State Charter Commission receives heartfelt pleas from families asking for the return of a Memphis public charter school

Supporters of a proposed public charter school run by Pathways in Education (PIE) provided the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission with heartfelt testimonies for why the school model needs to return to Memphis.PIE previously operated a school for at-risk students under the state-run Achievement School District (ASD) from 2014-2022. The school applied earlier this year to return to Shelby County as a new charter school in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) district but school board members voted it down in July.Under state law, PIE appealed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to overturn the district denial and commissioners will consider the comments submitted by the public both online and at a hearing held earlier this month.Former PIE student Wendy Bernal was among those submitting comments in support of the proposed school. She credits PIE for being the reason she was able to graduate.“Thanks to this school I was able to get my high school diploma through a better alternative for myself during that time. When I enrolled to pathways it was because I was helping my parents pay for rent as well as I was paying for my own car. My family was not in a good financial state, so I decided to help. I looked for other alternatives in order to do both things while be able to graduate, and PIE was the solution for me,” said Bernal.The commission also received written comments from parents of at-risk students and parents of former PIE students. Several said PIE offers more options to Memphis and provides students an opportunity when all other options have failed.“We have tried the traditional school route and even a few of the local online options and have continuously been hit with roadblocks. With hard to navigate online curriculum to larger class sizes, we have struggled to find the right fit for my son. I believe having Pathways in Education-Memphis gives students the opportunity to try something that brings a different approach to education. Unfortunately, my son does not fit into the traditional mold and it would be wonderful as a parent to find what works for him, and to be given another option to help him thrive to Graduate,” wrote parent Christen Wilson.“Pathways came at a time when I was desperate to help my child graduate. My daughter attended Central High School for the first three years and the principal did not renew her choice transfer after she decided not to play basketball anymore. My daughter suffers from anxieties and was having some behavioral problems, but I don't think we received adequate assistance,” wrote parent Yvettee Cooks. “She had done the work and although she was experiencing difficulties, she was still willing to go and wanted to graduate. We enrolled 2/2019 and she had until 4/2019 to complete her courses in order to graduate with the upcoming class. She did it and as a result of the program Pathways, my daughter did not fall through the cracks and is a high school graduate.”PIE’s unique self-paced flexible hybrid-schedule targets at-risk students including those who have been expelled due to disciplinary issues, students who are overaged and over-credited, students who mare the primary wage-earners, caregivers, and students on the verge of dropping out.Community supporters told commissioners PIE has the potential to be a transformative force in the Memphis education system. LITE Memphis Executive Director Larissa Gregory called PIE a key player in mitigating the factors that contribute to the classroom-to-prison pipeline and will positively impact the lives of students.“We firmly believe that educational attainment is a key contributor to creating upward mobility for the youth in our city. By offering an alternative path that recognizes the diverse learning styles and challenges of non-traditional students, Pathways in Education has the potential to mitigate the factors that contribute to the classroom-to-prison pipeline. This initiative offers access and opportunity for these students to create physical, mental, and emotional wealth, fostering a brighter future for themselves and their communities,” wrote Gregory.The goal of PIE’s education model is to re-engage students. The curriculum focuses primarily on independent study through state-aligned workbooks and would provide small group instruction courses in classroom settings that are driven by the students’ pace.PIE would also offer post-secondary counseling and social emotional learning support.PIE is one of six proposed new charter schools making appeals to open under the commission. The public comments will be used to make a final decision in Nashville in October.