys that I personally know that have come out of Chatt Prep, and I'm incredibly proud that some of those boys are friends with my son,” Black said. “Those boys hold themselves and carry themselves in a way that is moving and instills pride in a community, in a family, (and) in that child, and I appreciate the program supports that you guys have put in place.”¶
Board Discussion in Opposition
District 5 Representative Karitsa Jones was among the four board members opposing the expansion. She fears that if more students choose to attend Chatt Prep, enrollment might dwindle in district-run schools.¶
“I hope you all understand that this is not a Chatt Prep issue,” Jones said. “My vote is to help my peers here give Chatt Prep some competition, because I don't want Orchard Knob (Elementary School) closing because people choose to go. I want them to choose to go to Chatt Prep because they're raising a boy and they want this additional support for a male child, but I don't want them to choose Chatt Prep because Orchard Knob is failing.”¶
Next Steps for Chatt Prep
Chatt Prep has the opportunity to apply again next year for an emergency amendment to its charter to increase capacity. Board members stated that providing additional outcomes data and an improved school letter grade in a future application would potentially sway additional votes.¶
For the 2026-2027 school year, Chatt Prep will be operating under its current capacity cap of 500 students across grades 6-12.¶
