By any standard, the Knox County Board of Education’s April 6 meeting was unusual.Board member Susan Horn (District 5) was absent and board member Mike McMillan (District 8) missed parts of the meeting, leading to multiple tied votes on whether the district should approve Knoxville Preparatory School’s application to open the county’s second public charter school.Perhaps most surprising of all though, may be that one board member used her time during the discussion about Knox Prep to make insensitive and unsubstantiated comments about a student from an affiliated school.

Tennessee lawmakers approved expanding the private school voucher program to Hamilton County, but not Knox County. The final bill now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature.

Brenda Jones has a personal reason behind her mission to establish a new public charter school in Nashville.In a city that’s increasingly full of transplants, Jones is a proud Nashville native. She grew up living in East Nashville’s public housing at James Cayce Homes and attended public schools nearby, but her experience going into high school was a lesson in how the education system can be improved.

Debate over one of the biggest issues for education in Tennessee is over for the year.Thursday morning House members voted 82-15 to pass legislation that’s expected to reduce the number of children held back by the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law.  That vote follows Tuesday’s passage in the Senate.

A high school athlete who violates the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s (TSSAA) amateur rules for receiving money through sponsorships, will now receive a warning instead of a year suspension for the initial violation.

House members voted 57 to 35 Wednesday to expand Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Program (ESA) following a strong pushback by Democratic members.The Tennessee General Assembly passed the Education Saving Account program in 2019 to allow lower income families in Davidson and Shelby County to use state and local dollars to help cover private school expenses. Legal challenges delayed the ESA from launching until last year.

In a surprising move, members of the Tennessee House re-included the paycheck protection provision of legislation to raise teacher salaries minutes after voting it down.That provision would prevent unions and professional organizations from deducting dues from teacher paychecks.  The section has faced opposition from the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) and a House committee added an amendment to the legislation in the committee process to remove the provision.

The search for a new superintendent to lead Memphis-Shelby County Schools took another unexpected turn Tuesday.Former Boston Public Schools superintendent Brenda Casselius withdrew her name from the search, while search firm Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates recommended an additional candidate, MSCS deputy superintendent Angela Whitelaw.

Tennessee Senators passed legislation on a partisan 26 to 4 vote Tuesday to reduce the number of children held back by the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law.No Democratic Senator voted in favor of the legislation.

American Classical Education (ACE) faced questions of providing misleading letters of support for a proposed new school at a hearing Friday with the charter review team for Robertson County Schools.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members postponed finalist interviews for the next superintendent until further notice Saturday following allegations of a lack of transparency.The search firm hired by the district, Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, named former Boston Public Schools superintendent Brenda Casselius, Madison Metropolitan School District superintendent Carlton Jenkins, and Interim Superintendent Tutonial “Toni” Williams as finalists for the position.

Tennessee lawmakers are moving toward a consensus on how to improve the state’s controversial new third-grade retention policy for struggling readers, but whatever they decide won’t be in time for this year’s class of third graders.

Representative Tim Hicks took a different path than most to the state capitol in Nashville.The Washington County Republican lawmaker didn’t attend college and instead followed his father’s advice and built a career in home construction with his family’s business.

A national superintendent search that officials promised would restore trust in the embattled Memphis-Shelby County Schools district could yield finalists who don’t meet the board’s own minimum requirements for the role.

Members of the Tennessee State Senate unanimously passed the first of Governor Bill Lee’s proposals to improve school security Wednesday morning.

The expulsions of two Democratic lawmakers last week may not last long after all.Wednesday afternoon members of the Shelby County Commission unanimously voted to reappoint Representative Justin J. Pearson.  That vote followed a Metro Council move to reappoint Representative Justin Jones to his Nashville seat.

Amber Green had a few specific characteristics in mind when she began looking for an elementary school for her son Greyson. Green says she wanted a school that not only provided structure, but also joy.Green says she found both in the soon to open Nashville Classical West public charter school.