The Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted to close one of the district's public charter schools without discussion during its special-called meeting Tuesday evening, leaving the futures of more than 300 students up in the air.¶
Memphis Delta Prep, a public, tuition-free K-5 charter school in South Memphis, is among the schools Tennessee placed on the priority list last fall. This marked Delta Prep’s second consecutive cycle on the list, which opened it up to closure by the district.¶
What is the Priority List
The priority list is a performance metric in Tennessee that identifies the bottom 5 percent of schools based on multiple years of low academic performance, including low Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores, chronic absenteeism, lack of academic growth, and graduation rates under 67 percent. Priority schools are identified to ensure they receive structured support and are monitored for progress. The list was previously used as a metric to justify state takeovers of schools under the Achievement School District turnaround program.¶
Schools have a chance to be removed from the list once per year by meeting specific improvement benchmarks, including achieving significant academic improvement. Schools that do not achieve growth substantial enough to meet those metrics are usually closed.¶
What Led to This
Memphis Delta Prep challenged its repeat-priority designation in state court and lost, resulting in its closure under Tennessee law. The district’s school board, which has long factored priority list designations into decisions about closing or consolidating a school, made the closure official with a revocation vote.¶
This was not the first time the school petitioned to stay open despite its priority designation, having done so successfully twice since opening in 2016.¶
Earlier this year, the school gave a presentation to the MSCS board, arguing that it outperformed nearby Memphis-Shelby County Schools in certain categories to stave off closure.¶
What Happens Now
In a special meeting scheduled for June 2, the Tennessee Public Charter Schools Commission will consider allowing Empower Memphis to enroll fourth- and fifth-graders earlier than scheduled, which would allow former Memphis Delta Prep students to apply and enroll.¶
Memphis Delta Prep’s board has yet to officially vote to close the school.¶
