The Metro Nashville Board of Education could be poised to approve a new public charter school for the first time in five years during its meeting tomorrow evening.¶
The district has four public charter schools up for approval, including The Gate School, Music City Academy, Nashville School of Excellence, and Empowerment Academy. School board members rejected all four applications in April of this year, and leaders from each school submitted an amended application for a second vote this summer.¶
Meeting State Standards
The amended applications for two of them, The Gate School and Music City Academy, have the highest ratings for a charter application since Valor Voyager Academy’s application in 2014, with two schools earning the “Meets Expectations” distinction in two key state requirements. Both applications also had higher ratings than the last charter approved by the district in 2021.¶
The district’s charter review team determined that The Gate School’s amended application met standards in academics & operations and partially met standards in finance. In contrast, Music City Academy met standards in academics and finance and partially met standards in operations.¶
The Gate School
District reviewers said that The Gate School’s amended application more clearly demonstrated the school’s plans to sustain its operations over time and praised its leadership.¶
“The amended application presents school leaders and board members with experience in academics, governance, finance, and community engagement and demonstrates alignment between team expertise and the school’s mission, vision, instructional model, and goals,” a passage used in The Gate School’s amended application review said.¶
However, the district is still concerned about whether the school’s facility budget is realistic.¶
Music City Academy
District reviewers praised Music City Academy’s amended application for articulating the school’s vision and improving community support.¶
"The amended application demonstrates additional outreach to families, community members, and stakeholders and provides evidence of community engagement and support. The application demonstrates authentic engagement with community stakeholders and reflects community voice and input,” a passage used in Music City Academy’s amended application review said.¶
In contrast to The Gate School, the district’s review said that the Music City Academy needed more work on its Operations plan.¶
Empowerment Academy and Nashville School of Excellence
Nashville School of Excellence and Empowerment Academy both partially met standards in all categories.¶
Empowerment Academy’s rating is an improvement from April when district reviewers found it did not meet standards in any category.¶
The Nashville School of Excellence did not improve any of its ratings from its initial application, despite district reviewers saying the amended application was an improvement.¶
Charter applicants who are not authorized tomorrow night have the option to appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, which will make the final determination on authorization this fall.¶
