Board Members John Butler (left), Katherine Bike (center left), Patricia Fontenot-Ridley (center right), Anne Templeton (right) (Photo by Knox County Schools)¶
The Knox County Schools Board of Education voted to keep the district’s first public charter school open for another ten-year term Thursday night, but not without renewing questions for how supportive members will be of charters moving forward. Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency like a school district or the state. ¶
The district’s charter committee that reviewed Emerald Academy’s ten-year history in Knoxville and recommended approval of a new contract, praising the K-8 grade school as a “model” charter school that “effectively addresses areas of deficiency and achievement gaps to ensure academic success is achieved by all students.” Emerald Academy’s elementary school students outperformed the nearest district-run elementary school in every subject on recent state testing and the school itself received an equal or better School Letter Grade than the district run elementary and middle schools zoned for the same area of Knoxville. Emerald Academy also serves a higher percentage of students of color (86 percent) than either school.¶
All five Republican members of the board voted in favor of following the district’s charter committee recommendation of approval for a new ten-year contract, but the board’s four Democrats took a different path.¶
District 3 Board Member Patricia Fontenot-Ridley voted against renewal while District 1 Board Member John Butler, District 2 Board Member Anne Templeton, and District 4 Board Member Katherine Bike all opted to pass on voting.
