The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC) heard appeals for a handful of proposed Memphis public charter schools this morning at Barnes Auditorium.¶
Two of those schools, Opportunity Youth Academy and Empowerment Academy, were denied by Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) earlier this year and again after submitting amended applications this summer. The hearings included presentations from the applicants and MSCS, questions from TPCSC officials, and public comment. Under state law, charter applicants denied by local school boards can appeal those decisions to the commission, whose decision is final and can override local school districts.¶
Though both schools are seeking approval to operate in Memphis, their proposed models target supports for very different student populations.¶
Opportunity Youth Academy
Opportunity Youth Academy would serve students aged 16 to 21 in grades nine through 12 in Memphis’s Frayser community. The school, formerly known as Frayser Leadership Academy, is proposing what Tennessee law classifies as an “opportunity public charter school,” designed for students who meet specific at-risk criteria.¶
Those students could include young people who have dropped out, are chronically absent, have fallen behind on credits, or have experienced other circumstances that disrupted their education.¶
Opportunity Youth Academy proposes opening during the 2027-2028 school year with 100 students, then growing to 300. Its application estimates that 92 percent of students would be economically disadvantaged, 18 percent would be students with disabilities, and at least 75 percent would meet the state’s statutory definition of an at-risk student.¶
The school’s academic model combines Tennessee academic standards with individualized development plans, small learning communities, intensive case management, and career preparation. Students would also have access to a construction-focused career and technical education program offering industry credentials and paid pre-apprenticeship opportunities.¶
MSCS reviewers acknowledged improvements in Opportunity Youth Academy’s amended application but determined that it only partially met state standards and raised concerns about its financial plan, academic interventions, implementation of individualized student plans, and how the model would function before filling all planned staff positions.¶
The district did approve two other opportunity school proposals, both campuses of Urban Dove, after initially denying them alongside Opportunity Youth Academy.¶
Empowerment Academy
Empowerment Academy Memphis proposes a different model: an all-boys K-5 school serving up to 150 students, focused on agriculture and STEM education.¶
The school’s amended application describes an approach focused on students’ academic, social, emotional, and character development. It would incorporate experiential learning designed to connect science, technology, and agriculture to fields such as engineering, aerospace, environmental science, and food production.¶
Empowerment Academy is also attempting to open schools in Chattanooga and Nashville. The Memphis campus would be the largest of the three, with the Chattanooga and Nashville proposals designed to serve 50 students each.¶
MSCS denied Empowerment Academy’s initial application in April and its amended application in July. District reviewers found the revised proposal had improved enough to meet state standards partially but continued to question whether the school’s financial plan was strong, realistic, and sustainable.¶
These questions matter because the organization is attempting to open three Tennessee campuses at approximately the same time. Similar concerns surfaced during a Sept. 3 Commission hearing on Empowerment Academy Chattanooga, where Hamilton County officials questioned whether an emerging charter organization could successfully launch schools in three different cities simultaneously.¶
Friday’s Memphis hearing was the second of Empowerment Academy’s three state appeals. The commission is scheduled to consider its Nashville proposal at a Sept. 25 hearing. Its next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Oct. 9.¶
