Memphis-Shelby County School Board renews public charter school despite enrollment of just 14 students

Photo of students at City University (Photo by City University School of Independence)

Members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted 6 to 2 Tuesday night to renew the ten-year charter for a school with just over a dozen students.

Only 14 students currently attend the 9-12 grade City University School of Independence. The public charter opened in Memphis’ Whitehaven neighborhood in 2015 with a proposed enrollment of 180 students and the goal of helping put them on the path to college.

According to district documents, the school has never had more than 23 students enrolled in any school year and hasn’t always met the enrollment threshold for state testing data or to receive a state School Letter Grade.

Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency like a school district or the commission. When the ten-year charter term ends, as City University’s is, authorizing agencies decide whether a charter school has earned a renewal.

School leaders applied for a 10-year charter renewal with the goal of having an enrollment of 90 students moving forward but the district’s charter review team recommended denial in part because of enrollment challenges and low academic performance in the 2021/22 school year.

City University leaders pushed back on the review, arguing that pandemic era testing data should not be used for charter renewal decisions and instead pointed to more recent testing data released in December that showed the school meeting expectations. The charter school also asked the district to consider to its 100 percent graduation rate in the 2022-23 school year and its plans to grow enrollment.

“We believe by supporting the outlined appeal, City University School of Independence can continue in our efforts of providing a quality educational environment for a small population of scholars that seek the security of a smaller learning community in the confines of a district that is as large as Memphis-Shelby County Schools,” wrote City University leaders in their response.

Board member Tamarques Porter was among those who voted against renewing the school.

“I do look at the data. The enrollment is one particular issue for me and so I do wish that we were not at this point right now,” said Porter.

Supporters on the board, including board member Towanna Murphy, expressed optimism about the work the school is doing and its plans for enrollment growth.

“I am gonna base my vote off the mere fact that those children love being there at that school and (there) is roof for growth with that school and although enrollment is down, he still has the opportunity to increase that enrollment.”

Last week board members approved renewals for three other public charter schools including Power Center Academy Elementary, Leadership Prep, and Granville T. Woods Academy of Innovation.

That vote followed votes in favor of every charter renewal in Nashville, Knoxville, and those under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.