Second-year Belmont University student Sarah Soliman says she wishes she could’ve had access to a school like The Forge School when she was a middle schooler.¶
The proposed sixth through 12th grade public charter school is designed to provide hands-on, real-world learning to students who are interested in careers in architecture, construction, or engineering. Soliman says that type of school model would have built confidence and clarified her path to be an architect much earlier.¶
“Being introduced early to core concepts of design thinking, spatial awareness, structural systems, all of these things would’ve definitely sparked my passion sooner and it would’ve allowed me to have a solid foundation entering architecture at Belmont,” said Soliman. “Instead of wasting my time to sort of catch up in a way if I would’ve had this education earlier on, I could’ve spent more time refining my style, or my design, or my portfolio.” ¶
Charter schools are free public schools operated by a non-profit organization under a “charter” with a school district or the state.¶
Tennessee Public Charter School Appeal¶
Members of the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education voted The Forge’s application down last June. Co-founders Derrick Williams and Sara Tuttle appealed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, hoping to overturn that decision, and Friday morning, their supporters like Soliman made the case for the school at a public hearing.¶
Michael Thompson was among them. He has a six-year-old son and says a school like The Forge would have put him on a different path as a student.¶
“All throughout middle school and high school I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to be an architect, and my math wasn’t good enough, so they said you’re never going to make it. You’re tall, though. Join the basketball team,” said Thompson. “I want an opportunity like this for my son, for any other kids in Nashville. And I think it’s just a perfect thing for our town.”¶
Comparison to Existing Academies of Nashville¶
MNPS board members voted The Forge down in part because some felt existing Academies of Nashville programs already offered something similar in these three fields, though no school offers programs in all three.¶
“The Forge application does not represent a compelling and necessary addition to our public-school landscape. Its instruction model closely mirrors existing MNPS offerings and fails to address the unmet need,” said Vice-Chair Dr. Berthena Nabbaa-McKinney during Friday’s hearing. “For me, adding another charter school would stretch our already limited enrollment and financial resources.”¶
Tuttle pushed back on that criticism, arguing The Forge’s collaborative learning model offers something beyond any current MNPS school, because it would involve industry professionals and school staff creating the curriculum. ¶
Industry Credentials a Key Part of The Forge¶
Teachers at The Forge School would additionally blend concepts of architecture, construction, and engineering into other subjects, and students could begin earning industry credentials in the sixth grade. Tuttle says high school students would additionally take part in internships, job shadowing and could graduate with as many as 17 industry credentials.¶
“While the Academies of Nashville model does great work providing initial exposure, The Forge goes further,” said Tuttle. “At The Forge, learning is not a simulation. It is real, it is relevant, and it’s relational.”¶
If approved by the commission later this month, The Forge School would open with an initial class of sixth and ninth graders in August of 2026.¶
