Republican Senators unanimously support legislation to ensure the approval process for public charter schools is fair

The charter commission’s “direct authorization” would be in effect for the district for up to five years under the bill. The legislation would additionally provide the charter commission with new flexibility to renew charters every 5 years instead of every ten and allow charter operators who want to replicate an existing academic model and public colleges and universities the ability to apply directly to the commission.¶

Every Senate Democrat present opposed the bill, even though charters are outperforming traditional public schools in some of their own communities.¶

Charter supporters, including education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS), say the change is needed to prevent politics from halting student achievement.¶

"While the majority of school districts are following state guidelines to honestly evaluate proposed public charter schools, a few have unfortunately become a rubber stamp of denial for every applicant," said TSS President and CEO Lana Skelo. “Public charter school applicants that are wrongfully denied lose valuable planning time going through the appeals process, and in the past, some have even had to move back their opening date. These delays harm families who want a high-quality public-school option for their children and we applaud the Tennessee Senate for helping remove politics from the classroom and ensuring children have more opportunities to succeed.”¶

The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.¶

Members of the House Education Committee were supposed to vote on that chamber’s companion legislation today, but postponed it until next month.¶

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission passed an important update on Thursday for how colleges and universities are funded.