State Charter Commission reverses Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ decision to take over Wooddale Middle School

TPCSC Executive Director Tess Stovall speaks to commissioners about Wooddale Middle School’s appeal at Thursday’s quarterly commission meeting. (Screenshot)

Charter school operator IOTA Community Schools will continue to run Wooddale Middle School after the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC) voted Thursday to reverse an earlier decision by Memphis-Shelby County Schools leaders.

Wooddale’s future has been uncertain since the Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted down its application to transfer into the district from the state-run Achievement School District (ASD) last July. That vote would have moved Wooddale back under the administration of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

IOTA Community Schools, previously known as Green Dot Public Schools, took over administration of the school from the district in 2015 when it was among the lowest five percent of schools in terms of performance. At that time, Green Dot received a ten-year charter to operate the school under the ASD. Following the school board’s denial, IOTA Community Schools appealed to the governor-appointed Tennessee Public Charter School Commission hoping to overturn the decision.

Thursday’s 7-1 vote came following a recommendation from Executive Director Tess Stovall, who said that IOTA has “demonstrated a commitment to strong operations.” Stovall said that while there are “still some substantial areas to focus on,” such as the need to continue improving student academic performance, the school has performed well in comparison to other schools.

“When we looked at the surrounding school data, we determined that the school does generally outperform the other zone schools in the area,” she said. 

Stovall said that since the submission of the amended application, IOTA has successfully transitioned to become a local charter operator. She noted that financially, IOTA is sustainable and has “sufficient cash reserves.”

“They have new board members to build out necessary experience,” she said, adding that they have also “articulated a clear vision for the school and the network.”

TPCSC Commissioner Terence Patterson at Thursday’s commission meeting (Screenshot)

Commissioner Terence Patterson, CEO of the charter-friendly Memphis Education Fund, said he supported the decision due to how the school compares with others in the area on standardized tests.

“To even consider giving the option of running the school back to a district that has four neighboring schools with single digit proficiencies, I would almost view as negligent,” he said.  

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Director of Charter School Development Arlandra Parker argued that the school board’s denial of Wooddale’s application should stand due to concerns about “inconsistent academic performance” over the years as an ASD school.

“There remain concerns around the applicant's ability to implement a successful academic model to transform public education long-term, based on the evidence and the historical [academic] data provided,” she said at another public hearing earlier this month.

Stovall said that moving forward, the school will need to sustain the same kind of academic progress that the commission has seen over the past two years, and remain a higher-quality option than the surrounding middle schools. She said additional concerns expressed by commissioners about facilities needs will also need to be addressed.

“While we have seen signs of academic improvement at Wooddale, there are academic indicators that remain a concern. The chronic absenteeism rate is significantly higher at Wooddale than it is at other zone schools, and reducing this rate in particular must be a priority if the academic growth will continue,” she said.

According to commission leaders, the TPCSC will take over as Wooddale’s default authorizer unless Memphis-Shelby County Schools can come to a mutual agreement with IOTA Community Schools within 30 days.

For more information on Thursday’s TCPSC meeting and charter appeals, visit the commission’s website.