Following the Rutherford County Schools Board of Education’s recent decision to deny Novus SMART Academy’s application to become the fourth charter school in the district, supporters and educators from the charter school have taken their appeal to the state.

Last month school board members in Nashville and Rutherford County voted down six proposed new public charter schools.Next month supporters from all of them will make their case to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for why the decision was the wrong one.

Members of the Rutherford County School Board voted 4 to 3 Wednesday night to reject what would’ve been the county’s fourth public charter school. Financial concerns ended up playing a bigger role in the close decision against Novus SMART Academy (K-8) than academics.

Members of the Rutherford County School Board unanimously rejected what could be the district’s fourth public charter school Thursday but not without offering a gleam of hope for its supporters.The board provided more than a dozen stipulations for leaders of Novus SMART Academy (K-8) to address if they choose to file an amended application.