The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission voted Friday to renew its ten-year charter agreements with LEAD Neely’s Bend, Libertas School of Memphis, and Cornerstone Prep Denver.¶
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, authorizing agencies decide whether a charter school has earned a renewal.¶
According to documents from the commission, TPCSC Executive Director Tess Stovall recommended LEAD Neely’s renewal largely due to the fact that the charter school has shown “consistent improvement” since exiting the state’s Achievement School District in 2023. Her recommendation added that the Davidson County school had “demonstrated strong student growth through high scores on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS).”¶
“The operator has demonstrated the ability to acknowledge and respond to challenges effectively, which gives me confidence in this operator to continue a trajectory of improving student outcomes, ensuring student growth, and closing the achievement gap,” Stovall said in her recommendation.¶
Friday’s decision came after several parents and community members in the Madison community of Davidson County pushed for the commission to renew the charter. Parents told commissioners at a meeting in November that the public charter school’s approach to education has been beneficial for their children’s academic growth. One fifth-grade student also said then during that hearing that the school makes her feel “comfortable and accepted.”¶
“The teachers here at LEAD Neely’s Bend help me understand what they are actually teaching,” she told commissioners.¶
For Libertas, commissioners said Friday that the Memphis public charter school has demonstrated improvement in academic success, consistently high TVAAS scores and “strong proficiency” among students with disabilities since 2015, when the Memphis charter school was among the bottom five percent of schools in the state.¶
“The school's performance in [English language arts] consistently outperform the resident district and is a key strength of the school. Another key strength is the long-standing tenure of its leadership and teachers. From both an operational and a financial standpoint, the school is in good standing,” Stovall said.¶
Bob Nardo, the school’s executive director, said during a December hearing that the school has focused much of its work in recent years on creating an inclusive learning environment and preparing students for future career paths.¶
“Over these last 10 years, we've not only transformed the education in the school, but we've been part of the uplift of the whole community, helping to create new economic opportunities for families, helping people become homeowners,” he said.¶
Similarly, commissioners said that Cornerstone Denver Prep has made significant strides in academic improvement, particularly in mathematics. The school, located in Memphis’ Frayser community, has consistently outperformed local district averages in five of the last six years and was named a TVAAS level five school.¶
“A key strength of the school is the tenure of the leadership and staff, many of whom have been with the school for more than seven years. From both an operational and a financial standpoint, the school and network are in good standing. The [school’s charter] network has demonstrated strong organizational compliance and good partnership through their tenure with the commission,” Stovall said, adding that the school has “operated with consistently stable enrollment” in recent years. ¶
For more information on Friday’s commission meeting, visit www.tn.gov.¶
